Starbucks blames sales losses on "congestion" at the barista counter (1 Viewer)

[superchuck500]

The increase in use of quick pay methods has resulted in a bottle-neck at the delivery counter, which drives away customers who would otherwise make an order.

The obvious answer is robots, but would people go for that? Surely automation can make as good or better coffee than a human - it's hardly an art.

Mobile pay is speeding Starbucks customers through the checkout line, but a bottleneck is building for the baristas.
The company has seen mobile order and pay transactions spike throughout its U.S. stores, with 1,200 of its stores experiencing a 20 percent jump in mobile pay and ordering during peak hours.

While these transactions are a boon for the coffee giant, the increase in volume has hurt same-store sales. That's because congestion at the hand-off counter has caused incoming customers to leave without making a purchase, despite lines at the register being short, said Kevin Johnson, Starbucks' president and soon-to-be CEO, during an earnings conference call.

Johnson said that this was a contributing factor in the company's lower-than-expected same-store sales growth during the fiscal first quarter. The coffee giant reported that same-store sales only grew 3 percent, short of Wall Street's anticipated growth of 3.8 percent.

Starbucks says that crowd of people waiting for their Frappuccinos is hurting sales

 

[Yatman]

Sounds like they're trying to hype themselves a la Yogi Berra..."Nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded."



This is all Kaepernick's fault.

 

[TheRealJRad]

If you must Starbucks, pre-ordering through the app is the truth.

 

[Brennan77]

Producing real coffee is an art, in my opinion. Starbucks is not good coffee though. It's super burnt and overpowering so that you can put a shot of espresso into a milk shake and still think you ordered a coffee. It's brilliant actually. So was introducing microwaved breakfast sandwiches, a la McDonald's.

 

[mt15]

I'm not a coffee drinker, but my husband hates Starbucks coffee. He says the same about it being burnt and overbearing. He will buy coffee from McDonalds if he has to, before Starbucks.

 

[showtimesaints]

Producing real coffee is an art, in my opinion. Starbucks is not good coffee though. It's super burnt and overpowering so that you can put a shot of espresso into a milk shake and still think you ordered a coffee. It's brilliant actually. So was introducing microwaved breakfast sandwiches, a la McDonald's.

They can't even get a simple espresso right, I mean that's the starting point for coffee. Ask for a simple espresso and it's just awful.

 

[Saint_Ward]

If people can't wait for espresso, they don't deserve it. In a rush? Get drip brewed coffee.

 

[Meachemdat]

Too many baristas? Yeah, I'm sure it has nothing to do with paying $4-$8 for a cup of coffee.

I'll take a thermos full of community any day over that.

Now a real coffee shop that makes a damn good late/espresso shot? Those are worth every penny, but they are hard to find here in Atlanta. At least outside of downtown.

I miss New Orleans/Louisiana coffee something fierce. You ask for chicory up here and people look at you like you have lobsters crawling out of your ears.

 

[Yatman]

PSA; not a thread-jack

Since nobody seems to be boo-hooing over S'bucks but some are interested in good espresso, may I introduce...

Got one of these several years ago for backpacking, and have also used it at home for breakfast and after-dinner shots.

It's not a French press; AeroPress makes "pressurized" espresso through a filter. Good stuff. Unimaginably good stuff when in the boonies.

You can adjust to desired strength and cut the finished product with hot water if you want regular coffee. It's certainly cheaper than a Faema.


/product plug

 

[Brennan77]

Since nobody seems to be boo-hooing over S'bucks but some are interested in good espresso, may I introduce...

Got one of these several years ago for backpacking, and have also used it at home for breakfast and after-dinner shots.

It's not a French press; AeroPress makes "pressurized" espresso through a filter. Good stuff. Unimaginably good stuff when in the boonies.

You can adjust to desired strength and cut the finished product with hot water if you want regular coffee. It's certainly cheaper than a Faema.


/product plug

Im an espresso guy. I have a nice machine at home. In fact, I'm having a nice one at a local place right now. When I backpack, however, every ounce counts. So oddly enough, injustice drink Starbucks instant via packs. They are good enough and weigh nothing.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Brennan77]

They can't even get a simple espresso right, I mean that's the starting point for coffee. Ask for a simple espresso and it's just awful.

That's because it's all automated in machine. Their espresso is actually consistent. It's just also terrible.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Saint_Ward]

Too many baristas? Yeah, I'm sure it has nothing to do with paying $4-$8 for a cup of coffee.

I'll take a thermos full of community any day over that.

Now a real coffee shop that makes a damn good late/espresso shot? Those are worth every penny, but they are hard to find here in Atlanta. At least outside of downtown.

I miss New Orleans/Louisiana coffee something fierce. You ask for chicory up here and people look at you like you have lobsters crawling out of your ears.

Not too many barista's. They are so fast to take your order and check you out, that the barista's making your drink get overwhelmed, because that process can't get a lot faster.

If they were going to switch to automation, they'd have to find a way to quickly automate making the drinks, especially blended frozen drinks, since those take the longest to make.

 

[antipop]

I don't understand how people can say Starbucks coffee is bad and yet they drink coffee and chicory

gross

 

[Madmarsha]

Bad service is bad service. Always has been, always will be .... whether I've paid for it ahead of time or not. Also, instant gratification has always taken too long.

 

[Galbreath34]

That's because it's all automated in machine. Their espresso is actually consistent. It's just also terrible.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

This is the thing, it's consistent. It's like talking about Wendy's or McDonald's beef compared to a cookout or a local grill.

Starbucks is expensive and not great tasting, but it's convenient and you always know whether a particular drink they make is something you can take or not. If you hate it too much to finish in Chicago, you'll feel the same about it at Pike Place Market at the original store. If it'll get you through your flight or meeting, it will anywhere.

I rarely drink Starbucks when I'm at home, but when I travel or have a gig with a tough commute, it's a regular thing. I'm at least not rolling the dice on getting someone like a barista at PJs a decade ago that turned a latte into some kind of insane cafe au lait by just pouring drip coffee into milk. I'm also not doubling the length of my drive just to get the guy with the 3" wooden plugs and the tribal tats to make me a drink.

TL;DR If I'm at home no need to seek out someone to make coffee. If I'm on the road no time to roll the dice and hunt for indy coffee.