Can customers appear out of thin air? That’s what some Starbucks workers are wondering as their corporate overlords have reportedly asked them to serve an additional 20 customers every day, at every store in the United States. How do they find these customers?
Buzzfeed reports that the chain now has two initiatives, which have names with inexplicable hashtags.
One is called #Simplify, and involves finding ways to reduce chaos behind the counter and get orders out faster. This could include a separate preparation area and queue for orders through the mobile app (similar to the second-line idea that Chipotle is rolling out) and other ways to “reduce complexity and allow our store partners more time to nurture teams and connect with customers,” soon-to-be CEO Kevin Johnson told employees in an internal letter.
The other, probably more controversial idea, is called #20More, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Perhaps stores will fill the quota just by not turning anyone away, or perhaps they’ll try promotions to bring more people in.
Apparently, no one has actually told employees how they’re supposed to accomplish this. “It’s like they want us to pull these customers from the air magically. It’s confounding,” an anonymous partner told Buzzfeed.
We hope that the chain’s first step was in accomplishing both hashtags to stop promoting its mobile ordering system so heavily, since customers were actually walking out after finding huge crowds of people waiting at the drinks counter.
by Laura Northrup via Consumerist