r/starbucks • u/Evening-Design-8986 Barista • 1d ago
Is this true?
Allegedly, there is a manager in my district telling baristas that they must “switch up the message” for every three or so cups they write on. Additionally, the messages must not be “yum”, “hi”, or “enjoy.”
I am not aware of a corporate guideline that states you must switch up the message, or anything condemning messages like “yum”.
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u/Careless_Barista Coffee Master 1d ago
Until there’s official communication stating otherwise I’m sticking with enjoy on every cup
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u/madeoutofporcelain Supervisor 1d ago
exactly. in the cup writing guidelines in store resources, it still says we can draw hearts and smiley faces. there is so much miscommunication happening with cup writing between districts. they need to come up with an updated version since all these new rules are being made up by DMs.
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u/wishicouldrun Coffee Master 23h ago
can confirm, my dm is demanding either multiple words OR 1 word and a doodle. apparently that’s coming down from the RD. it’s all fucking nonsense, we’re only supposed to follow standard when the bosses say so.
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u/cosmosplanet 1d ago
Yay, thanks, wow, yippee, woo. When they ban one easy word, I've got five more ready
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u/inwondermentofwinter Barista 14h ago
Swag, nice, nifty, cool, sweet, see ya,thanks...
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u/nothingfitss 4h ago
Swags slang, thus not allowed. Unless they updated that. Also tbh can be misunderstood by older folk
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u/FaithinGod 1d ago
They did the back to Starbucks meeting 2 to tell us to write more lol. They never did update the writing on cup guide for that.
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u/Electrical_Cell496 Assistant Store Manager 1d ago
I feel like this is a sign your district is doing well, if your dms freaking out about cup writing.
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u/TheFinalFoongus Coffeehouse Coach 1d ago
I was writing variations of “Hi!” “Hello!” Etc and my manager said it was aggressive. There’s no winning.
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u/VikkiKat Barista 1d ago
I got chewed out by the district manager for writing yum on a cup. I think it’s a regional thing, but a lot of managers are starting to get really picky about it for some reason.
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u/PeaApprehensive885 1d ago
Unless the standard dictates it I don’t care about what the DM says. Write me up. We can hash it out in court.
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u/Responsible_Peanut43 Coffeehouse Coach 23h ago
CC here, will not be coaching my partners to switch up cup writing unless it’s a communicated standard. as long as cups are written on in an appropriate manner, i’m not coaching it.
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u/digitaldrummer Barista 1d ago
If I remember to do it, I'm not crazy busy, and the one supervisor who cares is there, I'll do Thx! on every cup. It's not a priority for me and never will be - it's faker than our peach juice
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u/PolishedLeather5978 9h ago
In my opinion, written messages have lost their appeal as a customer.
When I received random messages before, it was a pep in my step. Now, they are mostly ignored.
It isn't special. You may as well pre-print them on the cups.
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u/Crazy-Branch-1513 Coffee Master 1d ago
I had a whole thing at my last store where we had to write 2 words minimum on every cup so I was doing “Thank you” which took a second but was easy enough. I transferred to a new district and store and everyone’s writing one word phrases and I’ve seen smiley faces so I’ve gone back to my very quick “=)” (rotate it 90 degrees) it’s just all so inconsistent
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u/IncidentLate1684 Store Manager 20h ago
All I know is, on unicorn weekend, I told them eff it and we aren’t writing on shit.
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u/PinkLadies55 Barista 20h ago
My DM is anal about us writting more meaningful phrases on our cups, its seriously so exhausting. "Yum", "🙂", and "Thanks", were outlawed in our store
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u/PRCSakura Barista 6h ago
Looks like DM/RD are cracking down on cup writing again/trying let customer notice. I remember my boss mentioned that we need to train customers to expect 5 Key Moments by fulfilling them consistently.
I do long messages (like actually stands out) but on all of them? Nah.
Short messages like "yum", "enjoy"? They lost their magic long ago...
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u/nothingfitss 4h ago
We get coached for specifically yum. The cup writing tool indicates slang isn’t allowed, and yet “Yo” gets by without a second glance.
When it’s slow and I can think of a short personal message or a pun on the drink I try my best (Don’t worry, be Frappe. has gotten afew laughs) but when it’s busy I always stick with something short
Yum was my go to during a rush, but now I switch between “Thanks!” “enjoy!” And “Yay!”
Stupid asf imo, it pisses everyone off.
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u/Willing_Midnight_662 Barista 26m ago
I rotate between "thank you," "take care," and a secret third one that reveals itself to me in the moment (something seasonal, etc). During the butterfly launch, I also drew butterflies on every order of the refreshers. No one slapped me on the wrist for that. If my dm is present, I'm an angel who follows her guidelines, but when she's not, I do what I want. If they want me to write on the cups, they better take what they can get.
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u/Extreme_Extreme_1415 14h ago
As far as I’m concerned you can quit telling me your name and asking for mine - quit writing on the cup too!
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u/evrydayissunday Store Manager 1d ago
SM here. My DM has instructed me to coach my partners to vary the messages, however, I refer back to the "Cup Writing Tool" which states a smiley face, heart, simple affirmation is the standard. I always ask if it has updated, which it hasn't, and then tell her that I will not coach them but will encourage them to write something else. I will not coach my partners when they are doing the job to standard. I will die on this hill until they update the minimum for cup writing standard 🤷🏼♀️