Monday, February 26, 2007

Starbucks memo - a response

By now, the Schultz memo has been confirmed and received widespread attention. If you haven't seen it yet, you can read it here.

As a former Starbucks regular, I liked the contents of this mostly honest review of past actions, while taking collective responsibility for it. While mostly on track, the memo misses a few items :
  • Responding to customer suggestions : as I have posted before, my mails to customer service were not even acknowledged, let alone acted on. Where do these go ?
  • Cleanliness : There are Starbucks outlets that are unlikely to pass health department checks. Whether it is restrooms that are worse looking than public restrooms, or employees not washing their hands (I was a witness) when they should have, some of these outlets are plain health risks. I wrote about it here.
  • Store size : In its search for growth, Starbucks has built outlets in some locations that are so small that you need to stand on your toes while waiting for your drink!
  • Rude service : Service with a smile is non-existent at most Starbucks today.
Anybody listening ?

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