Posted by: john
Comment: #1
Fri Mar 28, 2008 6:01 PM
shift supervisors are hourly and only 20% of teh time they work on the clock is supervisory. they are not management and have no managerial authority.
they have a key to the store, and count money sometimes....
and they are part time
Connie Schultz too often writes without facts, a huge no no in journalism. You really need to research things better! You are consistent with not doing this. And trust me, the shift probably gave better service and deserves the tips.
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Posted by: Rebecca Salazar
Comment: #3
Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:19 PM
As a supervisor at a Chicago area Starbucks, I cannot believe the insanity of what's happening here. I've been a partner with the company for almost 7 years, and never in that time, up until now, has there been an argument over whether or not shift supervisors should be included in tips. We are not management, We are baristas with keys to the safe, who handle the cash, and set codes to lock the store at night. I am on the floor just as much as the baristas I work with, and in addition to that, I support them being on the floor and being able to manage a rush situation by either supplying them with whatever they need, jumping into whatever position I need to be in- whether it's on the bar, the register, or expediting a line in the cafe or drive thru- and also completing a long list of back work that most baristas don't have to do or even think about. It's ludicrous to me that people, both within and without the company, consider this an illegal practice. Would you tell a lead server at a restaurant that since they're the shift lead that they can't accept tips? No way. As a first-time mother, I rely on my tips to purchase formula and baby necessities. My checks go directly to my monthly expenses, so this money isn't going to waste and being pocketed. Why shouldn't shifts take part in tip sharing? Yes, we're paid more. That's the incentive for being a shift. I've had customers ask if they can tip me personally, as I know other shift supervisors have as well, because their barista wasn't friendly and didn't provide them with the proper customer service that they'd expect from Starbucks employees. I politely explain that while I'm flattered, we're a team and we work together to make sure that each situation needing correction is handled properly, and we work together to ensure that their drinks and their visits are not only satisfactory, but make them want to return. That's why we are not "employees," or "co-workers," or any other word for people who work for the same company. We're partners. We share company stock if we choose, we share work space, we share each other's lives, we support each other, and we share the same love of coffee, tea, and customer service. I love this company. It's been good to me, and I love the customers that I meet and the friends on both sides of the counter that I make each and every day. Shifts work more hours a week, create more lasting relationships with our customers since most of our baristas aren't in the store as often as we are, and we are the driving force behind making sure that the changes that our store managers and ultimately, Howard Schultz, are being enforced and followed. There should be no argument about whether or not shift supervisors take part in tips. Anyone who thinks otherwise is just ignorant.
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Posted by: Joe
Comment: #4
Wed Mar 26, 2008 3:39 PM
"Starbucks called the decision "fundamentally unfair and beyond all common sense and reason." Interestingly, many Starbucks employees — including baristas — agree, which is why this is more complicated than the typical management tip-skimming maneuver. Baristas insisted to journalists, including me, that their supervisors often brew coffee and wait on customers just like they do.
"I can't hire or fire anybody," one supervisor in the Cleveland area told me. "The only difference between me and a barista is that I count the money and I have keys." Supervisors also reportedly make $1 to $2 more an hour. I don't know for sure because no one at Starbucks' corporate headquarters would talk to me.
And this right here is what's going on. Shift supervisors are on the floor all the time. They could just as easily be the person who gave you a smile or made you your drink. So if you're assuming the tip you're giving is going to the person in front of you, you're just as likely to be looking at a shift supervisor. Your article started out citing the opinion of the people who actually work at Starbucks, but then the conclusion didn't follow.
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