I decided to give Mocha another shot, and I'm glad I did. I've decided I really like the atmosphere. The reasonably-priced medium hot chocolate ($2.91 including tax) was delicious, far better than the standard Starbucks version at the same price. Isn't this the same building as the Riverside? In a week and a half, Yes will play there. I wish Mocha and Mo's opened to the Riverside so that you could half-watch the concert if you wanted. I've heard that some of the club-like venues Yes is playing on this tour have balconies where you sit and relax on comfy couches. Even as a rabid fan, I think I'd welcome the opportunity to experience a concert that way, especially after the kind of year it's been.
I'm at Alterra on Humboldt, which is becoming an increasingly infrequent destination. I'm enjoying a grab-and-go Blue Chicken Salad--probably the last $6.95 salad I have in a good while, as my self-imposed austerity program is kicking in--and a mug of the Turkey Trot seasonal coffee. It tastes like nothing so much as pipe tobacco, which is not at all bad in my estimation. Especially in half-and-half, it's delightful.
I don't think the new Starbucks Wi-Fi system quite hits the target. For the second day in a row, I've witnessed an exasperated customer asking a counter person how the system works and ultimately not being able or willing to do what it takes to get online. Incidentally, both happened to be successful-looking professional women. Isn't that their core demographic? They should have some kind of an override system in which the staff have a few cards with usernames and passwords that they can pass out in such situations. The current system is a little complicated, and asking the staff to explain it in a way that's understandable to the customer is probably asking too much.
Last night, I did something I haven't done for quite a while--I took a long, mostly aimless walk downtown. A lot has happened in just the last several months. I was at the Milwaukee Public Market a little over a year ago, but it looks like many stores have turned over. The new organic neighbor, goodharvest, looks promising. I see that El Rey will be opening a taqueria at the Public Market, which is good news indeed (if it weren't for the Market's limited hours and inconvenient--at least to me--location, it would be great news). If you haven't had the authentic experience at one of the El Rey grocery stores, you haven't lived. How authentic? The last couple times I went to the 35th & Burnham location, I was having a hard time communicating with the servers due to the language barrier, which kind of made the experience a little too authentic for my taste. The workers are unbelievably efficient, probably each getting as much work done as ten Anglos would, but there's no system. Presumably these things won't happen in the version offered to the Public Market audience.
I'd been told that the Third Ward location was the "least like a Starbucks", but I can't say I quite agree. I'm not even quite sure what that's supposed to mean, but if it's supposed to mean the best, I wouldn't agree. (In terms of atmosphere, I'd say the Mequon Starbucks is the best; in terms of drink quality, the Whitefish Bay location.) I don't know that there's a cause-effect relationship, but the best Starbucks are the ones that have the Mastrena. I think, on some level, the company knows at which locations the new machines will go to best use and is deploying them accordingly.
I'm at the aforementioned Starbucks. Having just written a post critical of Starbucks, I now received more proof that Big Green's improvements in their product have far outstripped any improvements to their service or atmosphere. I ordered a double tall soy latte and, since I got it for here, was given a short ceramic cup (not quite sure why, but the results were awesome). The 8-oz. ceramic mug is basically a traditional latte or cappuccino size, and this drink featured the additional punch of an second shot. Despite the ongoing construction, they have a full house.
UPDATE: I didn't finish out my 2 hours at the Silver Spring location, so I walked to the Shorewood store and, having just put my laptop on standby, was able to get back online on the free AT&T service. So, I assume the system will let you log back in from anywhere within that 2-hour window.
I'm at one of the more, ahem, underachieving Starbucks stores I've been to, the one on N. Oakland Ave. in Shorewood. I love reading Starbucks Gossip while at Starbucks. Tonight, I saw one of the best posts I've ever read on the site:
Out went snapshots that focused on quality and legendary service, to be replaced by Customer Voice, which can be manipulated by partners who only provide the invitations to those who will say the right things in a survey. Promotions began where partners were commanded to push subpar drinks upon customers, pushing numbers ahead of quality (skinny mocha, anyone?). Partner morale was sacrificed to stroke the egos of upper management. Survival became a popularity contest among the SM and DM levels. In short, Starbucks went from being a special experience for everyone involved, to being a get-them-in and get-them-out numbers game. It's no wonder customers and partners alike fled in droves. And those who still cared about the old mission were tossed aside in favor of those who were cutthroat and ass kissers.
I still stop into my old store from time to time. I stopped in on Monday, actually. In the 5 short months since I left, NOBODY who was working the morning shift was anybody I knew. I may as well have stopped into a store in another state. And the positive attitudes I remember from my time there? Gone, and replaced with nothing but stress.
So yes, Starbucks has some work to do. And yes, on some level I still care. But, speaking as someone who always did care, when the heart left the business there was nowhere to go but down. And that spiral continues. And I'll watch it with a mixture of sadness and joy.
I put this in my blogroll earlier and kind of forgot about it, so I was pleased to be reminded of the excellent Coffee Strategies blog.
I'm back at Alterra on Prospect enjoying some more Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. This mug was even better than the last. Surfing the Internet, I came across a website that I hadn't visited for several months and has undergone big changes to make it more user-friendly. I'm frustrated that I haven't been able to make similar changes with this site. The main reason is that I'm woefully pressed for time. For example, I signed up for TypePad's blog optimization service. They reviewed my blog and sent me about a six-page, single-spaced PDF with their assessment (I'm proud to say that most things were already, um, optimal). I scanned it and threw it on the virtual pile--didn't you know you can do that with computers too? After a week or so, they followed up, writing, "Hey, d'ya want us to make the three changes we suggested?" Not having the time to deal with it, I gave the go-ahead. The changes made the organization and navigation worse, in my view. Honestly, I don't have a passion for this kind of web design stuff at all. I have a passion for writing articles, and that's about it. In terms of the other aspects, with almost unlimited overtime available at my paying job--for which I also have a passion--it's hard not to jump at that and let the administrative tasks of this venture fall by the wayside.
Really liking this stuff. It also happens to cup really well.
For the first time in a while, I'm back at Alterra on Humboldt. It's a rainy night, and there's parking at this location. Probably explains why almost every seat in the place is taken. I don't know whether Alterra owns the N. Prospect Ave. building, but if they want to get much use out of it, they really ought to help do something about the parking situation in the area. (Though I guess they have the future UWM dorm and expanded Columbia/St. Mary's facility working in their favor.) It's very rare that I can get a parking space within one or two blocks of Alterra Prospect. Now that gas is cheap again, I'm driving around more, and I'm here to tell you that there's some really sucky places out there which, I'm convinced, survive because of the ease of quick in/out access.
Darleen,
I used to care. I used to be the one partners would turn to when they were feeling jaded and used. I used to lead my shifts from a position of teamwork and pride in what we were doing. And it worked out beautifully when upper management were leading from the same place.
Around the 2005-2006 timeframe, a cultural shift came about, at least in my region. Upper management began leading from a place of ego and "Cover Your Ass" micromanagement. Passion and dedication became passe, replaced by daily phone calls, email followup, corporate doublespeak and, above all, speed of service.