Starbucks baristas slam rule to doodle on customers cups: Stressed out of my mind

Grievances are brewing at Starbucks.Baristas at the coffee chain have been forced to dust off their Sharpies to scribble names and messages on customers’ to-go cups as part of the “Back to Starbucks” initiative — and they’re not happy.The scheme seeks to bring back an old-school community coffeehouse vibe to the stores, with CEO Brian Niccol, saying in a recent interview that mobile ordering “took a lot of the soul” out of the company.

Thus, Starbucks has instructed employees to use their Sharpie to write “a simple affirmation” such as “you’re amazing” or “hello again” for someone who stops by regularly.“Handwritten notes on our cups have proven to be a simple, yet meaningful action that fosters moments of connection with our customers,” a memo for the plan said, according to Business Insider.However, some Starbucks baristas have already grown resentful toward the reintroduction of Sharpies, telling CNN that writing on every cup has slowed down the pace and comes off as a “forced” way to make connections with customers.“It’s just a lot for workers to have to add to the number of things we’re expected to do,” Amanda Rivera, a Starbucks worker in Atlanta and a leader of Starbucks Workers United, told the outlet.“It would be more sincere if I didn’t seem stressed out of my mind making 10 other cups.”“I don’t want to just write have an amazing day on every cup,” she added.

“Is that really connecting?”In response, Starbucks has said that it will be adding extra hours for workers to help with employees writing on cups.Some baristas have also noted that customers will misinterpret the “affirmations” as an attempt at flirting.One customer shared on TikTok that she sent her boyfriend to get her a matcha from Starbucks, and he returned with a cup that had “Thank you for stopping by!” written on it alongside two hearts.“This new policy has me tweaking,” she wrote beneath the video, which has 3.1 million ...