Starbucks Leaves Customers Enraged After Staffing Changes Lead to Delayed Orders, with Some Waiting 40 Minutes (2024)

FAQs

Why is the wait at Starbucks getting longer? ›

We're talking lines that can take up to 40 minutes. According to a new report in Bloomberg, the reason behind the slow down is understaffing. The locations are reportedly so understaffed because an algorithm Starbucks uses to determine how many workers should be at each location and when.

The rule is intended to provide good customer service

According to Better Marketing, the 10-minute rule at Starbucks involves remaining open 10 minutes after the posted closing time and unlocking the doors 10 minutes before the posted opening time.

Supply chain criticism

Greenberg alleged “well-documented instances” for years in the retailer's supply chain of “slavery-like conditions,” child labor, human trafficking and other exploitative working conditions on farms and co-ops where Starbucks sources its coffee and tea.

Some of the methods Starbucks has used to expand and maintain their dominant market position, including buying out competitors' leases, intentionally operating at a loss, and clustering several locations in a small geographical area (i.e., saturating the market), have been labeled anti-competitive by critics.

They blame a new algorithm that assigns staff at the world's biggest coffee chain based on customer forecasts and product availability, but doesn't account for promotions and unpredictable customer requests. Wait times have ballooned this year, per Technomic, just as Starbucks reported a quarterly sales decline.

In a previous statement, a Starbucks spokesperson explained that the goal of the tipping screens is to “allow our customers to recognise baristas no matter what payment method they use”. The average hourly pay for a Starbucks barista is $15.11, according to Indeed.

Starbucks Corporation fired the seven employees (Nikki Taylor, creator of the union, and her six coworkers on Tuesday, February 8th, 2022) for allegedly violating the dress code by wearing leggings, being rude to customers, and leaving the coffee shop unlocked at night.

Calls to boycott Starbucks began following a legal dispute between the franchise and Starbucks Workers United, a union representing certain employees, over the union's pro-Palestinian social media posts.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has filed over 80 complaints against Starbucks for violating federal labor law and there have been over 500 unfair labor practice charges lodged against this company.

Why are people avoiding Starbucks? ›

What to know. Starbucks employees, former baristas, and Palestinian advocacy groups nationwide were boycotting Starbucks in response to "unfair" labor practices and a lawsuit over a social media post shared by the union in support of Palestinian rights.

As reported in the New York Times, a regional NLRB office determined that 23 U.S. stores were closed “because its employees engaged in union activities or to discourage employees from doing so.” At least seven of those stores had unionized, the Times added, though the company said none of the Los Angeles locations were ...

About 8% of Starbucks customers waited between 15 and 30 minutes in the last quarter, compared to virtually no one waiting that long during the same period in 2019, according to data provider Technomic.

While there are no hard and fast numbers on how long it takes to complete a Starbucks order, the company's own data suggests 3-to-5 minutes while a QSR study pins the wait time down to 4 minutes and 44 seconds.

The Menu Crisis 📜

Starbucks is also grappling with a supply shortage affecting key ingredients like oat milk, flavored syrups, and even frappuccino mix. This has led to menu items being unavailable, frustrating customers and employees alike.

Earnings per share are expected to stay flat for 2024, down from the previous forecast of a 15% to 20% growth. Starbucks expected same-store sales in the U.S. and China—its two largest markets—to decline by single digits from last year.