Starbucks Barista Turnover Rate Reaches 25% Within 3 Months? Cold Drinks Become the Main Culprit!

According to The Wall Street Journal, company data shows that 25% of baristas resign within three months of employment, a figure significantly higher than the 10% before the COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding this, Starbucks' interim CEO Howard Schultz stated that it might be related to the overly complicated process of making cold beverages, and the company is working on improvements.

Starbucks had previously reported in its third-quarter financial statement on August 2nd that cold beverages accounted for as high as 75% of Starbucks' beverage sales. The turnover rate of Starbucks baristas in the United States is rising, and Starbucks executives indicate that one of the main reasons might be related to customers' strong demand for cold beverages. The preparation process for Starbucks cold beverages is much more complicated compared to hot beverages; baristas not only have to constantly replenish ice but also handle several complex preparation procedures.

To improve the working environment for employees, Starbucks is exploring ways to improve store configurations and speed up cold beverage preparation at its experimental site at the Seattle headquarters.

The Complex Process of Making Iced Drinks

The Wall Street Journal reported on September 1st (local US time) the entire process of making an iced drink. Barista Lisa Koss demonstrated the steps required to make a Starbucks Iced Caramel Macchiato. Ms. Koss first made espresso at the hot bar area, then turned to the cold bar area to use a blender to make the frappé portion. She then walked back to the hot bar area to get the extracted espresso, and took milk from the refrigerator. Finally, she returned to the blender to retrieve the frappé portion, bent down to scoop ice, and finally poured all the required ingredients into the cup to complete the iced drink. Just making one Iced Caramel Macchiato took approximately three minutes. Other more popular cold beverages require even more complicated preparation steps.

Speed Expectations vs. Operational Reality

Starbucks hopes employees can quickly deliver these entirely handcrafted beverages to consumers. A Starbucks barista revealed that one store once tracked the delivery time of its drive-thru employees, with the expected delivery time being less than 50 seconds.

Starbucks stated that there is no standard waiting time for drive-thru service, but a waiting time of 50 seconds or less is ideal.

Some Starbucks employees mentioned in interviews with The Wall Street Journal that the current daily average customer traffic is about 1,500 people, much higher than the previous 1,200.

Store Redesign and Employee Retention Strategies

To better prepare Starbucks stores for higher-speed development, Starbucks had stated that many stores in the United States need major renovations. To solve the problem of overly complicated cold beverage preparation steps, Howard stated that Starbucks will design new stores from scratch.

Today, Starbucks is striving to improve employee retention rates. To retain employees, besides raising hourly wages in August 2002, Starbucks is also re-examining store configurations, menus, and baristas' work content.

Image source: Internet

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