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The only way things like this really work is by not giving any heads up to the store or the store management. Otherwise store management spends a huge amount o

The only way things like this really work is by not giving any heads up to the store or the store management. Otherwise store management spends a huge amount of time trying to tidy up before “corporate” comes by. At least that was my experience when things like this happened at the fruit stand.

MadSudaca 4y ago
My experience at the lemonade stand have been similar.
- bannedbybros 4y ago
  [dead]
thrdbndndn 4y ago
Assuming he actually works the whole shift, he still can experience what works as a barista in his company is like (workload, how to deal with customers assuming they don't recognize him) somewhat truthfully. I think it's worth something.
- angry_moose 4y ago
  First line: Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan told employees Thursday that he’ll work a half day every month at one of the coffee giant’s locations. Something tells me it'll be something like 1-5pm; not the 7am rush.
  - badwolf 4y ago
    I've mixed feelings. Many probably wouldn't want the semi-dead weight of big executive screwing up the morning rush.
    - sebzim4500 4y ago
      I haven't worked retail, I know its unpleasant but is there really that much skill to it?
      - toyg 4y ago
        Doing things, doing things correctly, and doing things correctly and quickly are VASTLY different things. At rush time, you don't have time to think. You must have muscle memory to carry you.
      - 0xffff2 4y ago
        I have never worked as a barista, but I have worked as a line cook. It's not hard to cook one thing. It takes some time and practice to cook many things at once at a speed that keeps up with a good lunch rush. You can also easily compound the situation by trying to go too fast anyway, resulting in orders being sent back.
        conductr 4y ago
        Yeah it’s like juggling. A non juggling person can’t really just decide they’re going to juggle a few hours a month and expect some balls won’t be dropped.
      - mrguyorama 4y ago
        This comment is such a perfect microcosm of HN
      - Talanes 4y ago
        Yes, working as a barista means you're running multiple independent instruction loops in your head at all times, while also having to act like a pleasant sociable human.
      - jamesliudotcc 4y ago
        Yes. About the least-skilled position in retail is working the POS. Even with a touch screen, it takes practice. It makes a big difference if the operator knows where all the buttons are as opposed to having to hunt and peck. Yes, the machine tells you how much change to make, but picking up the right number of coins by touch instead of by picking up a bunch of them and counting them out into the other hand, that makes a difference. Picking up single bills out of the cash tray without fumbling takes some touch. Knowing all the sizes (short, tall, grande, venti, trenta?) and all the drinks. If you are at a store where they don't print drink labels, you have to know the order in which to announce a drink (size, modifiers, drink-type, but make sure the modifiers are in the right order) and the shorthand for the sharpie markup of the cups. There's skills you need. None of it is that hard. But it is not easy to do it at speed without practice.
  - KptMarchewa 4y ago
    >Something tells me it'll be something like 1-5pm; not the 7am rush. 11am-6pm seem to be peak hours for cafes near me - and google data confirms this. Why would 7am be peak time there?
    - handsclean 4y ago
      I believe Google’s data would reflect number of people hanging out inside more than number of customers passing through, since a customer that stays 10x as long has 10x the impact on average number of people inside the building. 11-6 sounds right for times the seating area is most full, but I’d imagine the biggest rush of in-and-out customers is just before work hours. Fortunately, there’s a Starbucks near me that I happen to know has had its lobby closed for a year or two due to a high crime rate, and Google’s data for it does indeed show a strong peak from 7 to 10.
    - Talanes 4y ago
      Friendly neighborhood barista here: actual sales numbers have always shown a peak somewhere between 7-10. If might appear busier later in the day, but that's more likely a function of having less staff for afternoons.
  - jamesliudotcc 4y ago
    Better not be during the rush. Someone who works half a day once a month is going to be worthless in a rush, and it isn't worth the trouble to train them because they aren't coming back soon enough to remember any skills. During the less busy times, he might learn something, though. Especially if he talks with his partners. They still call the workers at Starbucks "partners," right?
- Smoosh 4y ago
  Will he be remunerated the same as a barista for that time? I'd guess not. And that is an important part of the motivation/attitude.
unsupp0rted 4y ago
It's really obvious when you put a c-suite 40-something or 50-something exec on a blue collar team: nobody's gonna be fooled for a minute. It's like that SNL skit of Kylo Ren from Star Wars going undercover in the employee cafeteria. As long as you spring it on them they won't have a chance to tidy up first. They'll still be on their best behavior and follow every rule to a T once the exec shows up though.
- throwawaymaths 4y ago
  to be fair half of what made that funny/awkward is Kylo fishing for compliments. If Narasimhan is chill, it might be less super-awkward. Plus, who knows Narasimhan. This is the first I've heard his name. I wouldn't be surprised if most starbucks counter employees don't know the name of the CEO, much less what he looks like.
  - unsupp0rted 4y ago
    It's not really name or face-recognition usually. Execs slumming it in the trenches just speak and listen differently. And they have very specific priorities there that day (it's not "I'm just covering my shift" like everybody else). They stand out, clear as day.
    - notahacker 4y ago
      Plus someone involved in the running of the store has to know why there's a highly educated, highly curious 50 year old who doesn't know how to make a latte or work the till added to the crew today, and that person is going to want to make sure everyone is on their best behaviour.
yuters 4y ago
I saw this happen too. Lots of people doing overtime to tidy up the store for when the regional manager came by. I had my hand in a cast at the time in a work related incident, so I only did some menial tasks. The regional manager focused on me for a time, and was extremely frustrated with how slow I was. He proceeded to show me how much quicker he could do those menial tasks with just one hand. It was weird. I feel like the disconnect he had with the realities of the stores is on an entire other level than not being there to witness it.
- bandofthehawk 4y ago
  Was his demonstration helpful? Or do you mean that he was only able to do the tasks faster because he was rushing them, or that fast completion of these tasks was not really meaningful to the overall performance of the store?
  - yuters 4y ago
    No there was no useful tips or anything new to his demonstration, only speed. If the completion of these tasks was meaningful to the performance of the store, it was only in his opinion. The store was already in the best shape it had ever been because of our hard work between the announcement and the day of his visit.
    - conductr 4y ago
      But he wants you to move fast all the time, so he can reduce hours somewhere as a result
      - yuters 4y ago
        Obviously he was only concerned about optimization. Just want to make sure that it’s understood the point I’m making is that I had an obvious injury, still showed up for work, still did work, and was met with nothing but reprimand by this manager that I had just met. So in this particular case the benefit of a manager going down to the trenches seems only beneficial for one side.
vecinu 4y ago
It's funny because it reminds me of stories my grandparents told me about communism in Eastern Europe where the higher ups would come inspect their factories and the execs would know in advance and prep everything to look perfect.
appleiigs 4y ago
If he and executive come in on a regular basis at the same stores, it won't be a such a big deal after a while. They'll get to know the staff at the store, they'll know the routine. Like if Tom Cruise was your neighbour, it'll just be "Hi Tom".
AlwaysRock 4y ago
It's less about seeing how x store runs and more about seeing how the job for x employee is, no? I dont think undercover bossing is helpful. But a CEO working a barista or manager shift at a store and dealing with customers and all the shit employees deal with it going to be insightful for the CEO. Hopefully that will help set policy and make work better for those workers.
oatmeal1 4y ago
Or, tell every store he's coming and everyone will tidy up! You don't even need to send the CEO to any store! /halfsarcasm

MadSudaca 4y ago

My experience at the lemonade stand have been similar.

bannedbybros 4y ago
[dead]

thrdbndndn 4y ago

Assuming he actually works the whole shift, he still can experience what works as a barista in his company is like (workload, how to deal with customers assuming they don't recognize him) somewhat truthfully. I think it's worth something.

angry_moose 4y ago
First line: Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan told employees Thursday that he’ll work a half day every month at one of the coffee giant’s locations. Something tells me it'll be something like 1-5pm; not the 7am rush.
- badwolf 4y ago
  I've mixed feelings. Many probably wouldn't want the semi-dead weight of big executive screwing up the morning rush.
  - sebzim4500 4y ago
    I haven't worked retail, I know its unpleasant but is there really that much skill to it?
    - toyg 4y ago
      Doing things, doing things correctly, and doing things correctly and quickly are VASTLY different things. At rush time, you don't have time to think. You must have muscle memory to carry you.
    - 0xffff2 4y ago
      I have never worked as a barista, but I have worked as a line cook. It's not hard to cook one thing. It takes some time and practice to cook many things at once at a speed that keeps up with a good lunch rush. You can also easily compound the situation by trying to go too fast anyway, resulting in orders being sent back.
      - conductr 4y ago
        Yeah it’s like juggling. A non juggling person can’t really just decide they’re going to juggle a few hours a month and expect some balls won’t be dropped.
    - mrguyorama 4y ago
      This comment is such a perfect microcosm of HN
    - Talanes 4y ago
      Yes, working as a barista means you're running multiple independent instruction loops in your head at all times, while also having to act like a pleasant sociable human.
    - jamesliudotcc 4y ago
      Yes. About the least-skilled position in retail is working the POS. Even with a touch screen, it takes practice. It makes a big difference if the operator knows where all the buttons are as opposed to having to hunt and peck. Yes, the machine tells you how much change to make, but picking up the right number of coins by touch instead of by picking up a bunch of them and counting them out into the other hand, that makes a difference. Picking up single bills out of the cash tray without fumbling takes some touch. Knowing all the sizes (short, tall, grande, venti, trenta?) and all the drinks. If you are at a store where they don't print drink labels, you have to know the order in which to announce a drink (size, modifiers, drink-type, but make sure the modifiers are in the right order) and the shorthand for the sharpie markup of the cups. There's skills you need. None of it is that hard. But it is not easy to do it at speed without practice.
- KptMarchewa 4y ago
  >Something tells me it'll be something like 1-5pm; not the 7am rush. 11am-6pm seem to be peak hours for cafes near me - and google data confirms this. Why would 7am be peak time there?
  - handsclean 4y ago
    I believe Google’s data would reflect number of people hanging out inside more than number of customers passing through, since a customer that stays 10x as long has 10x the impact on average number of people inside the building. 11-6 sounds right for times the seating area is most full, but I’d imagine the biggest rush of in-and-out customers is just before work hours. Fortunately, there’s a Starbucks near me that I happen to know has had its lobby closed for a year or two due to a high crime rate, and Google’s data for it does indeed show a strong peak from 7 to 10.
  - Talanes 4y ago
    Friendly neighborhood barista here: actual sales numbers have always shown a peak somewhere between 7-10. If might appear busier later in the day, but that's more likely a function of having less staff for afternoons.
- jamesliudotcc 4y ago
  Better not be during the rush. Someone who works half a day once a month is going to be worthless in a rush, and it isn't worth the trouble to train them because they aren't coming back soon enough to remember any skills. During the less busy times, he might learn something, though. Especially if he talks with his partners. They still call the workers at Starbucks "partners," right?
Smoosh 4y ago
Will he be remunerated the same as a barista for that time? I'd guess not. And that is an important part of the motivation/attitude.

unsupp0rted 4y ago

It's really obvious when you put a c-suite 40-something or 50-something exec on a blue collar team: nobody's gonna be fooled for a minute. It's like that SNL skit of Kylo Ren from Star Wars going undercover in the employee cafeteria. As long as you spring it on them they won't have a chance to tidy up first. They'll still be on their best behavior and follow every rule to a T once the exec shows up though.

throwawaymaths 4y ago
to be fair half of what made that funny/awkward is Kylo fishing for compliments. If Narasimhan is chill, it might be less super-awkward. Plus, who knows Narasimhan. This is the first I've heard his name. I wouldn't be surprised if most starbucks counter employees don't know the name of the CEO, much less what he looks like.
- unsupp0rted 4y ago
  It's not really name or face-recognition usually. Execs slumming it in the trenches just speak and listen differently. And they have very specific priorities there that day (it's not "I'm just covering my shift" like everybody else). They stand out, clear as day.
  - notahacker 4y ago
    Plus someone involved in the running of the store has to know why there's a highly educated, highly curious 50 year old who doesn't know how to make a latte or work the till added to the crew today, and that person is going to want to make sure everyone is on their best behaviour.

yuters 4y ago

I saw this happen too. Lots of people doing overtime to tidy up the store for when the regional manager came by. I had my hand in a cast at the time in a work related incident, so I only did some menial tasks. The regional manager focused on me for a time, and was extremely frustrated with how slow I was. He proceeded to show me how much quicker he could do those menial tasks with just one hand. It was weird. I feel like the disconnect he had with the realities of the stores is on an entire other level than not being there to witness it.

bandofthehawk 4y ago
Was his demonstration helpful? Or do you mean that he was only able to do the tasks faster because he was rushing them, or that fast completion of these tasks was not really meaningful to the overall performance of the store?
- yuters 4y ago
  No there was no useful tips or anything new to his demonstration, only speed. If the completion of these tasks was meaningful to the performance of the store, it was only in his opinion. The store was already in the best shape it had ever been because of our hard work between the announcement and the day of his visit.
  - conductr 4y ago
    But he wants you to move fast all the time, so he can reduce hours somewhere as a result
    - yuters 4y ago
      Obviously he was only concerned about optimization. Just want to make sure that it’s understood the point I’m making is that I had an obvious injury, still showed up for work, still did work, and was met with nothing but reprimand by this manager that I had just met. So in this particular case the benefit of a manager going down to the trenches seems only beneficial for one side.

vecinu 4y ago

It's funny because it reminds me of stories my grandparents told me about communism in Eastern Europe where the higher ups would come inspect their factories and the execs would know in advance and prep everything to look perfect.

appleiigs 4y ago

If he and executive come in on a regular basis at the same stores, it won't be a such a big deal after a while. They'll get to know the staff at the store, they'll know the routine. Like if Tom Cruise was your neighbour, it'll just be "Hi Tom".

AlwaysRock 4y ago

It's less about seeing how x store runs and more about seeing how the job for x employee is, no? I dont think undercover bossing is helpful. But a CEO working a barista or manager shift at a store and dealing with customers and all the shit employees deal with it going to be insightful for the CEO. Hopefully that will help set policy and make work better for those workers.

oatmeal1 4y ago

Or, tell every store he's coming and everyone will tidy up! You don't even need to send the CEO to any store! /halfsarcasm