Powills: Why Starbucks Blew it With Me; Or Didn’t

Photo Credits: Sean Wandzilak / Shutterstock.com

For the past three years, No Limit Agency*’s office has occupied its space at Chicago and Franklin Avenues, and I have visited the Starbucks there every weekday morning I have been in town. And during that same time, I have occupied the Starbucks at 25th and North Avenue every Sunday morning at around 6:30 a.m. I use the Starbucks Reward Card. I reload it with $100 at a time. I often pay for my staff with that card. When traveling, I visit Starbucks. When I am tired, I visit Starbucks. Often times, I write this column while at a Starbucks or while drinking a Starbucks coffee (in fact, I just took a sip). To be honest, I spend a ton of money with Starbucks. I am a giant fan. I love the consistency of the product. I love the taste. I love the branding. I love the smells. I am a super fan. But this super fan is slightly disappointed in Starbucks. See, I am still an outsider — perhaps not good enough to be an elite customer, despite probably being in the top 10 percent of the highest-spending customers. About a year an a half ago, my Sundays changed. The great employee who worked at my Sunday location left. I couldn’t tell you her name, but she could tell you mine. Each Sunday, I would walk into the Starbucks and she would have a cup ready to go for my grande Blonde roast. She would always greet me with a, “Good morning, Nick, I assume you need your regular order?” To me, this was special. This was that Starbucks pickle. Then she left — and so did the only Starbucks employee that cared about me. The jealousy of that moment has continued. This morning, I walked into my work Starbucks (it was a prerequisite for our office to be placed by a Starbucks and for our next one to be placed by one, too). There were four people in front of me in line. Two of which I recognized, as we all got there around 6:30 a.m. The first stepped up to the counter and the Starbucks employee (who I have ordered from at least 100 times) said, “Mark, would you like your regular drink?” Followed by customer two getting a “Julie, good morning. How’s your week going? Do you want your regular drink?” She already had the “J” scripted on her cup. Was this going to be my day? Was the 101st time I ordered from this employee going to be my pickle day? “Hi,” she began, “what can I get started for you?” Nope. Shot down again. 101 times. My name is on my Starbucks card. I tell her my name every day. I typically wear a No Limit Agency branded shirt. I spend more than $100 a week with her and, typically, add a dollar on most days to the tip jar, even though I use my phone to order. I typically go to my Starbucks twice a day — and the afternoon crew provides the same service. Now, the sad part of the story is that despite Starbucks not caring about me, I am going to continue to go there. I won’t jump ship and will stay loyal. While we as business owners are told that superior service wins every time — I am not sure that is the true secret sauce to great business — especially in the food segment, perhaps convenience and product win first. And then, if the customer service is superior, it’s the icing on the cake. I miss my favorite barista who made me feel like her most valued customer, but I didn’t follow her when she left my usual Starbucks. Maybe the 102nd time I order from the Chicago & Franklin barista will be the magic number. But I’m not counting on it.