Starbucks baristas say lines are getting longer for one troubling reason Gee, what could have caused this reduction in hours? More after the break. "Starbucks baristas say that the company is cutting hours — and consumers are paying the price.
Workers around the country are complaining that the chain's streamlined scheduling system is giving them fewer hours than they would normally receive, reports Venessa Wong at BuzzFeed Business. "The change came with no warning or explanation from executives; some staff say their schedules were cut in advance, while others have been sent home during their shifts," Wong writes. "Many have taken to social media to complain, with some threatening to quit.'" Our writing Wong is wrong. There was ample warning, it is just that Starbucks did not carve it into the forehead of each Barista. Starbucks U.S. employees to get at least 5% raise Dude! Magic is not magic, it is a trick. One hand tricks you while the other performs "magic." Here the trick was not even hidden, Starbucks announces it will pay employees 5-15% more, the other hand then reduces the employees hours by the same "magic" 5-15%. Viola, magic revealed. Starbucks plays the politics game very well, it publicly announces a pretty big raise, and it publicly announces a relaxed dress code. Baristas spend a month or so praising the company for being so progressive, and so good. Then Starbucks surreptitiously "trims" employee hours so as to to prevent "an overspend in labor." Starbucks captures 100% of the public goodwill driven by their very own baristas comments, and progressive press accounts, and then dodges the hour cutting by calling it an attempt to be more efficient. You know, an attempt to keep the prices within reason, for you the customer. This is brilliant, but really these flat footed baristas might want to up their game. Add to the problems the fact that companies like Starbucks are being hit by new $15 minimum wages in many locations, and it becomes necessary for them to take aggressive action. Back in the day, I spent time most mornings have a cuppa at my local Starbucks, I noticed that when the line was even marginally long, people would simply not wait. Either they didn't have the time, or perhaps they could stop somewhere else for a coffee. Regardless, that Starbucks store missed a sale, and perhaps Starbucks lost a sale to a competitor. How long before we see a few counter people taking orders, and a bevy of robot baristas making coffee, and specialty drinks? I do not see a way out of this progress especially if we are going to continue to increase the minimum wage, and layer on more workplace restrictions. The only question is will we wake up and begin to understand what these policies are doing. We may not be able to avoid them in the long run, after all Buggy Whip, Inc. was always going out of business, but front loading the employment losses only means the people out in the cold have to wait that much longer before the new jobs arrive. It would seem a better policy to allow these things to progress organically, and not force them. But then progressives are corrupt, authoritarian, racists, they are not in it for the employment gains.
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