Women at work and their tips, challenges, advice, complaints, and experiences

Yesterday Starbucks stores nationwide shut their doors at 5:30 pm local time to host a barista retrain/pep rally to get workers serving up the "perfect coffee" to their customers.  Today stores boast new signage telling customers their coffee will be perfect, every time, or they "will make it right."

Hmm.  First of all, as an admitted Frappuccino lover, I have to question how they'll make it right.  Does Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) mean they expect me to stand there longer, after I've already waited in line (which is quite the event with an elementary-aged child and an infant, let me assure you), while they re-make the entire drink until I deem it "perfect"?  Do they expect the office worker who just ran down on a break to stand there and wait for another drink, watching the clock with every wasted second?  Or will they be handing out freebie coupons offering customers their next coffee on Starbucks' tab since that one wasn't perfect so that people will not only finish their drink but come back for more later?  Or are they going to issue refunds for the coffee?  (How I can envision some Scrooges standing right there at the pick-up counter waiting to judge their drink inadequate so they can get their refund - daily.)

And what, exactly, defines the perfect coffee drink for the Starbucks customer?  For me, of course the basics of taste are pretty important, or I wouldn't be ordering the thing.  But a "perfect" drink from any Starbucks barista would also include a cup that is neat, not messy because my drink overflowed when they squeezed the lid on the cup, and without chocolate or other add-ons drizzled all over the place, instead of just on the drink itself.  Then again, maybe it's just me that finds the idea of trying to juggle sticky, chocolate-covered cups from one hand to another while I dig for a baby wipe to clean it with disgusting and time-consuming.  And don't even get me started on when said items ooze into my stroller or SUV cupholders.  Grrrrrrr.

Soooo Starbucks: define perfect for me.  Please.  Do your ideas of perfect match mine?  Granted I'm not blowing hundreds on coffee a week like some folks - but I definitely fit the profile of the customer Starbucks should be catering to: the multi-tasking woman who thinks about where she spends her money and bases the decision not only on the product but the service she receives.  It's the little things, like being thanked for my patronage as I pick up a drink that isn't covered in goo, that take me back to one coffee shop over another.  And in a time when all the talk is about saving money in tough economic times, Starbucks, as well as competitors like Dunkin Donuts, Seattle's Best, and other coffee purveyors, should be thinking about what will truly get their customers' attention and - dare I say it - draw them away from their competitors' lines.  I'm not the only Workerette juggling a stroller, a cell phone, and my debit card in those coffee lines, and I highly doubt I'm the only one who looks at the "latte factor" in the budget as something that can be eliminated.  If you want to keep customers happy, don't make empty promises: make clear, concise promises and then fulfill them.  That way all you're left with is a trashcan full of empty, paid-for, "perfect" coffee cups at the end of the day!