12.5 Hours
That's how long I worked today, and I'm not finished. Just scarfed down a salad (how healthy of moi!) and now off to pick up some stuff to bring along with me to Tally in the morning. Some of you are managers in some respect, but today, I out-hustled, out-maneuvered, out-operated and out-trained all of you. Today, my company got me for a bargain. Disagree? Come with me and following the dancing latte...
7:20am - I get to the store. Not quite busy yet, but the onslaught is about to begin. I check my total sales from Sunday (blew away my budget) and labor seems to be in line. Not a bad start to the day.
7:30am - I hit the floor and grab a till. The customers are starting to crescendo, but like an orchestra conducter we string together a symphony of cup calling, pastry grabbing and smiling. I love this part of the day. How efficiently can we get a customer through? Each store partner plays a vital part in the production. We crank out 42 customers in this half hour.
8:00am - I'm worried. Why? My shipment is not here. We had such a busy weekend that we are almost out of sugar (yes sugar!), espresso (yes espresso!) and soy. It should have been here at 7am. Where are they? Another 42 customers pass through our doors. The shift on duty looks tired from opening the store at 5:30am and not getting any sleep the night before. His day will get worse.
9:30am - Just had one of my partners leave for the day and the customers keep coming. We were able to send a couple of my staff on breaks and offered another partner to take hers too. She passes. Her mistake.
9:35am - My assistant manager comes in late. She apologizes as she walks by. She looks sick. I ask her to to start the morning payroll process.
10:30am - I'm trying to hold it together. I'm pooped and so is the partner who should have taken her break earlier. I ask my ASM to assist on the floor so we can get the person off her feet. I ask my shift to go to Panera Bread (yes Panera!) to get sugar. We're out. Really. I'm embarrassed and Panera owes us for the lids and coffee filters that they borrowed in the past.
10:35am - A current partner from a store in a different state drops by to see her schedule. Within my company, we accept partners from other stores around the country once they are certified. I however, did not authorize her transfer and proceed to tell her that I don't have any space for her. Sorry. She's upset. I tell her to leave her information and I'll see what I can do.
10:40am - I need a break to eat a banana. I neet with my ASM to review our week. She's in pain. I really like it when she's happy. I discuss the plans for our new manager recruit who starts today. In two months I will make him into a mirror image of me. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
11:00am - My shift is executing some morning duties which should have taken 1 hour. It takes over two. We try to troubleshoot, but to no avail. We have to call our help desk.
12:00pm - While my ASM tries to print out a document, she's impatient and the system crashes. I have to reboot and now the registers are offline. BRILLIANT! The POS screens are frozen. Time stands still. Today is an ordering day for paper goods and we must enter it online by 1pm. Last week, we beat the cutoff by 30secs after we lost our ethernet connection and had to use dial-up. Today, the system returns to its old self and we're cool.
12:15pm - One of my best partners comes into the store and quits. She's moving away, effective immediately.
12:16pm - I call the girl from 10:35am. You're hired. She's very happy. There is much rejoicing.
12:30pm - The shipment is still not here. Now I need to track it down. I call my distributor and the person on the phone proceeds to tell me that they misplaced it at the warehouse and should be at the store within the next 2 HOURS! Things I wish I knew 4 hours ago.
12:45pm - The new manager recruit is now at the store. He is supposed to meet with my DM from 1-2pm before I get a crack at him. I introduce myself and scurry away to find out the location of my boss. He's at the stop light on the corner. Then out of nowhere, the truck driver with our shipment is in my cafe. I quickly escort him out the back and clear a path for our shipment. I have one hour to get this shipment checked in and organized. I normally have allotted 4 hours, but that window was missed earlier this morning. Time for warp speed.
1:15pm - I'm sweating bullets from unloading and seperating product. While the driver drops the product off with his hand truck, I'm furiously trying to put stuff away.
1:30pm - My DM pokes his head in my back room and informs me that one of my shifts passes the final test on becoming my second assistant manager. I high five my soon to be ASM #2. There is much rejoicing.
2pm - The shipment is checked in and organized (with help from ASM #1). Now I have to sit down with my newest manager project. I'm sweaty, doggone tired and wired, but it feels good to sit down. The shift from 5:30am is still knee deep in one of his duties that must get done today. He should have left at 2pm. He's spent. I think he leaves around 3:30p....
2:30pm - The partner who is transferring to my store pops in to give me her schedule. My DM informs me that another manager wants her too and committed this morning (after I said no). I tell him that I need her tomorrow after one of my best partners quit. I win. Whew! That was close.
3:00pm to 5:00pm - I'm showing the new guy the ropes. It's what we call the First Impression. During this time, I'm interrupted 10 times from phone calls, partner questions and customers. One of the phone calls rips my heart out. I can't discuss that here.
5:15pm - I'm 10.5 hours into my day and have yet to make a schedule and organize my desk. I contemplate going home and trying to finish another day. That day may not be until Wednesday cause I'm off to Tally tomorrow. I stay.
5:30-8:00pm - I create a schedule and file papers. Next weekend is the first home football game. I have to post the schedule immediately to see if there is any fallout from those who want to go to the game. Once its posted, it's the partners' responsibility to get it covered, not mine.
8:10pm - I'm home. Hungry and dehydrated. I'll write a new post about my day.
9:30pm - It's raining and I'm off to pick up some stuff at another store.
9:31pm- My post is done....
7:20am - I get to the store. Not quite busy yet, but the onslaught is about to begin. I check my total sales from Sunday (blew away my budget) and labor seems to be in line. Not a bad start to the day.
7:30am - I hit the floor and grab a till. The customers are starting to crescendo, but like an orchestra conducter we string together a symphony of cup calling, pastry grabbing and smiling. I love this part of the day. How efficiently can we get a customer through? Each store partner plays a vital part in the production. We crank out 42 customers in this half hour.
8:00am - I'm worried. Why? My shipment is not here. We had such a busy weekend that we are almost out of sugar (yes sugar!), espresso (yes espresso!) and soy. It should have been here at 7am. Where are they? Another 42 customers pass through our doors. The shift on duty looks tired from opening the store at 5:30am and not getting any sleep the night before. His day will get worse.
9:30am - Just had one of my partners leave for the day and the customers keep coming. We were able to send a couple of my staff on breaks and offered another partner to take hers too. She passes. Her mistake.
9:35am - My assistant manager comes in late. She apologizes as she walks by. She looks sick. I ask her to to start the morning payroll process.
10:30am - I'm trying to hold it together. I'm pooped and so is the partner who should have taken her break earlier. I ask my ASM to assist on the floor so we can get the person off her feet. I ask my shift to go to Panera Bread (yes Panera!) to get sugar. We're out. Really. I'm embarrassed and Panera owes us for the lids and coffee filters that they borrowed in the past.
10:35am - A current partner from a store in a different state drops by to see her schedule. Within my company, we accept partners from other stores around the country once they are certified. I however, did not authorize her transfer and proceed to tell her that I don't have any space for her. Sorry. She's upset. I tell her to leave her information and I'll see what I can do.
10:40am - I need a break to eat a banana. I neet with my ASM to review our week. She's in pain. I really like it when she's happy. I discuss the plans for our new manager recruit who starts today. In two months I will make him into a mirror image of me. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
11:00am - My shift is executing some morning duties which should have taken 1 hour. It takes over two. We try to troubleshoot, but to no avail. We have to call our help desk.
12:00pm - While my ASM tries to print out a document, she's impatient and the system crashes. I have to reboot and now the registers are offline. BRILLIANT! The POS screens are frozen. Time stands still. Today is an ordering day for paper goods and we must enter it online by 1pm. Last week, we beat the cutoff by 30secs after we lost our ethernet connection and had to use dial-up. Today, the system returns to its old self and we're cool.
12:15pm - One of my best partners comes into the store and quits. She's moving away, effective immediately.
12:16pm - I call the girl from 10:35am. You're hired. She's very happy. There is much rejoicing.
12:30pm - The shipment is still not here. Now I need to track it down. I call my distributor and the person on the phone proceeds to tell me that they misplaced it at the warehouse and should be at the store within the next 2 HOURS! Things I wish I knew 4 hours ago.
12:45pm - The new manager recruit is now at the store. He is supposed to meet with my DM from 1-2pm before I get a crack at him. I introduce myself and scurry away to find out the location of my boss. He's at the stop light on the corner. Then out of nowhere, the truck driver with our shipment is in my cafe. I quickly escort him out the back and clear a path for our shipment. I have one hour to get this shipment checked in and organized. I normally have allotted 4 hours, but that window was missed earlier this morning. Time for warp speed.
1:15pm - I'm sweating bullets from unloading and seperating product. While the driver drops the product off with his hand truck, I'm furiously trying to put stuff away.
1:30pm - My DM pokes his head in my back room and informs me that one of my shifts passes the final test on becoming my second assistant manager. I high five my soon to be ASM #2. There is much rejoicing.
2pm - The shipment is checked in and organized (with help from ASM #1). Now I have to sit down with my newest manager project. I'm sweaty, doggone tired and wired, but it feels good to sit down. The shift from 5:30am is still knee deep in one of his duties that must get done today. He should have left at 2pm. He's spent. I think he leaves around 3:30p....
2:30pm - The partner who is transferring to my store pops in to give me her schedule. My DM informs me that another manager wants her too and committed this morning (after I said no). I tell him that I need her tomorrow after one of my best partners quit. I win. Whew! That was close.
3:00pm to 5:00pm - I'm showing the new guy the ropes. It's what we call the First Impression. During this time, I'm interrupted 10 times from phone calls, partner questions and customers. One of the phone calls rips my heart out. I can't discuss that here.
5:15pm - I'm 10.5 hours into my day and have yet to make a schedule and organize my desk. I contemplate going home and trying to finish another day. That day may not be until Wednesday cause I'm off to Tally tomorrow. I stay.
5:30-8:00pm - I create a schedule and file papers. Next weekend is the first home football game. I have to post the schedule immediately to see if there is any fallout from those who want to go to the game. Once its posted, it's the partners' responsibility to get it covered, not mine.
8:10pm - I'm home. Hungry and dehydrated. I'll write a new post about my day.
9:30pm - It's raining and I'm off to pick up some stuff at another store.
9:31pm- My post is done....
posted by by Rob at 8:27 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
So, what is the difference between the term "partner" and "shift" for those of us not in the Starbucks world? BTW - way to leave us all hanging with the phone call you can't tell us about here comment...
A very long, trying day you had! All those people out there needing cappuchino and sugar appreciate it, I'm sure.
I got to see a few minutes of this epic day firsthand and did not envy you one bit! ... (and I am a bad person who stole sugar from Panera)
I guess this post struck a nerve for information, so here goes...
The phone call was a personal matter and I had to take off my manager hat and put on the friend one.
All Starbucks employees are called partners. Everyone from barista to shift to Howard Schultz (the big Kahuna).
Jenny, thanks for being patient during our sugar shortage. It's amazing that it took over two years for that guffaw to happen.
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