Stressed Starbucks workers have complained of chronic understaffing issues, leading to delays at the coffee shops.
According to an internal survey seen by Bloombergonly 33 percent of workers at the company’s 10,000 U.S. locations say the stores consistently have enough workers.
Staffing levels were the topic with the lowest approval rating in the 45-question survey, which was conducted in April.
“We constantly only have a minimum staff,” said one worker in the comments collected as part of the survey.
Making early efforts to address workers’ concerns about staffing will be crucial for new CEO Brian Niccol, reported Bloomberg, who took the top job last month.
Along with high prices, slow service and long wait times, it is one of the biggest customer complaints with the chain, whose sales have fallen in recent months.
Stressed Starbucks workers have complained of chronic understaffing issues, leading to delays at the coffee shops.
Workers said understaffing causes delays at locations, which often have snaking lines of frustrated customers.
Less than half of workers who took the survey, which was shared internally in July, said their equipment was reliable, worsening staffing problems.
Employees asked Niccol about the issue at a company-wide forum on his second day on the job, according to a transcript of the event seen by Bloomberg.
‘The team is already working on it. “You are being listened to,” said the new general director.
In an open letter that same day, he pledged to “empower” baristas to better serve customers and give them the “tools and time” they need to do their jobs.
Three anonymous managers at Starbucks locations across the United States told Bloomberg that they have little bandwidth left for administrative tasks like creating schedules or training workers because they have to spend more time preparing drinks for customers.
One told the outlet that his store’s baristas and supervisors regularly skip breaks and meals to keep up with the onslaught of orders.
Sometimes a worker has to cover multiple stations at once, including taking drive-thru orders and heating food, which slows down service.
Starbucks said in a statement that it is refining the model it uses to assign staff to ensure it more accurately meets the needs of each store.
The company has bolstered staffing levels at 3,500 stores over the past year, he added.
Starbucks’ new CEO Brian Niccol (pictured) has pledged to “empower” baristas to take better care of customers.
Customers are increasingly discouraged by long wait times and rising prices at the chain.
Starbucks Customers Think the Chain Is the Least Affordable, New Survey Finds
It comes as it was revealed the chain is reducing promotions offered through its mobile app, as part of Niccol’s first moves.
The goal is reportedly to relieve some of the pressure on employees who are inundated with orders when discounts are available, as well as reposition Starbucks as a premium brand after a turbulent few months.
This marks a change for the coffee chain, which had been running an increasing number of promotions and special offers over the past year, after largely avoiding discount offers for decades.
Like many other restaurant chains and large supermarkets, Starbucks had been using deals as a way to chase inflation-weary and cash-strapped customers after years of price increases.
Furious customers expressed their anger on social media following news of the discount cuts.
“A cup of coffee for $8, no thanks,” wrote one user on social media site X.
It comes as a new survey shows that only 51 per cent of customers believe Starbucks is affordable, far below its competitors.
