The non-official Starbucks Gossip Blog posted a letter Wednesday that one disgruntled New York employee fired off to the company's top brass. The barista wrote not to protest Starbucks's aggressive ubiquity, their resistance to fair trade coffee, or their union busting tactics . No sir, she's up in arms about the new company policy instructing employees to refer to drinks made with sugar-free syrup, non-fat milk, and no whipped cream as "Skinny."
The unidentified author acknowledges that her objections place her at "risk of being reprimanded for insubordination" but she has decided that her conscience will not allow her to follow this "new method for 'calling and marking'". It's a long, strident letter, so we've culled the most impassioned pull-quotes:
Imagine going to work for several hours at a time, and hearing the term "skinny" being called out countless times. It will undoubtedly have a negative affect on a person's self-esteem that may already be low from living in a society that is generally not accepting of people who do not fit the mold of a "beautiful" person.It creates an environment that people will not want to be in. It will exacerbate self-image issues that partners of ANY size may have. Why would ANYONE want to go into a store where they will hear potentially hurtful terms called out repeatedly with no regard as to how they may affect people?
What's more, the well-caffeinated Cassandra thinks the company is making a catastrophic mistake!
Whether the corporation cares to recognize the fact or not, Starbucks is a target by society and there are a lot of people who would love to bring it down. This is just giving them the means to do so.
Hmm… Does Reverend Billy know about the new call and mark method yet? Maybe a flash-mob of activists loudly demanding "Skinny" drinks is just what his anti-Starbucks crusade needs. And here's where her letter makes Starbucks sound like some creepy coffee cult:
On a deeper level, this in essence goes against every one of our six guiding principles in one way or another.
Indeed, sister, Starbucks's noble Six Guiding Principles serve as a guiding light to all Starbucks employees – er, "partners". At least until Starbucks enters the sinister Phase Two of their long-range plan.
Read the entire letter to the company at http://starbucksgossip.typepad.com/_/2008/01/a-barista-tells.html--
~Chris Stewart~
virgored@gmail.com
Here's what I'm reading: http://www.virgored.com/read.htm
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