By ROBERT L. JAMIESON Jr.SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST
Posted on 09/25/2001 8:02:00 AM PDT by toupsie
Starbucks dropped the ball in New York
Tuesday, September 25, 2001
By ROBERT L. JAMIESON Jr.
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER COLUMNIST
For Starbucks coffee mogul Howard Schultz, the terrorist attacks in New York City hit home.
Schultz was born in Brooklyn. He lived in or near the Big Apple for more than two decades. He has opened more than 130 Starbucks stores in Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs, each one serving up java -- along with the company's hallmark customer service.
So how then to explain what happened to the Midwood Ambulance Service, a company based near Schultz's old Brooklyn stomping grounds?
On Sept. 11, after the horrific collapse of the World Trade Center, workers for the ambulance company rushed to get bottled water for patients.
They went to a Starbucks store near "Ground Zero" and got, well, let's allow the ambulance company to spill the beans:
"A great deal of people were in shock from the devastation," a representative of the family-owned ambulance company wrote in an e-mail to Starbucks. "Shock victims are supposed to drink a lot of water. When employees of Midwood Ambulance went to the Starbucks down the street to get bottles of water for the victims they were treating, can you believe Starbucks actually charged them for it!!!"
Wait, there's more...
"These men, heroes for what they were doing, paid the $130 for three cases of bottled water out of their own pockets. Now, I would think that in a crisis such as this, vendors in the area would be more than happy to lend a little help by donating water. Well, not Starbucks! As if this country hasn't given you people enough money already!"
The e-mail continued:
"I love Frappuccinos as much as anyone, but any company that would try to make a profit off of a crisis like this doesn't deserve the American public's hard-earned money."
Now, let's give Starbucks the benefit of the doubt.
Let's pretend for a moment that employees at the store in Battery Park were not motivated by callousness when they charged medical personnel for water in a time of need.
Still, the store's unwillingness to donate water -- when many other people in New York and elsewhere freely gave supplies and labor -- came at the very same time when its corporate parent was all too willing to do something else: pat itself publicly on the back.
In a press release, the Seattle-based coffee company publicized how it had temporarily closed its North American locations "so that our partners could return to be home with their families and friends."
Gee, what Starbucks did for its "partners" -- that's Starbucks-ese for employees -- was nice, but certainly not something worthy of tooting its own horn about.
Given the context of national suffering, such publicity came across as self-serving and something else: tasteless.
If the mistreatment of the ambulance company resulted from one ill-guided employee at one Starbucks store, then the coffee giant, which fancies itself a good business neighbor, failed to do the right thing when the issue first reached the corporate level.
Starbucks could have made nice when a representative from the ambulance company called up to complain about the H{-2}0 imbroglio. But that didn't happen.
The ambulance company employee told Starbucks, "When I called...to inquire about this at your 'contact us' phone number from your Web site, I was told in a rather rude way that this could not have happened and abruptly thanked for my call and dismissed."
Starbucks had the chance to turn this unfortunate incident into something positive and, it appears, shrugged it off.
So the ambulance company eventually went to a higher level, writing a Dear Orin letter -- as in Starbucks President and CEO Orin Smith. That correspondence, dated Sept. 17, began: "Dear Orin, I have been a good customer of Starbucks for a number of years..."
It went on to explain what had happened and expressed how the ambulance company felt: "I am completely and utterly disappointed in you and your company and would sooner have open heart surgery without anesthesia before I would give you another red cent of my hard-earned money."
Neither Schultz, who is Starbucks chairman and chief global strategist, nor Smith could be reached. Audrey Lincoff, a company spokeswoman, confirmed that Starbucks had talked to Midwood Ambulance Service and had received its correspondences.
Finally, last week, Smith spoke to the head of the ambulance company and expressed "his deep concern" over the incident, the coffee company said.
Starbucks is now looking into how the faux pas occurred.
But the coffee company has made amends, swallowing its pride and doing something to make up for the case of customer disservice: It reimbursed the ambulance company in Brooklyn.
P-I columnist Robert L. Jamieson Jr. can be reached at 206-448-8125 or robertjamieson@seattlepi.com
What the heck are you talking about? This has NOTHING to do with manners or being rude. It's about greed (even if by an employee who is merely following a greed motivated policy)and total disregard for human life! That policy is from the higher ups of the company which means it would be the case in any Starbucks in the country if the policy we observed.
Sure, NYers could stand to be a little more outgoing at the cash register, a little more helpful as sales clerks, etc. but to state that the reason for this complete disregard for the emergency at hand is BECAUSE they were NYers is completely bias, closed minded and downright ABSURD!!! The fact of the matter is that the NYers here (Yes I am a NYer!!!!) have given, given and given in this crisis and have been known to do so before, and will do so again. NYers are loving and caring people even if they can be a bit gruff around the edges at times. We are peaceful overall and we do not riot or loot when we win a sports championship which cannot be said of several other cities in the U.S. I'm not sure we needed money from a judgemental, holier than thou contributor like you. The money doesn't seem so honorable now that I hear your view of us.
And as for a lawsuit.......this NYer never even thought of such a thing in regard to this incident. I don't see how they can do that since I'm sure it cannot accurately be established who the water exactly was going to at the time, etc. Good grief, once again this is not about a lawsuit because it is NOT about money but about the blanant disregard for human life and hurting people. It seems to me that YOU are the one with all the focus on money.....and perhaps afraid if a massive boycott of Starbucks were to happen your nearby Starbucks might be a victim of a closing and you would have to find a new place to get your comfort beverage.
I had a problem with this sentence in the article. Nobody "gives" Starbucks money; people, of their own free will, buy products from Starbucks. Big difference.
Sounds to me like this was a very stupid decision by one (probably very young) Starbucks employee in one store. If I had been working there, I would have given the water and paid for it myself if the company held me responsible - but I'm 41 years-old, and I'm not sure I would have thought of that at 21. At that age, kids might not understand that it's all right to break the rules.
It isn't going to make me stop buying Starbucks - but I think they'd better send a clear message to their employees to DO THE RIGHT THING when the time comes. Sadly, this person either didn't know what the right thing was, or didn't think they had the authority to do it. They need to get that straightened out, NOW.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In work bowl of an electric mixer combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, salt and espresso powder using paddle on low speed. Add nuts and semisweet chocolate chips. Lightly whisk eggs and vanilla and add to flour mixture at low speed. Mix just until dough comes together. Turn out dough and knead lightly to work any unincorporated dry ingredients into dough. Form into 4 logs, each 2 inches in diameter. Place on two parchment-lined cookie sheets and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Logs should be firm, with cracks in top and dough should be completely dry to touch. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Let logs cool slightly then cut them on a slight diagonal into 3/4-inch thick slices. Lay them flat on cookie sheets and bake for 30 minutes more. Meanwhile, melt white chocolate for dipping in top of a double boiler or in microwave, stirring until smooth. Cool biscotti completely on racks before dipping in white chocolate. Place finished biscotti on parchment-lined cookie sheets in a cool place until chocolate solidifies. Store in an airtight container.
Yield: About 2 Dozen Cookies
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
For more of Emeril's recipes, go to Emerils.com.
I kindly submit that I can't agree with this. In my estimation the company only responded in an appropriate manner after being pushed to the hilt. Eventually they had to see the handwriting on the way and finally caved in....as little as they had to.
The company's various employees in management, not in the store, and even the lack of response from the president of the company is in my view a reflection of the company overall.
If stations can boycott Bill Maher for his comments I see no reason why people would not boycott Starbucks for the inital anti-NY, anti-American, anti-life actions of the employee as well as for that employee's upper management total disregard for the situation after the fact. But, w/o activism in this regard this story will likely die here.
I thought I was the only one to think that dark roasting only covers up the real coffee taste. I was begining to think I was crazy for wishing to have a custom roaster nearby, once again. Had one til about 5 years ago.
2 1/2 C AP flour
1C sugar
1/2 stick butter, slightly softened
1 TBS anise seeds (see below for my variations)
2 tea bak powder
1/2 tea salt
3 large eggs
Into large bowl, measure 1-1/2 C flour and remaining ingredients. With mixer at low speed, beat ingredients until just mixed; increase speed to medium and beat 3 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. With spoon stir in remaining flour. Wrap dough with plastic wrap, refrigerate 1 hr, or until firm. (OR, place in freezer for 30 min).
Preheat oven to 375. Grease large cookie sheet. Divide dough in half. On well-floured surface with floured hands, shape each half into a 10" by 3" loaf. Place both loaves, about 2 in apart, on cookie sheet. Bake 20 min.
Remove cookie sheet from oven; with sharp knife, immediately slice each loaf into 3/4" slices. Turn slices cut-side down, on same cookie sheet, making sure they don't touch. Return to oven and bake 5 min longer or until slightly golden. Remove to wire racks to cool. Store in tightly covered container to use within 1 week. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies. About 85 calories each.
The above is the recipe, but flavor may be varied. Sometimes, I omit anise seed, make plain, or add lemon peel or 2-3 TBS cocoa. These also freeze well.
If you like crisper Biscotti, as I do, I cut in about 1/2" slices, so I immediately lower to 250 oven, and let them dry for about 30-45 min, or to either good-dunking, or tooth-rattling hardness. You need to watch, at least on your first try. If you cut at 1/2", you naturally have more slices.
These make wonderful Christmas gifts, and as I said, freeze very well.
Sorry to those not interested in Biscotti, but........
Thanks much.
You can bet that the Starbucks company lawyers, 401k managers and other shills (even here on FR) with vested financial interests in that shyster corporation are slithering behind the scene now, as we speak, in order to mitigate the impact of their lack of honor. What slimeballs!
We all know what Starbucks did. No amount of backpeddaling by them will make up for it. They should be doomed to take a major hit on their profits, soon. Other companies can fill any "void" that may occur once Starbucks goes under. Isn't capitalism grand! ;-)
What you say would be true if it were JUST the incident of charging for the water. But, if you remember the rest of the article it also goes on to explain the rudeness of the employees reached via phone regarding this incident as well as not getting any responses from upper management even though it was confirmed that they did receive the letters of complaint. When they finally did reimburse the ambulance company worker for the money spent on the water I think it had more to do with doing what they had to do when they saw the handwriting on the wall.
As another poster here pointed out, they were not exactly selling a lot of 'luxury' coffee drinks in the midst of this crisis so even their act of sending the employees who might have family affected by the attack was not such a generous act either, UNLESS it has been established that they got that time off with pay. (I don't recall what the article said on that if anything.) If they did not get it off with pay it only saved the company the money of having to pay employees in stores that were not getting any customers anyway.
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