"Fired for eating a sandwich out of the garbage at work? This is a case for a living wage if I ever saw it."
Posted on 08/29/2013 10:30:57 AM PDT by YourAdHere
A downtown Seattle Starbucks employee was fired for taking an expired sandwich out of the trash and eating it, according to The Stranger.
Coulson Loptmann, a 21-year-old part-time barista, said he grabbed a plastic-wrapped sausage sandwich out of the trash can in the midst of a seven-hour shift on Monday. According to Loptmann, the sandwich was one of a few being thrown out because of its impending expiration.
Loptmann’s store manager found about Loptmann’s actions and contacted Starbucks’ human resources department.
The Stranger learned that Loptmann’s manager terminated him on spot because his actions reportedly go against Starbucks’ policies.
Zack Hutson, a company spokesman, said employees are not allowed to consume “marked-out” products because of the health risk of eating potentially spoiled products. However, Hutson added that a violation like this would not warrant a termination unless it was “the culmination of broader, ongoing performance issues.”
Loptmann, who is currently receiving food stamps, claims he had a great relationship with his employees and supervisors. He reportedly was hired in 2012 and has seen his shifts diminish to no more than 30 hours per week.
They should give him a medal for demonstrating their crap is marginally edible.
The only problem I see if the employees making too much of a product for the express purposes of “throwing it out” at the end of the day..Truly, I never thought of that. BUT in my experience over 45 years, thieves are not that industrious or smart to think about something like that. Maybe 45 samichess or thirteen gallons of coffee, but most aren’t well motivated. Thank you for something to think about.
Waste is waste. Starbucks should have found a way to sell at a reduced price to employees.
Pulling a discarded item from the disposal container and stealing are two different things.
The steps companies take are to prevent past documented means of theft and liability issues which have happened. The policies are corrective action.
“However, Hutson added that a violation like this would not warrant a termination unless it was “the culmination of broader, ongoing performance issues.”
Duh!! How about you just tell the guy not to eat out of the trash and why and move on? He’s probably already barely scraping by on a crappy 30 hour per week job. I would say you have to be pretty hungry to pull semi expired food out of the trash and eat it.
My niece worked for Starbucks in Boston and she told me that they were allowed to eat the food that had not sold by the end of the day like sandwiches and scones etc.
Honestly the lack of Christian charity on this supposedly christian site baffles me. You sound like a bunch of nanny state converts.
It’s really none of those things. Employees can be quite clever in ways I would never imagine. They could hold back placing the oldest out first, depleting the freshest and viola! A dozen sandwiches to take home beecause they expired. Or the food manufacturer who accidentally fills jars with an allergen sequence out of step, causing it all to be good product but unsellable and the employees get to take it home because of the “mistake”.
Isn’t it an interesting micro-cosim example on how government passes laws and how the people if motivated enough find ways around them?
It isn’t cheap by any stretch of the imagination. Just one burnt cup of Starbucks a day is $60 a month and most Starbucks people buy two or three, plus a seven dollar scone.
I am not sure what restaurants you frequent, but a couple bucks is all that is charged at most restaurants with unlimited refills. Even at three dollars, they always keep pouring and with fewer liberals.
It is much less than that at any gas station and many of those have excellent coffees and are almost always fresh. (bring your own cup and it can be less than a dollar) and their food is probably fresher and certainly cheaper.
Bonus: Almost always served by someone with fewer tattoos and piercings than your highly educated underemployed ‘barista’.
Their coffee is burnt, over priced and pretentious. That is only my opinion, but for two cups of Starbucks I can purchase a very good bag of coffee and make ten cups a day for a week at home.
Get a life!
My niece worked for Starbucks in Boston and she told me that they were allowed to eat the food that had not sold by the end of the day like sandwiches and scones etc.
Honestly the lack of Christian charity on this supposedly christian site baffles me. You sound like a bunch of nanny state converts.
Probably a policy depending on the local manager/franchise owner. The best managers are “good shepards” they know how to tend to their flock and make sure that are a well taken care of employee. I usually find that the Nanny state control freak liberals are some of the worst SOBs to work under as they will impose rules on people as a form of domination over them. They use the rules as an excuse to hide behind as they need cover because they are basterds.
I don’t run a business myself but I grew up on a farm and running a small business, franchise or not is kinda liek running a family, you have to enforce the rules, but if you become an overcontrolling nanny state freak your workers will rebel and leave and you will be left with the dredges as the good employees are sually scared away by unreasonable behavior onthe part of a boss. Same as in a family, I have know some super strict families that have their chil;dren run away in high school because they cannnot take any more, conversely being too lax just invites chaos into the mix.
A good boss/father knows how to be strict but kind, adheres to the rules, but reasonable in their implementation and understanding of appropriate exceptions.
Sadly the statists are a bunch of control freak power mad morons.
I know that at my local Starbucks, all food that will not be fit for sale the next day goes home with the employees. They used to donate it to a local charity, but the legal hounds chased them out of that, and the donation to local schools was also curtailed after some teachers complained that there wasn't enough disclosure about food allergens.
However, every local food establishment I know of in my area has the same requirements: Once something is thrown away, it is thrown away. Any employee caught taking something out of the trash may lose their job. Suppose it is part of the Southern California mentality that people will throw away, on the job, what they want, so they can fish it out soon after.
And it is extremely uniform that any food or drinks from the place of business must have the receipt attached to it. The signs for this are probably too blatant since I've noticed them so many times.
I'm sure that there was more to this sacking than simply eating something that was tossed, but if you do something like that around here, you're going to get fired, and typically, for cause.
Charbucks has a Scorched Barista policy (along with their scorched coffee)
I just came back today from a business trip to Tacoma... I think I counted five Charbucks in a 4 mile stretch of 74th st/ave/whatever.
Seattle could do better, they just don’t know it, or care.
Still all boils down to bad management. Chains suffer from it the worst. A good manager is up and out to something better. The new manager is an overzealous idiot wanting to send emails and make his mark to be recognized. The lousy manager is what’s left. I’d rather jab sticks in my eyes than have anything to do with a chain franchaise.
It used to be common practice that at the start of every shift the restaraunt would serve the wait staff an entire dinner off the menu. We all sat together. After shift we were entitled to a free drink as long as we sat at the bar.
At least at the places where I would even want to eat or work!
STBX does not sell $7 scones
Really for $4 you can buy a coffee that will make 70 cups (6 ounces) of coffee a week?
Oh, wait you like gas station coffee, that would explain a lot.
I do not care what people spend on their coffee.
Yes you can. You only have to plan and use a coupon. I but a very nice bag of Folgers select on sale for $499 at my local Marc’s, a discount chain, and use a $1.00 coupon. They often have Eight O’clock coffee on sale, al types of flavors for $3.99. Makes 60 cups for the 16oz vented bag. This week Gevalia Coffee is on sale for $5.99, I have several $1 coupons and may buy some, though this is a little bit more than I like to spend for 12oz as that only gets me 40 or so cups, but sometimes I splurge.
As for gas station coffee. The coffee sold at the local Speedway is fantastic, with several different varieties to choose from and they make new pots every 15 minutes. At the local BP they have Van Roy , a local specialty blend, for $1 for the 20OZ and refills, any size, for $.75.
You do care, you have challenged me twice, all over high priced pretentious coffee. You seem to care allot.
No, I do not care how much money people want to pay for their coffee....Foldgers ;-)
I like Foldgers.
Our local Starbucks (Texas) is very generous in giving our church food bank day-old unsold pastries, sometimes several containers.
We offer them as treats both to those we serve and to our volunteers, and the generosity is much appreciated.
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