HOW TO GET FREE DRINKS AT STARBUCKS

During my years frequenting Starbucks, I’ve observed ways to beat the system and get free drinks. This is dedicated to your poor schmos who cant afford an affordable luxury. I pay for my drinks but have “accidentally” stumbled on these field-tested rules.

Rule number 1: Go the busiest store near you to capitalize on worker confusion.

The key is to find a *$ that is busy, where confusion makes it easy to get away with things. If you go to an empty store where the person who rings you up is the same person who makes your drink, you aren’t getting away with anything.

Rule number 2: Make it seem like your order was incorrect.

If a barista screws up your order, they correct it and give you a coupon for a free drink the next time you come. Technically this isn’t completely free since you have to make that first purchase, but you can keep the chain alive and get free drinks forever.

Example: “Yeah, um, this is a caramel latte but I actually ordered a vanilla latte.” Of course you really did order a caramel latte but the person who took your order is busy (you’re at a busy *$ remember?) and forgot what you really ordered.

Rule number 3: Purchase something small and then act like a patient, confused customer waiting for his coffee beverage.

A bolder extension of rule number two is the real/fake purchase scam. You first need to order a baked good from the cash register person. After she gives it to you in a bag, mill around for about five minutes and then go to the barista and say, “Have you made a grande white mocha?” Look confused but gentle, like a puppy dog. They will look at their cups and see it was missing, and then promptly add yours to the queue.

Rule number 4: Wait by the bar like a snake and grab a drink that has been sitting there for more than 3 minutes.

At busy stores the inefficiencies in the system cause a lot of duplicate drinks to be made. The drinks sit on the bar for a while until the barista’s throw them away. All you gotta do is go up there and grab a drink. This scam has a couple downsides: the drinks will probably be lukewarm by the time you get it and like a person shopping for a home in a hot real estate market, you will never get your first choice. Most of the drinks are lattes with some wussy modification like a splash of soy milk.

Rule number 5: Greet barista’s by their name.

If you are a regular at a specific store, simply ask for the first names of the people that work there and introduce yourself. They will promptly forget your name but it doesn’t matter, for each time you go there and greet them by name you create a friendly vibe that encourages them to hook you up. It’s acceptable to be a little funny. To milk your connection indefinitely, it may be a good idea to tip them every now and then so they don’t think you are cheap. Little do they know that you are just broke because you have no skills that companies would pay for.

There are holes in every system and if you patient enough its easy to pick them apart with simple observation. I conclude with a disclaimer: don’t blame me if your stupid ass gets caught.
Syndicated from the DC Bachelor: http://www.dcbachelor.com

SOLV-IT Partners with Starbucks

Throughout Portland and SW Washington
Saturday, April 23, 9:00am - 1:00pm

Join your fellow Starbucks partners for one of the largest Earth Day celebrations in the nation taking place in the greater Portland metropolitan area. Thousands of volunteers converge on approximately 100 project sites and work together to SOLV IT.

SOLV IT, focuses on cleaning illegal dumpsites, beautifying and enhancing neighborhoods and public spaces, restoring watersheds, and much more. In the past fifteen years, SOLV IT volunteers have removed more than 5,900 tons of debris from illegal dumpsites, neighborhoods and natural areas.

For more information talk to you favorite barista, visit

www.solv.org

or you can call the SOLV office directly at 503-844-9571.

Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz built one of the best and most profitable brands- but it was'nt just with espresso, steamed milk, and foam.

While many of us like coffee, even love it, Schultz is passionate about it. Really passionate.

During a now-famous trip to Italy, on a piazza in Milan, Schultz's life was forever changed. The Italians were passionate about their coffee, he excitedly told his wife. Schultz brought that passion back to America and transformed a small Seattle coffee-bean store into an American institution. His zeal convinced investors to buy into his concept of bringing Italian-style cafes to America -- and without it, we never would have been introduced to mocha frappuccinos!

CONTAGIOUS ENTHUSIASM. "You either have a tremendous love for what you do, and passion for it, or you don't," Schultz told me. "So whether I'm talking to a barista, a customer, or investor, I really communicate how I feel about our company, our mission, and our values. I've said this for 20 years -- it's our collective passion that provides a competitive advantage in the marketplace, because we love what we do, and we're inspired to do it better. When you're around people who share a collective passion around a common purpose, there's no telling what you can do."

Contemporary audiences -- not to mention employees -- are hungry for people who show an unbridled passion for what they do. At its core, passion simply means this: Reaching the hearts of your listeners by identifying a deep emotional connection to your story and sharing that enthusiasm with your audience.

For Schultz, it's the story of how his father was laid up after an accident with no insurance or safety net. He reminds employees that the same thing won't happen to them. It forms the backbone of the Starbucks Bean Stock program, whereby even part-time workers get full health benefits. His stirring defense of the program convinced a skeptical board to implement it, even when they thought it might cost too much. It actually wound up saving the company money, as it dramatically reduced turnover.

EMOTIONAL RAPPORT. At this point, some of you might be saying, "My passion is to get rich." Fine. But I'm urging you to dig deeper. You see, I've personally met and interviewed several entrepreneurs who have joined the billionaires club. I've watched them address staff, customers, and investors. Not once did they ever discuss how much joy they get out of being wealthy. Instead, they build an emotional rapport with their listeners by sharing their connection to the topic -- their passion -- through personal stories, anecdotes, and examples.

Now ask yourself, "What's my connection to my message?" If you're a financial planner, is it to help your customers avoid the painful debt you saw your parents fall into? It is for Suze Orman, who tapped into that passion to fuel her success as an author and television host. If you sell networking hardware, is your passion fueled by the desire to change the way the world lives, works, plays, and learns? It is for Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers, whose passionate vision of the future has earned him a spot as one of the most admired chief executives in corporate America.

If you manage a coffee shop or restaurant, is your passion to create a welcoming "third place" between home and work for your customers to enjoy? It is for Howard Schultz, whose passion has literally changed the daily habits of millions of people around the world. So whether you're addressing an audience of 1 or 1,000, reveal your passion by identifying and sharing your personal connection to your company message. It will set you apart as a speaker.