Starbucks Unveils Summer and Pride Cups, Faces Backlash Over 40-Minute Wait Times

Starbucks introduces new summer and Pride cups while revamping its order-ahead process. However, customers and workers are frustrated by increased wait times, with some experiencing delays of up to 40 minutes due to staffing shortages.

Starbucks Celebrates Summer with New Merchandise, Including Luxurious Cups and Pride-Themed Collaborations

According to the New York Post, the coffee chain has stocked its locations with a fresh assortment of summer merchandise, including keychains, tumblers, cold cups, and a collapsible water container to commemorate the summer season.

For added luxury, the Light Blue Swirl Cold Cups can be accompanied by a coordinating keychain, which creates the illusion of pristine waters shimmering and shining. The cups are available in 16-ounce ($19.95), and 24-ounce ($22.95) capacities and the keychain costs $12.95.

The coffee chain also discontinued a Lime Green Collapsible Water Bottle ($12.95) and a 24-ounce Lilac Drink-thru Tumbler ($24.95). These tumblers feature a drink-thru lid that facilitates sipping hot beverages and enhances portability.

Emblazoned with butterflies, the 24-ounce Canna Lily Butterfly Hot & Cold Cup is priced at $27.95, and the Light Green Jeweled Cold Cup, also only available in 24 ounces, features a "pastel green diamond pattern" for $29.95.

The Pastel Blue Vacuum Seal Cold Cup (24 ounces; $29.95) has a vacuum-seal design that keeps iced beverages cold for longer, while the Gray Twist-to-Sip Water Bottle (20 ounces; $32.95) has a twist-to-sip lid that allows you to get every last drop of an iced beverage.

And, of course, it wouldn't be a summer at Starbucks without a coveted Stanley Tumbler.

The latest Starbucks collaboration is a 40-ounce Sunset Gradient Starbucks x Stanley Quencher, which will cost $54.95.

Furthermore, Starbucks collaborated with illustrator and muralist Sofie Birkin as an associate of the Starbucks Artist Collaboration program, which, according to a press release, "celebrates and elevates the voices and stories of artists from around the world."

The partnership with queer artist Birkin is an integral component of the brand's June commemoration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month, which is vibrant and eccentric.

"My house is filled with tiny, delightful things," Birkin said. "I like to create something that someone can hold and enjoy every time they look at it. I hope the collection can bring a little bit of that to people."

The straw of Birkin's 24-ounce stainless steel chilled cup is swirled pink and red to represent a Pride march accompanied by a rainbow flag.

The individual embellishes her 16-ounce stainless steel tumbler with an assortment of items that "one might find tucked into a pocket or backpack over the decades," including sunglasses, photographs, lip balm, a sewn patch, and gummy bears.

A 24-ounce cold-cup tumbler made of perforated plastic features a double rainbow and a rainbow straw, accompanied by an image of Cupid on the reverse.

"I'm just such a romantic," Birkin said. "I love that kind of thing."

A 16-ounce plastic tumbler with designs such as Pride flags, sunglasses, a rainbow, flowers, and a dog donning a bandana is available exclusively in U.S. stores.

Starbucks also announced changes to its app's mobile order tracking to make product-ready times "more accurate than ever."

Starbucks Baristas Struggle with Increased Orders and Staff Shortages, Leading to Longer Wait Times

Baristas at Starbucks purportedly face an alarming predicament: despite the influx of drink orders, there are more that can fulfill them.

According to employees and managers (via Bloomberg) who requested anonymity because they lack official authorization to disclose such information, three or four individuals are now preparing chilled macchiatos and double-shot espressos in some establishments, down from five a year ago.

They attribute a portion of the understaffing to an algorithm utilized by Starbucks Corporation to distribute store labor. The system considers various inputs to produce a suggested employment plan, including product availability and order forecasts. However, numerous staff members argue that this needs to sufficiently consider the impact of increased corporate promotions and the time required to carry out many special customer requests, such as cold froth or additional espresso shots.

These individuals claim that employees face challenges in managing in-person, drive-thru, mobile, and delivery orders concurrently, resulting in extended wait times for consumers. Technomic, a data provider, reports that approximately 8% of Starbucks patrons in the previous quarter experienced wait times ranging from 15 to 30 minutes. In comparison, such wait times were virtually non-existent during the corresponding period of 2019.

While Starbucks refutes allegations of staffing shortages, it acknowledges that extended wait times have been a factor in its initial quarterly sales decline since 2020. Over the past 18 months, the organization has enhanced its labor algorithm and other personnel policies to guarantee "sufficient capacity to meet demand," according to an interview with Chief Reinvention Officer Frank Britt. He stated that Starbucks is implementing new strategies to decrease wait times and unfinished orders, such as reorganizing beverage assembly to save employees time.

Photo: June Andrei George/Unsplash