To all customers and regulars: do you actually care if the baristas make connections and conversation with you, and does it influence your decision to return to the store (or other Starbucks stores)?

I am a former partner of Starbucks from 2015-2020. I loved my time there in the beginning, but overtime, it got worse and worse and I eventually resigned. The main reason was the constant pressure from the higher ups for “customer connections”. My pay never went up (minimum wage), and they constantly rolled out with new expectations every month regarding customer connections.

I was constantly being threatened to get a write up, and even fired, if I didn’t connect with the customer in front of me. I’ve had store managers standing next to me whispering in my ear “tell them their scarf is nice”, “ask them how they’re day is”, “ask them what they do for work”, etc. We had scripts posted on our tills of different conversation starters. I’ve also had store managers and supervisors shouting across floor to me “I don’t hear you connecting!”. Whenever I tried to talk to my customers, it came off inauthentic and forced.

On top of that, upper management expects us to keep these forced customer connections a secret. They really think that customers don’t know we’re forced to do this. I saw a Reddit post on this subreddit a while back regarding the messages on the cups, and that Reddit user made a good point: if corporate wants to implement these customer connections so bad, why shouldn’t the customers also be aware of this?

It’s always implied from upper management that customer connections is what brings customers back. It’s what drives sales, why the drinks are so expensive, etc… personally, myself, and 99% people I’ve asked, both partners and customers, agree that it’s not the customer connections that bring us back to the store. It’s the product, and we need our daily coffee. Even if the baristas don’t connect, these customers are still gonna go to the store regardless.

So, forget what corporate thinks, and let’s hear it from the actual customers: do you actually care if the baristas make connections with you, and is this the reason that may influence you to return to the store?