in my experience bux has generally been good about offering promotions to its partners. most the managers and assistant managers i've worked with have been promoted from within, and honestly i believe bux prefers to promote their partners rather than hiring outside the company.
unfortunately, they pay external management hires several thousand dollars more than internally hired management. and if a particular store manager sucks, then a deserving barista might have to wait several months before they get their deserved promotion. so although there are distinct exceptions to the rule - bux is usually very good about developing their partners for promotion.
now, i bring all this up because i have (again) been approached about moving up within the company. and i'll be honest - i do my little "oh gee, really? wow, that might be fun. too bad my schedule can't handle that right now. try me again in another six months" because my district manager is VERY aggressive about promoting people.
why?
because every time my district manager "develops a partner to the next level" more money shows up on DM's paycheck.
i seriously dislike district managers that push promotions so they can make more money. i've seen it time and again - a partner gets pressured into making the jump and they end up overwhelmed (and underpaid in my opinion), unhappy and eventually quit or step down - and all because the DM wants to pad their paycheck.
i also have no interest in being promoted because i have no interest in moving up.
seriously.
i like my lack of responsibility and my chosen schedule. as soon as i accept a promotion i will have little to no choice on where i'll work, or what hours i'll have to put in. what i love about my job is that IT works around ME.
of course i can't say that to my manager or district manager. and of course i have to play the game and act as if i'm honored they've considered me for a promotion, because if i don't do my little song and dance my hours will magically disappear, or i'll be micromanaged to the point of madness.
i've been told before: "bux doesn't like career baristas".
well, i don't know if bux doesn't like them, but my district manager CERTAINLY doesn't.
and sure, i like the fact that if needed i can get a promotion at bux. i just don't see it happening any time in the future.
partner rant: i didn't steal your friggen' apron! i already let you examine mine to see if your initials were printed anywhere on it! so don't get pissy because someone walked off with yours, because we've already established that "someone" wasn't me! and don't make stupid comments like "well, there's that color-safe bleach that gets ink stains out, so maybe SOMEONE bleached my initials off my apron". yeah, i walked into work, stole your apron, stopped time so that i could go home and bleach out your initials, started time again and then denied i had your apron. grow up and learn to take better care of your belongings.
19 comments:
there are a few Buxes where i live, and yesterday i went to my "non-usual" one...i actually like it *more* than my usual one. it's bigger and has a bar and it's more cozy...anyway...i was sitting at the bar doing work and drinking an iced passion tea and they were training a new girl in making frappucinos, and they kept on handing out little espresso cups full of PracticeFrap. i tasted double chocolate chip (holy shit. good thing it was only a few sips. you could die from how good that shit it.) and banana cream pie. meh. that one actually sort of grew on me after the first sip. it tasted like banana taffy.
but i totally thought of you-the woman training the new girl was rattling off pump protocoll and all that...it's amazing how much there is to remember.
Being promoted is not always the best thing that can happen to someone. Being happy in what you are doing is more important, and if it works for you, then it is not wrong to wait on any changes to you career. Tell him thanks and buy him a cup of coffee. Also remind him you are more valuable to the company doing what your enjoy than promting you into something you don't want.
I wish my DM had more an attitude that your DM has. I've been "white boarded" for ASM and was told it could take 6 to 12 months. I guess that's what I get for being in a remote district.
Schlatko
SkippyMom here....
OMG...you work for an MLM? You are the MaryKay of Coffeshops? They actually reward your managers for promoting y'all? eww, gross....
Keep at it...you are so right not to take on that responsibility [you seemingly already have it without the title or pay...why have it WITH the title and NOT the pay...]
Hang in there...and hang the partner with the bleached out apron.
Snarky I am...just can't be bothered to sign in. But I didn't say SOE! hee!
Love ya! Hugs!
Hi brat, it's a good thing that DMs get rewarded for developing bux managers. But there should also be a disincentive when this new manager then steps down or quits, now, shouldn't there? All things being equal and that.
Take the promotion, don;t take the promotion. What a cunundrum. Either way I hope it works out for you. You seem happy at your present position.
i really don't get why someone that managed a quiznos or whatever makes more than a promoted barista. what is the logic behind that? maybe if they had a degree in management and the partner didn't, but otherwise, management is a triky, tricky busisness, and someone who has done what they're telling thier workers to do would have a distinct advantage, in terms of the rerspect of thier woorkers as well as practical knowledge, that an outsider may lack. do you know why the bux does that?
great blog!
99% of managing a food service/retail outfit is understanding the business. The more a person knows about it the better they will be at managing the store.
Following that logic I do not understand why an outside hire ti the trenches is considered more valuable then one who already knows the ins/outs and the culture.
Corporate Positions require different skill sets then running a store and those skills may not be readly available in the pool of current employees. I am thinking along the lines of IS or corporate accounting or buying. Then sure recruit from the outside.
Personally I think you should take advantage of the opportunity. yeah the hours will suck and all that but the entry level management will teach you leadership and orginizational skills that will serve you long after you leave the trenches of the bux.
PS my secret word is przdadk I think that is a new drug with a long list of scary side effects not the least of which is Uncontrolable Gothism
I've been in management and then not in management. I've been way happier not being in management. Just sayin'.
When I was hired at my old company, they made it clear that they liked to promote people from within, which made me happy. Within 6 months of my hire I was promoted - a career first. Then I had to report to someone else and things went downhill. My new boss was notorious for shirking responsibility for anything that went wrong, even though she had final review/approval, and she also had a horrible reputation. I didn't want another promotion while still working for her, knowing I was signing myself up for even more stress if I did that. So I was put on the fast track to being fired. It's been 2 months now since I left - god, it's nice to sleep at night.
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i have a question and a comment.
you are a shift currently right?
now, i don't know how it works where you are, but here where i am our ASMs are 'salaried special' which means they actually punch in & out, instead of just being scheduled. this means that they get paid for what they work.
i personally think the ASM spot is the sweeeetest spot possible at SB.
if you work an extra 2 hours a week - you get an extra $100-$200 on your paycheck!
and the work of a ASM isn't that much more taxing then a SS - you do write ups and scheduling. you get to make decisions and often get extra time to implement things. and you get to bonus.
the worst parts: losing tips, only ever having 8 hour shifts.
can be bad parts: if you have a crappy manager - you may be treated like a (very)well paid barista (which you probably wouldn't mind - not wanting responsibility and all); your store doesn't perform well and you lose bonus. but these things happen in any store that has a bad manager - whether you're a barista or ASM...
the good parts: at a busy store, the direction is that managers cover the bulk of the business - so that means not as many closes (if you don't like those), and a couple of opens a week - but mostly mid-days.
you get to go to district meetings; which are fun and you often get free lunch :)
i dunno.
i think it's fun to be an ASM. not pressuring you, just sharing a perspective...
:)
(however!! if the ASMs in your area are normal salaried workers, and don't punch in/out then ignore the bulk of what i said - cause the extra money is defiantly the selling point!)
also as an aside:
while i understand the frustration of internal vs. external monetary differences i have a different perspective.
(i was internal if it matters)
if i were to quit SB now, and become a manager of say McD's, and they offered me the same salary as a first-time manager, who may've put in a few years internally - i'd be pissed, and i wouldn't take it.
what i can bring to another company is HUGE, and i think that has to have some extra monetary worth...
so while it may suck, i understand why they'd pay extra for outside people with good management experience..
kudos for avoiding whatever temptation that may have existed.
As an SM who was hired (gasp!!) externally, I can say that I think I have brought some diversity team in my district because of my background. We are a very quiclky growing market, and most of the current SM's were baristas just 2 years ago. EVERYONE was promoted from within before me. The problem is that now we have all of these great ASM's that saw their peers get promoted so quickly, and now that the stores aren't opening as quickly, these ASM's are all cutthroat for the SM positions....and the trickle down effect to the shifts, not to mention the trickle up effect to the SM's trying to become DM's. All I can say is that I have some partners that really want to be prmoted, and I have some who don't want a deeper commitment. Your SM and DM shouldn't pressure you, because they can DEVELOP you without PROMOTING you. All of the good baristas from 2 years ago around here are all now Shifts, ASM's and SM's, so we are suffering at the barista level...and that is the group that has the biggest impact on our customers. I hope they realize a good thing when they see it Brat...be flattered by their offers, but don't be pressured. Managment isn't for everyone (although I can see why they would want you!!!) Oh...and the other earlier anonymous poster, we white board all ASM's and hi-potential shifts at least once a quarter if not more, and I am glad to hear that they give you realistic time frames. Better to hear that, than to expect it sooner and be let down. But if they give you such a long time frame, make sure that you are going to our SM and demanding a PDP so that you can develop you opportunity areas. Youwould be surprised how having a sense of entitlement can move you down on the list, but initiative can move you up. The TASKS can be taught to nearly anyone, the work ethic and CULTURE can't.
I enjoy your stories, but I'm perplexed. Do you have any career ambitions beyond serving beverages?
I was promoted to an assistant manager at my workplace and I can tell you in my personal experience it really depends on the boss. The first one I worked under was fantastic and was really a team player. The second one was not so good. In fact it was so bad an experience that I stepped down and moved to another workplace over it. This last manager was a real piece of work. She openly berated people in front of clients and micromanaged everything. I must have lost my mind because I am now working there again but as just "one of the front line troops" who does shift work. Both the assistant managers are gone (One fired and the other quit. The second has a lawsuit started over it.) and the micro manager is now swamped. She has approached me and offered to "pay me some assistant pay" for helping out with some of the workload. I declined, saying that I was really too busy with some personal things going on and couldn't devote anymore time to the job at this point. I thought her head would pop off! She slammed the door and screamed all the way back to her office. Guess I made the correct choice! Everyday now I watch this person reap what she has sown and it is very entertaining.
ya looblue - it scares me that you tried a banana frappuccino. in my region we have discontinued banana and were told to dump out whatever we had left because it expired. i REALLY hope they aren't serving old product!
coffeypot - i agree. being happy is more important to me than being in a higher position.
schlatko - yeah, i've heard that districts with few stores do have that problem. i'm rooting for a quick promotion for you!
skippymom - i'm missing you! thanks for stopping by!
king billy's concubine - there might be. i have no idea what kind of negative action would be taken against a DM who loses managers.
augs casa - i'm happy enough. and i'm sure the promotion won't make me any happier.
uberswell - as it was told to me: outside managers are being paid for their 'experience' as managers. internally promoted managers are believed to be lacking in some of the qualities that an outside manager already has. yeah - i don't buy it, either.
eric - my new favorite phrase is "uncontrollable gothism", haha! i honestly do not want to put in the extra hours so i'll take a pass as of now for the promotion.
jp - that's my mindset right now.
moxie - i hate nightmare stories like that. i'm glad you're happier now!
barockstar - managers have to clock in and out in my region as well but they get in serious trouble if they work over 40 hours. what happens most the time is managers will end up working off the clock so that they don't get written up for overtime. i've seen really happy ASMs - but that is because they work under awesome SMs, and those SMs work under good DMs. unfortunately there's a HELL of a lot of bad SMs and DMs out there. plus tips in my store are really good (over 3 bucks an hour in december).
and i understand your analogy with mcdonald's - but the difference, in my opinion, is that bux is (or SHOULD BE) a company that excels in customer service and in creating a culture, environment and experience for the customer. mcdonald's isn't, so if a manager from mcdonald's were to work for starbucks, they'd be bringing knowledge on how to schedule, profit/loss, etc. but they would have to learn the cutlure and customer service from scratch (which all baristas know). i believe someone trained at bux brings more to the table than someone trained at mcdonald's (as far as 'above and beyond' goes).
man - i'm so wordy tonight!
me - haha, thanks!
anonymous - the best manager i've EVER worked under was an external hire. in my mind she's STILL my manager, although she's two districts away from me, so i know great managers can be found outside the company. i just hate to see internally promoted managers get paid less than an external who sometimes is nothing more than a glorified barista for their first 3-4 months. especially when the internal does twice the work of the external and takes home a much smaller paycheck.
anonymous - i appreciate your interest but i only discuss my journey as a barista in this blog - nothing else.
anonymous - it's true - the right manager can make all the difference. i'm glad you don't have to deal with the stress of it all, and i'm sure you have some great stories about your manager!
Bux may not like career baristas, but I do. Nothing makes a coffee shop better than a good barista.
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