I’m going to talk about the Starbucks dress code. Let’s establish some ground rules, and an understanding before I go any further: We will not reach an agreement. We will NOT get to a place of consensus. There are valid arguments from many different points of view. There is NOT one right answer. I will absolutely and quickly delete any comment that descends into disrespectful conversation, or emotional finger pointing, or name calling. If you can’t talk intelligently in the comments, don’t bother. And last but not least, you may not agree with my opinions, and that is okay too. I’m not trying to please every single person. And who knows, perhaps the fact that I get a few people angry is a good thing. It says something about the content. There. I got that out of the way.
I suspect the Starbucks dress code may be one of the more heated and controversial topics. And again, note the entire paragraph rant above: I expect people to not slam each other in the comments. Remember: Reasonable minds may differ.
I started thinking about this blog article from the perspective of what could (or would) partners want to change? I sent out a simple tweet which said: I am writing a blog article about the #Starbucks dress code. If u could change ONLY ONE thing, what would it be? Or would u make no change?
Here’s what I heard on twitter:
- From the East Coast, one person wrote, “
@SbuxMel the tattoo rule. Ppl have to wear long sleeves or pants in S.Florida heat = so bueno@Starbucks#dresscode” - One partner in Canada tweeted at me, “
@SbuxMel Visible tattoos! I’ve had feedback from so many partners about showing their tattoos! Starbucks promotes diversity including tats!“ - A former partner in Canada said, “
@SbuxMel allow visible tattoos!“ - And another voice for tattoos, “
@SbuxMel Small tats that are respectable should be allowed. I have one on my leg and couldn’t wear shorts all summer“ - A former partner (who I think is in California) tweeted, “
@SbuxMel Allow visible tattoos, but put a requirement that the visible part can’t be more than 3″ by 3″ - Another partner wrote, “
@SbuxMel Tattoos should NOT be outlawed provided they are not profane etc,“ - And a partner in Indiana wrote the about tucking in her shirts: “
@SbuxMel – I hate tucking in my shirts. It is unflattering & unattractive on many (me!) and I can look presentable and appropriate w/o it.“ - Another partner, (I think somewhere on the East Coast) wrote about tucking in shirts too, “
@SbuxMel Tucked in shirts. It’s a silly rule that honestly looks bad on most people and isn’t followed in my area.” - A former partner really had a strong dislike for black socks: “I used to hate being required to wear black socks.“
- One person wants to wear t-shirts: “
@SbuxMel 1 thing: Please let me wear my drawer full of#Starbucks tees to work.#dresscode“ - One partner tweeted, “
@sbuxmel if I could chng 1 thing it would be jeans, not holy jeans but nice jeans lol#dresscode“ - And another person who wants jeans wrote, “
@SbuxMel Dear Lord, jeans. Jeans jeans jeans. I honestly don’t think it would devalue the brand in the least.“ - And then on the east coast, one person wants to be able to wear a gem stud in her nose: “
@SbuxMel I would like to be able to wear my nose ring. They are so common now that I don’t think it’s inappropriate to wear it.” (I tweeted with her for further clarification, and I believe this is intended to mean that partners should be allowed to have a very small gem stud in their nose.)
I’ve attached a couple of images describing the dress code from older Starbucks training materials. While the attached images may be a little dated, I don’t believe that the dress code has gone through any substantial change since then (at least as far as I know). One thing to know is that a small number of stores have an “elevated dress code” which is stricter than the normal dress code. It’s my understanding that Olive Way, Brewery Blocks, 15th Avenue Coffee, Madison Park, and Issaquah Meadows all have a requirement of an “elevated dress code” which means an all black attire, no open-toed shoes, and no sleeveless shirts. I have heard that the stores following “elevated dress code” have a rule that partners cannot wear the black “coffee gear” official Starbucks-branded polos, which seems a little silly to me. I have seen many many partners wearing the black polos from the coffee gear store, and they look quite nice! (Someone please correct me if I’ve got the “elevated dress code” wrong.)
So if you could change just ONE thing, what would it be?
I realize that is such a tough question. Everybody has a different idea about what is tasteful. I admit, I personally am not ready for full arms of tattoos, or multiple huge metallic piercings in the face. In fact, I’m also the kind of person that once in a while will mention to clients that when you sit before a judge, please wear conservative attire, turn off your cell phone, and please don’t chew gum at either the plaintiff or defense table.
At least in my area, it seems like one of the least enforced dress code rules, is the rule about gem stone studs in the nose. Lots of people have tiny nose studs. It seems like it would be the single easiest change to the dress code, and would make a difference to many partners.
As to tattoos, I can’t think of anything more difficult. Despite what many think, we really do not live in a world where everyone wants to see tattoos. I have occasionally thought that an easy way to make a small change to the Starbucks tattoo policy would be to have a ‘dollar bill’ test. If the exposed area of the tattoo is no larger than a dollar bill, it is fine. So basically, I like the dress code the way it is right now. If I could change anything to try and make partners have a more rewarding and comfortable experience, I would first consider allowing a nose stud. After that, I would see no harm in having a jeans day on a regular basis too. And I am not married to the idea that shirts must be tucked in either. But in any event, I said ONE thing, so I picked the nose stud, since I already see that dress code rule overlooked on a regular basis.
I guess I do think that the dress code could be relaxed a little. You’ve seen some of my thoughts on that. It’s your turn now.
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Starbucks dress code policy is in reality a non-issue to me. Starbucks ceased trying to be an “Indie” or “third wave” coffee establishment decades ago… recently reinforced by the letdown in performance expectations of the two street level coffee stores on capitol hill in Seattle.
In the face of this, it’s even more important that we live up to the dress code policy because we’re representing, not the specialty coffee industry anymore, but a brand that symbolizes the best of the best, no matter what it is. As a global corporate giant, Starbucks needs to keep everything the same. It represents the Green Apron “Be Welcoming” way of being, in that, no matter where you go, you feel welcomed by knowing where everything is. From Toronto to L.A. to Paris to China you can walk into a Starbucks and know what to expect.
When a policy, whatever that maybe, is open to interpretation by each individual or store, then you can have the pendulum swing both ways. Either taking too many liberties under the guise of it being “acceptable” to a particular individual(s), OR to strict, resulting in no movement at all.
At the end of the day we’re there behind the counter to perform the legendary “Starbucks Experience”. Like Disney, we are cast members on stage. The dress code is our costume. While it does allow for slight variations, in the end our costume must suit the role we play in bringing the “Starbucks Experience” to life. You wouldn’t see a Disney cast member at the haunted house dressed in costume but wearing jeans or rolled up sleeves or a costume from another land because they prefer it. It takes away or even ruins the experience and in the end the experience is all that lives. A cup of coffee is consumed then forgotten a pastry is eaten, a bag of coffee is used up BUT the experience lives on in stories and in our mind for a long, long time.
All that being said… I would like to see our tattoo policy amended. LOL.
@LaireLandon – That is brilliant. That is truly brilliant. It really true that the dress code is part of the costume. Actually, I always feel that about the way people dress in a courtroom too. It’s generally totally obvious who are the attorneys, and who are the criminally accused. In any case, it will be interesting to see what happens in the future. Roy Street is still a no dress code store. And it’s interesting that things that people want to relax the dress code do NOT entirely focus around tattoos – though that is a huge issue. Lots of people have different ideas of what would be a good change.
I have to agree with the ‘tucking’. Tucked in is always more ‘decent’ looking to me BUT I do agree, unless your waistline is a respectable ‘not too big’, it can cause some issues. However, in those “possibly-not-small’ cases, sometimes un-tucked looks just as bad. Let’s face it, everyone LOOKS better if they’re ‘fit’, which of course varies a bit with age etc but basically, it’s healthier and mostly, more attractive. (like I long for from my days of youthfulness….40’s, early 50’s)
@Steve: I have come to know you meant no harm with your all-caps. and to answer your ‘italics’ question re: this site: I know of no way to do it….I don’t see the options.
Speaking of this site (I wish I’d shown you this in person Melody) but on my computer, in IE, the font here, when I write, is extra small, to me. (and I only need reading glasses so I’m not someone who has always been visually impaired) It makes typing a comment more difficult, for me. Is this an issue anywhere else, or is it just me and/or my computer. ??? Thanx!
Denise re the font issue- I understand what you are saying re the size of the font. Perhaps look at it this way- You can get in more words! Re the SB experience – just a thought. I know it is important to have a dress code in some fashion otherwise people will come in dressing in different styles and as has been discussed then you can possibly turn a customer off and they would walk out of the store, however, there still is the issue of giving the customer the best customer service possible and doesn’t that make the memory and experience where they would want to return? If I go into a SB and the customer service is awful and perhaps it includes a partner not dressing properly, then I am less likely to return to that location. Make any sense?
Steve/Denise,
I see buttons for bold (b) and italics (i) above where I am typing. Steve’s comments often appear in bold type. Are you using the buttons or HTML code to make that happen? If so, try the italics command or button.
Is the untucked shirt is nearly a moot point because the apron covers the front of the barista?
CD- re the untucked shirt- I often see partners with an apron on and yet the untucked shirt is visible in the back.
It’s been too long sinceI’ve posted (darn college homework) but I’ll chime in on this one.
The dress code i fine as is (mostly).
-I would change the shirt tucking rule, properly fitting untucked shirts often look just a nice/professional as tucked in shirts. I was always re-tucking my outer shirt when I was a partner (especially the partner store ones), my undershirt (matching color of course) was able to stay tucked in.
-I would add brown as a color. Starbucks has brown everywhere, coffee is brown, the original logo is brown. I think partners would look great with a white shirt with brown pants, or a brown shirt with tan pants.
I see that ‘i’ right next to the ‘/b’ so I’ll try that italics thing you spoke of CD but how do I tell it to end so I don’t wind up with my whole comment in italics? Oh well here goes nothing. Regarding tucked shirts versus untucked shirts as my Dad used to say an uctucked shirt looks like an unmade bedand the only thing worse than seeing a person’s under panties when they bend over is to view what everyone has seen is called plumber’s behind. I really like Brad’s comment A cup of coffee is consumed then forgotten a pastry is eaten, a bag of coffee is used up BUT the experience lives on in stories and in our mind for a long, long time.. There I hope I did it right.
Yay and wowwie zowwie zonkers I did it right! Thank you CD. It only shows you CAN teach an old dog a new trick.
While I have been following this topic since it started (Melody you have a knack for getting the conversation going), I have kept quiet since Steve is saying what I would.
I will reinforce what has been said in many of the comments, that uniform enforcement is key.
My Mom taught me a little trick to keep your outer shirt neatly tucked in JetBlue and that is: tuck your under shirt in your under pants and your shirt over your under pants and under your pants. In that way your shirt will always be tucked in neat and trim and your fellow employees will wonder how does he or she do it?
I used to have the same trouble with font size Denise. Just click on View on top then when the menu drops down click on <em Text Size and choose your text size from the choices smallest to largest. Hope this helps.
@denise r — Steve’s hint on changing the text size you are viewing is correct and works in IE (View -> Tesxt size), Firefox (View -> Zoom), and Chrome (wrench symbol -> Zoom).
There is also a keyboard shortcut that I use all the time (I have old eyes).
Zoom in, enlarge: Ctrl +
Zoom out, reduce: Ctrl –
Restore to normal: Ctrl 0 (that is a zero)
In each of the above, it is hold down the Ctrl key and press + (plus), – (minus), or 0 (zero)
Since this is really a “standard” it should also work for other browsers like Safari and Opera.
@Denise – I can only imagine what those tattoo’s will look like when they turn 85 years old. I have quite few people in the family that I would say are yuppies, who went crazy with the tattoo’s in the past 15 years or so. I don’t get it, but if that’s what they want to do with their money and bodies, it’s not my business. Let’s just say that one female family member put a nice tattoo on her arm from shoulder to elbow. It looks beautiful, but I wouldn’t have done it. It’s kind of hard to conceal at formal gatherings like weddings.
Like I said. I agree with dress codes. The only thing I would say is that no matter if there is a dress code or not, I am more concerned with the quality of the service given, than the looks of the person serving me. I am more concerned with their friendliness then the look. I would rather be served by a good barista with tattoo’s showing, than a well dressed ignorant one. After the initial shock, I am willing to look at the actual person, in the same way I would hope they look at me. Regardless if you see the barista’s tattoo’s or not, they are still the same person. Clothes don’t make the man, and I would hope, neither would the tattoo’s.
Becca, couldn’t agree more. I had permission to wear brown when we wore the via shirts and thought it looked professional.
2 things I’d change:
-Possibly allowing Starbucks T-shirts to be worn any day. What makes a T-shirt more appropriate Fri-Sun than Mon-Thurs?
-Enforcing it more strictly.
@Nathan – If it’s not enforced, the dress code doesn’t mean much. Once in a while, I do think it needs a little more enforcement.
@Steve – You wrote three times about the mess bed and untucked shirt. In all honesty, I think it depends on the shirt a bit: If you are wearing a long sleeve, white, button down shirt with a collar, then most of those shirts are designed and cut to be tuck in shirts – and it can be a little sloppy looking not to be tucked in. But a lot of the basic polos that baristas wear really do look fine untucked. And what the heck, I don’t make my bed always either. 😉 I still think that tucking in shirts doesn’t need to be an absolutely necessary thing.
@Steve and DadC…thanx so much. altho, I have to admit this: I see no “view” anywhere topbottom or in-between (IE) . I grew up writing my college papers in “blue books’, certainly not on a computer. (yikes!) I am definitely one of the older ones here I realize and not toally tech-stupid, but….don’t see a “view” option anywhere here. or there. I do see the the b and thei but obviously for me, when it comes up (from this point..before ‘submiting) as etc, I really don’t know that means it will show up in italics. 🙁
However, @DadC…I DID do the ctrl and + and that worked!!!!! yay! and thanx.
ps: sorry…….I see that little symbol that comes up when hitting the “i” etc, does not show up…obviously just turns into italics. or, whatever.
@Melody: sorry for the off topic space taken up, but, it’s been very helpful to me!
The View is on the very top of your monitor and under the Back and Forward arrows where it says File View Favorites Tools Help.
@JetBlue – I have heard partners in the store tell me that brown should be a color that is allowed. I’m not sure brown and black would totally go together, but brown slacks with a solid white shirt could look great. Anyway, I think brown is such a nice neutral coffee color that it makes sense to add it into the wardrobe.
@Denise, CD, Steve – It is a lot of conversation about italics and size, but it sounded like it was helpful conversation so that is what is important. The blog was put together by my friend Kelly, and I always go to her for updates, and that process is very slow. She moved out of Seattle, and has been doing a lot less work on blogs lately. 🙁 I would benefit greatly from having disqus comments, but I don’t know if that will happen anytime soon.
Melody what are disqus comments? I tried to look it up in http://www.TheFreeDictionary.com but they did not have it and if you can’t trust your on line dictionary who can you trust?
As a customer, I don’t think I would even notice nice jeans, or a neat outfit that included a not tucked in shirt. I likely would notice a tat or piercing, but assuming it was tasteful, I can’t imagine minding. I would notice, and be put off by, someone who was sloppy or dirty looking regardless of whether or not they met the dress code. Having said that, I know that it is very harder to enforce a looser dress code since you may never get a consensus regarding the definition of “nice”, “neat””, and/or “tasteful”. If I had to pick one thing, it would be not having to tuck your shirt in.
@Steve – http://www.disqus.com/
I’m guessing that’s what Melody speaks of.
As a person who has both tattoos and has worked predominately in a corporate environment most of my career – I have to say I like the dollar bill sized idea. I have two tatts and I made sure that they were in simple areas that could be easily concealed. If wearing black tights my calf tat looks like a stenciled design on the stockings so that worked out for me…while not everyone is down with viewing tattoos I’m ok with it. In independent coffee shops it’s odd to NOT see a barista without tattoos. As long as they aren’t psycho killer nudie tatts it would be a nice change to the dress code. The nose gem TOTALLY. I feel the bottom line is a physically clean person is the important part. Jeans day is good or if they allowed black jeans. I’m hoping this opens up for the barista’s it’s a little thing but it does make a big difference or at least it has for me in the past at jobs I’ve had.
Melody – When I worked at the bookstore before joining Starbucks we were able to wear black, tan, gray or brown pants with black, white or blue tops. I used to wear brown pants with black shirts all the time. It looked just fine.
The other thing they let us do is wear red shirts for the month of December. I’d love it if they’d let us do that! It really helps me get into Christmas spirit!
If I missed anything to Melodys question about the “elevated dress code” I apologize. The elevated a lot of times comes down to the discretion of the D.M. For instance, in my old district, the expectation was black on black, period. And to me this is fine. I personally am NOT a fan of my folks wearing white shirts, because I feel that they get too messy, too quickly.
I do not agree with the brown pants idea as stated earlier. I think that look would immediately be brown/white and start to look like the older uniform/logo. Brown and White.
Lastly, I can say that we will never be participating in Jeans day. LOL. It just doesnt look “professional.”
I qgree 100% with The J Man. If you want to work at Starbucks then adhere to the dress code and look professional and neat. That’s why it was written. If on ther other hand you want to look unprofessional or sloppy then work some place else such as a diner.
Steve, I don’t think anyone disagrees with that… we all accepted the dress code and adhere to it. Your point is clear, but I don’t feel that it makes sense in the context of this discussion.
This discussion is supposed to be a hypothetical “if we could” conversation. It’s not like this conversation is going to cause partners everywhere to go wild and wear t-shirts and nose rings and display our tattoos and untuck our shirts. Some people would change nothing, but some of us do wish that some things were different.
Is it wrong for me to conceal my nose ring at work, but wish I could wear it? Or is it wrong because I expressed it publicly? I would hate to think that Starbucks partners are all supposed to robotically agree with everything that their employer tells them. How many changes at Starbucks have been inspired by partners engaging in discussion? It is my understanding that Starbucks likes to hear the opinions of its partners. If they didn’t, there wouldn’t be a partner side to MSI.
I don’t have to nod my head and say “Oh yes I love this dress code” I just have to wear it. So my verbal disagreement with some components of it is not wrong, as long as my verbal disagreement remains verbal and doesn’t become a physical violation.
Came back to add to my previous post… I don’t want it to sound like I run around at work complaining that I can’t wear my nose ring. I don’t. But if someone asks what I would change if I could (as in this discussion), I feel that I have a right to express my opinion calmly and rationally.
Additionally, every few years, Starbucks takes a survey of it’s partners regarding the dress code… so they care how we feel and what we think.
@Steve – Kitenaire is right. This conversation is totally a hypothetical of “if we could change one thing” and you’ve made your point previously. If you’re not wanting to think in that abstract of “What if we changed one thing …” then just take a step back from the conversation. It’s a weebit insulting to hardworking partners to be shut down from the conversation with essentially ‘you can work at a diner.’ Trust me, I too like dress codes and the professional look that they have, but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about maybe simple ways it could be relaxed: whether that is a nose stud, untucked shirts, or multi-colored hair. I really understand that you mean well, but I will delete any future comments of yours that are of the same tenor and tone.
Sorry Melody I do not want to upset you or to insult anyone and from now on I will stick to the course of thought or argument or nothing and most likely the latter.
I’ve never worked at Starbucks. I feel it’s important to put that out there. As a customer I would like to see the dress code relaxed a bit. I live in Southern California and every Californian seemingly has more t-shirts in their closet than anything else. I say let the dress be reflective of the community. Presentability standards can still be maintained but I don’t like the feeling of “corporate behemoth” when I walk in a Starbucks. I’ve actually started reducing my visits to Starbucks in favor of The Coffee Bean because of it. I’d like Starbucks to feel more local.
If I could change one thing, it would be for not having to enforce the tucked in shirt rule. As a partner of almost 5 years, I’m constantly tucking in my shirt whenever I go to the backroom to get anything, to avoid having customers see me stick my hands down my waistband.
I’ve tried tucking my polo into my underwear as someone suggested earlier, over tightening my belt, but it never stays tucked. It’s just part of our work, with the constant reaching up to shelves to get pitchers and supplies, around the machine for syrups, out to hand off drinks, etc, eventually the shirt always works it’s way out.
I think that if one has a shirt of an appropriate length (ie. you can reach up without it riding up so far that it shows your abdomen) and looks neat while untucked, then it should be OK to not tuck it in.
@Eva – I can easily agree with you on the tucked shirt thing. A white button down sometimes is designed to look nice tucked in, but a polo, or a turtleneck … and a number of other styles of shirts, look just fine not tucked in.
Eva I am the one that mentioned about tucking your T shirt (not polo shirt) in your under pants then wearing your polo shirt over it and when you put you pants on your polo shirt will remain neatly tucked in.
Hi Steve,
I have always worn an undershirt because I find the polo material a bit scratchy. It’s never seemed to provide any sort of resistance to preventing the polo shirt from riding up and out of the tucked in position in my pants. Perhaps it just a problem with women’s polo shirts, but I can assure you after almost 5 years of this, it has never worked. I’ve tried many types of shirts, polo and non polo and many types of undershirts to no avail.
@Eva – Are you wearing those official barista gear polo shirts? You know, they’re black, and say Starbucks on the sleeve, and then the Siren logo in the middle (top of backside) of the back of the shirt near the collar. Are they too scratchy? I see a lot of partners wearing them.
The Coffeegear polo is lovely, except for the tag – you have to cut the tag right out of that shirt, because it is literally the worst tag I’ve ever had in any clothing.
I originally chalked it up to my hypersensitivity (I cut tags out of most clothes and have for as long as I could remember, and my mother did it before I could do it myself – she says I’ve always been a pain in her butt – LOL), but then one of the people I was working with asked me to cut her tags out.
The material is wonderful, very comfortable. But, I find that they aren’t long enough to reasonably be tucked in, which I find hilarious, honestly.
@Melody – I have a Partner of the Quarter shirt and it’s fairly thick and scratchy. I don’t wear it very often as I find it a bit too warm if you’re actually running around doing a lot of cleaning to wear it as the materials quite heavy. The tag says it’s 100% Ring Spun Combed Cotton, but the texture feels quite rough.
Unfortunately, for those in Canada, we have to find our own polos as when they revamped the online Partner store, they stopped allowing access to Partners outside of the US, so we can’t buy any Partner merchandise and there doesn’t appear to be a Canadian version of the store.
Hopefully they rework the site to allow international partners soon!
Interesting subject. I’ve actually never given it much thought because I don’t think I’ve ever spotted any tattoos on Starbucks employees, which, in my humble opinion, is a desirable thing. I like your dollar bill test though. Honestly, I think it would be best to make it forbidden to show any tattoos or non-traditional piercings. Again, that’s just my humble opinion.
How about Friday dress down for all baristas in the world?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mIBKifOOQQ
This could be of use to those with tattoos in warmer climes. I think the tattoo/piercing rule is antiquated and excludes many skilled and creative individuals from the pool of available partners. I lost a piercing whilst I worked there as I spent so many hours at work eventually it closed up. I was gutted. It didn’t make me a better or more professional barista.
Honestly I wouldn’t really change anything on the dress code, even as a former barista I think the tucked in shirt, all black or white shirt, no tattoos, piercings, grooming standards are appropiate.
I would however like to see Starbucks provide “non-slip” shoes! After having many slips and falls it can be un safe to work when the floors are wet. If they can’t provide them then they should have an agreement with a company to get some at a discounted price. I’m not a clumsy individual either and can say from being very athletic and a pretty good dancer that I’m light on my feet with excellent balance. The floors get to the point where it feels like you’re on ice skates.
We get 30% off of Sketchers work shoes.
“We get 30% off of Sketchers work shoes.”
True…but $40 with the discount is still a lot to pay for shoes; I shop for my shoes at the outlet malls. I guess it all depends on the store you are at and how much the tips are, because at 30 hrs a week our tips were only $25.
Today at my local SB I noticed all the partners had on SB hats. Saw the SM and he said it is now required to wear the hats. This new dress code across the country?
@Purple1 – Hats are definitely not worn in Washington, or even Oregon for that matter. Maybe a new local code where you are? Partners wearing hats is often a requirement of local health code.