Make Lemons... » starbucks

WMATA’s Latest Embarrassment…

michelle — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 11:13:34 +0000

Last week was a banner one for WMATA….

Trash fire that closed down Gallery Place and Metro Center for a period of time.

A fire truck collided with a metrobus.… around the same time.

And the crowning jewel…. that came out DURING a WMATA Board meeting….. the maker of the SmarTrip cards will no longer sell them to WMATA, they only have enough left to get thru 2012, and oh yeah…. WMATA is over paying for them anyway!

How does this happen? Is ANYONE at WMATA in charge or accountable for anything that goes on there?? Do they have calendars? Access to the internet in order to do research? It’s like everything WMATA touches turns to crap!

If SmarTrip cards will only last until 2012, WMATA needs to abandon all SmarTrip changes that they had planned. Remember the “buckets” that were supposed to debut earlier this year? No need to waste time trying to code those changes. WMATA needs to hire a real project manager, and some people that can think outside the box. Maybe its time to re-do the entire fare and fare gate structure (ie get rid of the exit fare). Treat this like a REAL project. PLAN. Don’t just get an idea and run with it …. without doing some research.

WMATA has 2 years (well maybe 1.5 years)… Will they be able to find a solution AND get it implemented? Probably not. According to an article from this morning’s Baltimore Sun……. it took the MTA about 10 years to get their version of SmarTrip implemented. The CharmCard debuts this week.

My opinion ….. Let me pay for WMATA with my Starbucks Card.

Maybe SmarTrip should get Starbucks to handle their web development??

michelle — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:50:00 +0000

About a year ago Starbucks introduced a new rewards program…. of the type where you pay $25 for a years membership and you get a percentage off each purchase, plus free stuff. If you go there nearly everyday like me… its totally worth it (maybe not worth it for Starbucks… they discontinued it) Now there is a Gold Rewards program… Starbucks went ahead and moved everyone in the old program to the new card, and mailed out new cards! Fancy!!

Here’s the part that WMATA could learn from… the Starbucks website lets you manage your account online… You can add multiple cards, setup auto-reload where you can reload based on a date or when your balance hits a certain amount. You can transfer balances between cards (ie if you ever lost a card…. just transfer to another card that you have).

If you have ever registered your SmarTrip card with WMATA it appears to go into this big abyss…..where you can’t search on it or pull it up again.

Maybe WMATA and Starbucks could go into business together?? I see enough people drinking coffee on the Metro in the AM anyway…. pay for commuting and coffee with the same card!!

Starbucks Ettiquette….

michelle — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:31:00 +0000

I stop at Starbucks every morning after getting off the Metro. I need my Latte… especially if it looks like there may be Drama in the office.

Way back when I was getting into the office around 7am I rarely noticed what I am getting ready to rant about, probabaly because it was so early, there were never that many people in line.

First up seems to be a problem at all Starbucks if they are busy….. People laying all over the drink counter, effectively cutting off the counter from other customers. Hey guess what people… if you just ordered and Starbucks is busy…. your drink is not going to be the next one ready…. hang back and wait until you order is called.

Second…. is a problem due to the layout of the store. Once more than 10 people are in line, the way the line snakes around teh store, the door to the outside CAN be blocked if rude people are in line. People with a clue about the world around them leave the space around the door unblocked, (so a space between them and the person in front of them), and the line continues to snake around the store. The only problem this can cause is when someone comes into the store and jumps into line in the “open space”. This is usually cleared up by telling them…. “The line actually starts back there…”.

This morning the scenario above happened, complete with me having to tell a line jumper where the line actually started. But the guy behind me apparently wasn’t man enough to be able to tell someone where the line started because when I crossed over the empty space, he stayed with me, blocking the door. As someone was coming in. And then to make it odder, this tool would not move away from the door to let the person in. He did this weird scrunch up thing with his arms and then was trying to step on me! I was this close to 1)Telling him to not touch me and 2) Suggesting that he not block the door. But since I knew I’d come off sounding like a b*itch I decided I didn’t want drama that early in the AM, so I just focused on my BlackBerry while feeling morally superior

Reason 574 I’ll be happy to be back on the Sauce tomorrow!

michelle — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:48:00 +0000

Coffee may protect against oral cancer!!!

#20 Complete – No Starbucks for a week!

michelle — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:26:00 +0000

Even I can’t believe I finished this one so soon…. but I did have some help with the Holidays

I usually go to Starbucks every weekday when I get off the Metro in SW DC, and on weekends if I am out somewhere that there is a Starbucks… like a mall.

So last Wednesday I was off… and since my car was in the shop… I didn’t go shopping. Thursday was a Holiday aka recover from New Years Eve. Friday… I got to my Starbucks and they were closed (until 8am – and I never went back)…. Saturday and Sunday I didn’t go to the mall because my car was still in the shop. Monday and Tuesday… I walked right past the Starbucks… though I think did cast a wistful glance inside

6:45am Tomorrow I will be at Starbucks with bells on for my Triple Venti Skim Latte !!!

(Aside – one of the guys I ride the train with asked me this morning… If I had gotten my Starbucks yesterday (we get off at the same metro stop so he usually sees me go in). After I said that I hadn’t, he asked me if I was cutting back due to the economy….. I told him no….just something I was doing for myself, and once I got through today, I would be back tomorrow.)

Vote on the 4th… Free Coffee from Starbucks!

michelle — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 11:54:00 +0000

Free Tall Coffee, if you tell them you voted!

Get that morning Starbucks receipt!

michelle — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:28:00 +0000

… and you can then get any iced Grande beverage for $2 in the afternoon.

thru Sept 2

Starbucks! – DC lucked out (as did I) !

michelle — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:36:00 +0000

Remember the 600 stores closing?

Here is the official list…

None of the stores I frequent are listed … whew!

DC has 1 – 21ST & L STREET

The Human Race 10K

michelle — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:20:00 +0000

Attention all Mid-Distance running failthful readers

I picked a brochure up at Starbucks this morning which is promoting the “The Human Race 10k”

Scheduled for Sunday August 31, 2008, looks to be in partnership with Nike.

Just do it!

( I of course will not be doing it… I am sticking to 5ks… and I think end of Aug may still be to humid for a run )

Starbucks to close 600 stores!

michelle — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:20:00 +0000

Eeeek!

I hope one of them is not my local Federal Center SW one