# Starbucks discourages biking to work



## crashracer (May 10, 2004)

Anyone see this? 

http://bikeportland.org/2006/10/17/starbucks-employee-says-his-manager-discouraged-bike-use/


----------



## wayneanneli (Jul 8, 2004)

I'm not sure, but I think that Starbucks is starting to come slowly into Sweden. They won't be getting any of my business, that's for sure.


----------



## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

To be fair, STARBUCKS didn't discourage biking to work, some pain in the @$$ manager told him bikes were unprofessional. 

Her personal bias against bikes has nothing to do with Starbucks corporate policy.

So, rather than getting all upset and boycotting ALL starbucks, just boycott the ones the bad manager runs.


----------



## wayneanneli (Jul 8, 2004)

buck-50 said:


> To be fair, STARBUCKS didn't discourage biking to work, some pain in the @$$ manager told him bikes were unprofessional.
> 
> Her personal bias against bikes has nothing to do with Starbucks corporate policy.
> 
> So, rather than getting all upset and boycotting ALL starbucks, just boycott the ones the bad manager runs.



You might be right, but when you live where we live, I doubt very much we'll ever venture into one of her Starbucks. Boycotting the ones she manages isn't going to happen. In any case, we drink next to no coffee at all, so it probably doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.


----------



## crashracer (May 10, 2004)

*Anti-bike decision ARE Starbucks decisions*

Because Starbucks hired her, and did nothing to reprimand her, her anti-bike decision ARE Starbucks decisions.


----------



## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

Not to sound like a corporate shill for starbucks- I don't even drink coffee- but we are only hearing one disgruntled dude's side of the story- did he arrive at the district meeting all sweaty and stanky? 

I don't hold Trek bicycle accountable when I go to the Trek store (worst bike shop ever) and get lousy service, even though the salesguy was hired by Trek and will be there next time I go to the shop, even though I wrote an email to Trek telling them how lousy the service is at their west side shop.


----------



## wayneanneli (Jul 8, 2004)

crashracer said:


> Because Starbucks hired her, and did nothing to reprimand her, her anti-bike decision ARE Starbucks decisions.


Exactly.


----------



## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

Am I surprised? Yes and no.

About a week ago there was a thread on the general board about taking your bike into stores. Although I rarely stop for anything to eat or drink on my commute, I have stopped at a locally-owned place and Starbucks. The locally-owned place was very unfriendly to me when I arrived in lycra -- and I did not even bring my bike inside. On the other hand, I have taken my bike into Starbucks, used the bathroom and not even bought anything without a word of complaint or even bad look from the folks at Starbucks.

The manager mentioned in the article sounds like the kind of anal compulsive manager that requires that everything be just so. I have dealt with such lower management types -- they either are wildly successful or litigation magnets. She sounds like the kind of person who has all kinds of hang ups and one day she will push the wrong button on the wrong person.


----------



## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

*This is quite interesting*

I think everyone here should cross-post this to every bike forum they frequent, and write to *$ corporate hq, asking them whether they are really that hostile to environmentally responsible forms of transportation. A few thousand letters from environmentalist bike enthusiasts threatening a boycott might have some impact. 

Hell, I work for a big mean insurance company, and they actively promote bike commuting (locker room, racks in secure places in the garages, etc.). I'm frankly shocked that *$ behaves like this, in Portland of all places. 

"Unprofessional to ride a bike to work"; “you should just get over riding your bike.”

what a crock.


----------



## Durandal (Aug 31, 2005)

The manager at my local starbucks rides his Giant comfort bike to work everyday, rain or sun, and another one gets lots of business from bikers, bike shop employe's and bike shop owners along with one so called, "Former Racer". Odd that they have a better attitude to bikes here in the motor city than portland.

Somethings telling me it's a combination of only hearing one side of the story, as Buck-50 said he may have been sweaty and stinky, and a obsessive compulsive boss who needs everything her way that MarkS mentioned.


----------



## JayTee (Feb 3, 2004)

Okay, I'll resist whiining about the cross-posting but really one forum for discussion is plenty within RBR (heck, even Tour de France conversations are focused in a single forum).

Anyway, I'd like to hear the other side. While this sounds ridiculous, I'm also wondering. Well, this complaint didn't come from his riding to his little Starbucks store... it came from him showing up at a district meeting or something. Did he walk into a room of folks in professional attire carrying his helmet and in cycling clothes? Or changed into rumpled stuff from a fanny pack? Is the issue the BIKE or what it did to his demeanor/appearance later? All good questions.

I used to ride to work when I was a downtown high rise lawyer in Denver (about 11 mi each way) and when I did it, I had certain wrinkle free dresses I'd pack in panniers, and had toiletries and such at the office. If it was a mandatory suit kinda day (like court) I'd either have the suit waiting for me at the office delivered from a prior day or I wouldn't ride. 

More complex that "Starbucks sux" seems to me.


----------



## nachomc (Aug 31, 2006)

I can see both sides.

On one hand, the guy rode his bike to a management meeting. My mother previously worked for starbucks and they regularly held meetings with all of the managers in the district (and often times other district managers). Competition is heavy between districts. This guy should have had enough common sense to not ride his bike to a professional meeting like that. It likely embarrassed his boss.

On the other, as long as the guy was able to get dressed appropriately for the meeting (IE: not in his spandex and helmet) and he didn't smell offensive, I don't see the problem with it, especially in a biking area such as portland.

If in fact her motive for transferring him was to discourage him from riding his bike, that's BS, however, he either deals with it, or does what he did, which is to quit and find a new employer. I can understand the decision by corporate to not reprimand the district manager as this could be taken as an admission that an error was made on her part, which could then be used against the company in some kind of lawsuit. I think that the decision by HR not to open up the company to lawsuit is hardly an endorsement of the policies of this manager and likely does not speak for the true values of the company.


----------



## brianmcg (Oct 12, 2002)

http://www.starbucks.com/customer/contact_forms.asp?nav=3f

Here is the email should send comments too.

I found this tidbit from the article interesting:
"Over 6,000 Portlanders from 550 companies took part in the BTA’s recent Bike Commute Challenge. Starbucks did not participate."


----------



## lonefrontranger (Feb 5, 2004)

and on the other, other hand...

starbucks was the <i>only</i> big corporation willing to sponsor our cincinnati racing series. strangely enough once they jumped on board it was way easier to get the local companies like UDF (ice cream/dairy) involved -- it was like having them for a sponsor somehow legitimized everything. Now, granted this was a few years ago but the regional manager there was really into it and said it was just the sort of community project 'corporate liked to back'.


----------



## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

*Funny how the bigger the company/organization is the more people like to find fault.*



crashracer said:


> Anyone see this?
> 
> http://bikeportland.org/2006/10/17/starbucks-employee-says-his-manager-discouraged-bike-use/


No one is perfect, nothing to see here, just move on.


----------



## blackhat (Jan 2, 2003)

MB1 said:


> No one is perfect, nothing to see here, just move on.


it could have been a small regional chain and the issue of whether the former mgr was unfairly treated would be the same. I don't know if he was, but the fact that starbucks is a "big organization" isn't relevant.


----------



## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

This could happen in any company or small business. I have had people stop by my office and ask me why I can't ride on the sidewalk so they don't have to pass me. I tell them about the laws prohibiting this, but I could see how an employee might be intimidated if their boss leaned on them a little. Fortunately I am in the position that I can pretty much ignore such people.


----------



## JP (Feb 8, 2005)

I gotta say that out here in Seattle (remember the evil lair in Austin Powers) the Starbucks guys are fantastic with bikes. There is one shop on the lake in Leshi that survives on bike traffic. They are all cool with filling water bottles / bathrooms / leaning your bike out front, etc. Makes no difference if you are even a customer on that visit. I give them two thumbs up.

Even Evil Mini Anne likes them. Kids hot chocolate (KHC) rocks.


----------



## fbagatelleblack (Mar 31, 2005)

*How's This for Irony?*

The top photo on the Starbucks "About Us" webpage shows... you guessed it... a bicycle parked outside a Starbucks!!

http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/default.asp

Oy!

FBB


----------



## fbagatelleblack (Mar 31, 2005)

*?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!*



sonicsuby said:


> This guy should have had enough common sense to not ride his bike to a professional meeting like that. It likely embarrassed his boss.


Did you really just say that, OUT LOUD, ON THIS LIST?!

Attitudes like this ARE THE PROBLEM!! The idea that it is unprofessional to use a bike as one's primary mode of transportion is killing this country!! This kind of attitude is what makes Americans fat, lazy, and dependent on foreign oil.

Justice David Souter commuted on his bicycle right up until he was appointed to the Supreme Court. It is unfortunate that security concerns kept him from continuing his cyclocommuting ways, but I guess I understand. Was he being unprofessional when he rode his bike to work in the crazy weather of New Hampshire? Heck no! He was just being smart. And his being smart probably involved arriving at work sweating, or damp from rain, or with a bit of mud on his shoes once in a while.

Anyone with "common sense" should realize that it is important to leave one's car at home as often as possible. Ride your bike anywhere and everywhere you can.

I am yearning for the day when the CEO of Bank of America starts commuting on a bicycle. Maybe then, archaic, nonsensical ideas about bicycle commuting being inappropriate or unprofessional will go away.

Stepping Down from My Soapbox,

FBB

http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?section=article&storyid=1111


----------



## fbagatelleblack (Mar 31, 2005)

brianmcg said:


> http://www.starbucks.com/customer/contact_forms.asp?nav=3f
> 
> Here is the email should send comments too.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the link. I just sent a blistering message to Starbucks, threatening to stop patronizing their establishments unless they publically reprimand to manager who told her employee it was "unprofessional" to ride one's bike to corporate function. I also demanded that they create a corporate policiy encouraging, or at least allowing, Starbucks employees to ride their bicycles to any and all corporate functions.

Now, if 10,000 other people send similar notes, we might get noticed.

My next move is to send the story to the "New Energy News" blog:

http://www.newenergynews.blogspot.com/

The editor there oughta' have some fun with this story.

Yours,

FBB


----------



## nachomc (Aug 31, 2006)

fbagatelleblack said:


> Did you really just say that, OUT LOUD, ON THIS LIST?!
> 
> Attitudes like this ARE THE PROBLEM!! The idea that it is unprofessional to use a bike as one's primary mode of transportion is killing this country!! This kind of attitude is what makes Americans fat, lazy, and dependent on foreign oil.
> 
> ...


You have to work within your corporate culture. It would not be acceptable to ride my bike and show up sweat to an important business meeting at my company. While I do enjoy cycling, it's not important enough to me to risk my income and potentially my home, the well being of my wife, etc, to make a point and ride anyway. That's just how it is. Not all districts within Starbucks find it acceptable either, obviously, and this guy should have had the common sense not to ride his bike to a district meeting.


----------



## fbagatelleblack (Mar 31, 2005)

sonicsuby said:


> ...this guy should have had the common sense not to ride his bike to a district meeting.


Takes all kinds, I suppose. If someone told me I could not ride to work, I would find another job. But we all make choices in life.

Still and all, "common sense" tells me it is better to transport myself by bicycle than by multi-ton, greenhouse-gas spewing, petroleum-resource-depleting death machines.

- FBB


----------



## YuriB (Mar 24, 2005)

MB1 said:


> No one is perfect, nothing to see here, just move on.


true, but the bigger teh company the bigger teh resposnsibility. 
the nature of the beast when consumers are involved. 
esp vocal middle class white folks like most of us here....


----------



## fbagatelleblack (Mar 31, 2005)

*Starbucks Responds:*

I never got a response from Starbucks, but a friend of mine did. All in all, it sounds pretty reasonable. I am glad this gave a major corporation a chance to come out strongly and publicly in support of cyclocommuting amongst its employees. It would have been nice if they had added a statement saying that regional managers do not have the authority to tell employees how to commute, but I'll accept what they've written as "good enough."

Yours,

FBB

"Hello [Name Hidden],

Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company.

Recently, comments were made online about an incident
which occurred between a Starbucks district manager
and store manager Fabian Mills in Portland, Ore.
regarding his bicycling to work. The portrayal of this
exchange as presented by Mr. Mills in this online
article is false. The concerns raised by the district
manager were regarding Mr. Mills' arriving late to a
meeting and being disheveled in appearance, not about
his riding a bicycle to work.

Starbucks has a long history of supporting alternative
transportation commute options for our partners
(employees). Starbucks encourages partners to use
alternative transportation; in fact, in 2005, 29
percent of our partners at the Starbucks Support
Center in Seattle participated in alternative commute
programs, including bicycling to work. Additionally,
Starbucks was the title sponsor of the Seattle Bike to
Work Day 2006 in May.

Starbucks hosts a Biking Club as part of Partner
Connections, a program designed to encourage partners
to participate in activities outside of the everyday
work environment. This Biking Club also encourages
partners to ride their bicycles to work.

In Oregon, Starbucks is a regular sponsor of
Providence Bridge Pedal, Portland's annual community
cycling event. Starbucks has also worked with the
Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) to encourage and
reward residents who cycle as an alternative means of
transportation, including Starbucks partners.

Again, thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee
Company.

Sincerely,

Rachel A.

Customer Relations Representative"


----------



## YuriB (Mar 24, 2005)

i got the same response from Benjamin J.
for a big co. they are pretty responsible. 
i'll continue to buy their brew on occasion.


----------



## nachomc (Aug 31, 2006)

fbagatelleblack said:


> The concerns raised by the district
> manager were regarding Mr. Mills' arriving late to a
> meeting and being *disheveled in appearance*, not about
> his riding a bicycle to work.


Wow, it's almost like that's exactly what I pointed out as being the likely issue.

oh wait. It _is_ exactly what I pointed out!


----------



## fbagatelleblack (Mar 31, 2005)

sonicsuby said:


> It _is_ exactly what I pointed out!


Are you surprised this is the corporate party line? Did you think they were going to say, "Oops, sorry, we gots to some hiring them [email protected] district managers!"?

It comes down to one man's word against a corporation's. I suppose we could argue for quite some time on who is right and who is wrong. I suspect the truth is somewhere between the two extremes.

But what is important to me is that Starbucks came out strongly and vociferously in support of employees riding to work. I don't much care about the goings-on in one Starbucks far, far away from me. It's the larger corporate attitude that matters to us as cyclists on a national level. In this case, Starbucks made a firm statement saying they did not consider cyclo-commuting to be unprofessional. I consider that a good step forward.

Pax,

- FBB


----------



## fbagatelleblack (Mar 31, 2005)

fbagatelleblack said:


> Are you surprised this is the corporate party line? Did you think they were going to say, "Oops, sorry, we gots to some hiring them [email protected] district managers!"?


I interviewed Fabian Mills. He told me he was early for the meeting, and other than a bit of "helmet hair," he was not disheveled at all. He also told me he filed an official complaint with Starbucks HR, and that the district manager admitted to the HR department that she had requested Fabian not ride his bike.

My article can be found at:

http://newenergynews.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_newenergynews_archive.html#116216406646377156

or

http://tinyurl.com/yjvf2c

Yours,

FBB


----------

