Starbucks

we normally don’t go to starbucks but ducked in last sunday because it started raining. we waited over 10 minutes for a drip coffee, even though it was not busy and they weren’t making a fresh pot — so clearly the order was forgotten. when asked about it, they made a lukewarm pourover instead. um, that’s not what was ordered, and it was practically room temperature. brought it back and requested drip coffee, hot. coffee finally poured and served without apology or explanation. the entire time this was happening, the manager was standing right next to the barista, studiously avoiding eye contact.

Please.
Do not kid yourself.
There are only 2 reasons to come to this location.
1: You’re already at Macy’s.
2: The view of Union Square.
It is a kick-​ass view. There’s no disputing that. But it’s the same view you have from the patio at Cheesecake, or Burger Bar, or the glass elevator at the St. Francis (or any higher level room in the front tower)…you get the idea.
It’s always busy. There’s always a line. You’ll more than likely have to wait for a seat. And it’s not the cleanest… sticky, crumb covered tabletops abound. But such are the perils when you are an über popular establishment situated in the middle of a major tourist thoroughfare, inside of a major shopping conglomerate.
That view though. It is kinda magical. Surreal, looks like a postcard, the whole thing. Sipping your java while gazing upon that view is a thing of beauty.
The view gets a star. And one star for the convenience of being inside Macy’s.
2 stars.

Customer relations was so bad yesterday, I walked out and drank from my water bottle instead. I was second in line so thought it would be fast, but the cashier was very busy chatting with several co-​workers who seemed to have nothing to do, so it was extremely slow. Then she chatted endlessly with the customer ahead of me. She started waiting on another customer but then grudgingly realized I was next. She was so nasty about saying my Starbucks rewards card will not be honored, I just said never mind, I’ll find a Peet’s.
Since I didn’t get a caffeine fix, I also cut my once-​a-​blue-​moon Macy’s shopping short. «Starbucks» was quite a contrast to Macy’s employees who bent over backwards trying to regain my business. Hint: if you tell a clerk you haven’t used your Macy’s credit card in a longtime, they will quickly update it, and you get the new customer 20% extra discount. :). It was a good, although imperfect (thanks to Starbucks), day at Macy’s.
Starbucks’ management: I’ll stop by again to see how it’s going. You have a logo to protect.

I also work at Starbucks and for my acknowledgement, this is a Macy’s Starbucks so not really associated with regular Starbucks stores but their system is pretty similar and they make everything the same way regular Starbucks should make them.
I’m a big snob since I know what goes on inside of Starbucks, including pace, cleanliness, customer service, all that good stuff. This specific Starbucks makes me want to puke.
Both my boyfriend and I work down in the general Macy’s area, me being only seasonal and him full time. While I work down here, I usually hit up the Starbucks inside of Macy’s because I would work seasonal inside of Macy’s and it’s the closest one I can head to before work. I’ve had problems with this Starbucks every single time. whether it’s someone getting my drink wrong, getting others drinks wrong, arguing with customers? like the customer service here is just awful. It disgust me how people can argue with their customers for their being wrong.
I can handle bad customer service. it’s not big deal to me. I don’t enjoy seeing it but for me, i just grab whatever is given to me and go. What made me never come back to this Starbucks though is the disgust I witnessed from the female working on the bar. after steaming milk, she didn’t clean the steam wand and just continuously started steaming more milk. I wanted to barf. the build up in the wand without cleaning it is disgusting. and it does build up, hence why it’s needed to be clean after every use. I threw my drink out after I saw that. who knows how many times they’ve done that. i’m not down with it.
Knowing that’s the closest location to my boyfriend also, I told him to please avoid that Starbucks and head to the million other Starbucks surrounding Macy’s. One day it was really busy and he just decided to head up since it’d be the quickest. He ordered his usual grande 3 shot peppermint white mocha and was received just a triple shot latte. kidding me right? all that syrup added and all he gets is a latte? ridiculous.
please do yourself a favor and make the trip to any other Starbucks in the vicinity.

Australians are coffee snobs. It is a safe bet that if you ask an Australian what they think about American coffee they will say it is terrible (and most likely reference Starbucks as proof). As an Australian I half agree, on average it isn’t good but there definitely is some good stuff out there.
But when it is early in the morning, your wife has just started on her dress shopping day and the baby has just woken up and coming to the realization that there are so many things to run around and touch that a coffee and a sit down beckons (as it will be the last time for a while).
I went with an old favorite of mine, a small cappuccino. Standing in line waiting to order I realize that this will be a strange order, I am hearing «ventis», «grandes», «vanilla», «frappucino», etc. I figured I would stick to my guns and get a drink I understand and say a size that makes sense. The order went kinda smoothly, I didn’t get questioned about the size (phew!), I got a croissant and that was confirmed back verbally with a hard ‘r’ and ‘t’ and I only had to repeat my name 3 times and then spell it out.
It didn’t take long and the cappuccino was ready with my name spelt incorrectly on the cup. I take a seat overlooking union square and attempt to hide my chocolate croissant from my suspicious baby. I take the lid off the take away coffee cup and notice the big layer of foam at the top. I sigh knowing that there are 2 parts of this coffee, the top being foam and then a completely unrelated coffee beneath it. I expect that when I take a sip, slowly lifting the cup beyond horizontal to get through the foam that a wave of scalding hot coffee will hit me in the face. But to my surprise the coffee was the right temperature and pretty nice.
I think to myself, maybe it is like a meth addict, sure the meth might not be great but hey, it is still meth so of course it is good! I quickly dismiss that thought as I can quit coffee anytime and that this coffee actually was okay!
In the end my coffee snobbery was proved wrong (Starbucks isn’t the worst), my baby only ate half my croissant and the view of union square was relaxing.

Sometimes, you just find something that you know is right for you, and I found my type of coffee there. The restrooms were clean, so that was really nice especially after shopping, which is something that I rarely do. The chairs and view were a really nice add on to Starbucks. So far, this is my favorite Starbucks I’ve been to.

It’s a Starbucks, so there should be some standards in place. Not here.
I wanted to order a macchiato.
The cashier said, «caramel macchiato?».
«No, just a plain ordinary macchiato.»
This request stumped both the cashier and barista.
Frustrated, I walked away.

Due to it’s location on O’Farrell and Powell there’s usually a lot of traffic inside and outside the store, so expect to wait a little almost every time of day. Seating is very limited — they do have some bar stool seats on the window front which is great for people watching.

I’d go here just for the view of Union Square Park alone! However, it’s a Starbucks so that’s a bonus if you’re looking for familiarity and a place to rest/​people watch. Located on the 4^th floor of the Macy’s-Women store and so it not considered a standalone Starbucks.
And, if it ever serves wines and beers like at many cafes nowadays, this review would have been five stars!
Unilocal milestone: the 6,000^th Funny vote’s review.

2 stars because they really suck at making drinks here. Go down the block or up the street or turn around and go to the 45 other BETTER Starbucks.
Not this one.

Service is hit or miss…& seriously how many more times can they continue to raise prices? Is it merely because they think their customers are mainly tourists?

(September 2013) the slowest place ever!

This is a great place to have something to drink like a hot chocolate and enjoy the view of union square. They recently added sandwiches that can be warmed so you can have a bite to eat along with your choice of beverage.

Worst customer service ever. I ordered a venti coffee, had no idea that they added a tax to it (other Starbucks don’t?), she rolled her eyes at me, and gave me a rude attitude when I asked for a grande. Really? Is it going to kill you to make me a drink in a different size? If I didn’t need my fix, I would have told her to forget about it, and take my service elsewhere.

The view you get here is amazing but the service seems a step below from the Starbucks standard. Maybe it’s because it’s Macy’s that is running this Starbucks.

Honestly, I have only gone to this Starbuscks is to use the restroom. It really hits the spot when you’re in the chaos of Union Square and need to go to the bathroom. It’s always clean and has nice toilet paper.
Much love to Starbucks.

The Honest Truth: They got my drink wrong and didn’t seem to concerned about it. Didn’t shake my black iced tea.
The Details: I wanted my usual Black Iced tea with a splash of whole milk on top. First they made it really milky and gave me whip cream on it. When I told them that they made me the wrong drink, the barista didn’t apologize and seemed whatever about the situation. Both times the barista made it, they didn’t shake my iced tea and it was too milky both times. Being a former employee of Starbucks, I expected a little better service.

I dislike the service and the damn rules/​policy at this Starbucks. I just found out yesterday that they don’t give free refills for gold card members or even accept partner numbers here. WOW! ok well I do understand why they wouldn’t take partner bev’s but damn not even a refill for gold members??? shiiieeett! Plust the service is here was wack! They didn’t have that customer service in them. They ignored me for a minute because they were busy looking at the charts and they made my drink watered down. UGH! and for the shift supervisor to give me attitude on how «THEIR» Starbucks works was ruuuude as hell. So not only does the service or policy suck but their drinks as well! FUCK! LMFAO
I want my money back. IF it wasn’t for the breath taking view of Union Square, I wouldn’t be wasting my time getting anything from this Starbucks. UGHHH

I’ve decided to take a run with the coffee reviews today.
This is perfect since it is in the Macy’s, where I do most of my shopping for other coordinates, and given the fact that I do a pretty good job of multi-​tasking, sifting through racks of clothing while juggling my venti Breve Latte and other bags.
I’ve never taken a moment to take a seat at this Starbuck’s, but this is where you will find most of the men who have been ordered to follow around the women while they shop. And the occasional snoozing child.
I do, however, appreciate the caffeinated encouragements that keep all of us vertical and ready to spend hard earned cash in the department store.

The Macys coffee shop is a Starbucks.
Sit yourself down in a comfy chair, with a tried-​and-​true Starbucks whatchamacallit at the usual Starbucks prices. Relax and watch people ice skate in Union Square four floors below you. What a great way to take a break!