Starbucks baristas have started to implement a new system aimed at speeding up service and alleviating bottlenecks that have customers complaining about wait times as long as 40 minutes for their coffee orders.
The system partly means changing the production order for hot and cold drinks. Under the old way of doing things, Starbucks baristas prioritized cold drinks from start to finish even if there were orders for hot drinks that came in first.
Workers who provided feedback to the company higher-ups said that this system led to longer wait times in the drive-thru.
Starbucks also plans to assign one of its employees to the role of a “play caller” who steps away from production and helps relieve logjams as well as doing other key tasks such as restocking cups or helping when an unexpected crowd arrives.
One of the pain points we saw was [that] our espresso machine was often running all the time, and that was one of the things that kept our partners from being able to check in,” Katie Young, senior vice president of store operations, told CNBC.
“And another thing we saw that you didnt necessarily know was which part of the store would get crowded.”
Young said that Starbucks locations “needed to actually have a partner that was dedicated when things got busy to pulling out of production and just helping.”
Its the ability to flexibly respond to things we cannot predict, she said.
Starbucks management anticipates more customer engagement through its mobile app, which starting on Monday was open to non-rewards members who could place orders.
The company also recently took a page out of the playbook of fast food chains including McDonald’s as it rolled out a value combo meal last month.
The new “pairings” menu from Starbucks allows customers to pay up to $6 for a tall hot or iced tea or coffee with one of the store’s snacks such as a breakfast sandwich or a butter croissant.
In an era of stubbornly high inflation, Starbucks is looking to win back the hearts, minds and wallets of disenchanted customers who according to one study are being forced to wait up to 40 minutes for coffee.
Company employees laid the blame at the feet of management, which has laid off around 29,000 in-store workers in the 12-month period beginning in October 2022.
In the last year, Starbucks has seen its stock price dip by more than 22%. The company’s newly installed chief executive officer, Laxman Narasimhan, has come under fire in the wake of the most recently quarterly earnings report.
Starbucks slashed its forecast for fiscal 2024 earnings and revenue after it reported that same-store sales fell 4% while foot traffic declined by 6% in the three-month period which ended in April.
The situation became so dire that Narasimhan’s predecessor, Howard Schultz, who is credited with building Starbucks from a boutique coffee chain in Seattle to a global colossus, posted a lengthy item on LinkedIn urging the company to revamp its US-based operations.
Ethereum’s 10th anniversary celebration was marked by an uptick in institutional demand for Ether as an alternative treasury reserve asset, prompting Wall Street to look past Bitcoin.
EcoFlow launches new TRAIL 60,000mAh and 90,000mAh power stations with bundles, free gear, and extra savings from $113
EcoFlow is launching its newest and most compact series of power stations with some significant savings, starting with the TRAIL 200 DC 60,000mAh Portable Power Station at $113.05 shipped, after using the code 25EFTRAFF at checkout for an additional 5% off, while the TRAIL 300 DC 90,000mAh Portable Power Station is at $151.05 shipped, after using the same promo code – and both are also getting a free RAPID 30W GaN Charger ($26 value) along with the purchase. These two new personal backup power solutions will go for $200 and $250 at full price, getting cut down to $119 and $159 in initial discounts, but you’ll also be shedding an extra $6 and $8 thanks to the bonus savings code – for combined $113 and $125 markdowns (including the free chargers) that set the bar for future discounts. Head below to learn more and browse all the bundle offers.
These new EcoFlow TRAIL 200 DC and 300 DC power stations are the brand’s most compact backup power solutions to date, rivaling Anker’s PowerCore Reserve/C200 DC/C300 DC stations in their portability and performance. The 200 DC model weighs in at four pounds and sports a 60,000mAh LiFePO4 battery, while the 300 DC is under six pounds, sitting higher at a 90,000mAh LiFePO4 capacity. You’ll get up to 220W and 300W output power with these units, with the 200 DC providing two 12W USB-A ports, a 140W USB-C port, and a 100W USB-C port, while the 300 DC has the same USB-A ports but two 140W USB-C ports and a 120W car outlet.
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The EcoFlow TRAIL DC power stations come with loads of protection measures against overvoltage, overloading, short circuiting, various temperature spikes or drops, overcurrent, and more. There are also built-in woven handles that make carrying them all the easier, though with their small designs, they can also easily stow away inside your bag. You can charge both via a standard wall outlet at up to 200W or 280W speeds, with the 300 DC bringing a 110W max solar input into the mix for solar charging.
***Note: The extra savings has not been factored into any of the prices below, so be sure to use the code 25EFTRAFF at checkout for an additional 5% off your order. All the following offers also come with a free RAPID 30W GaN Charger too!
EcoFlow TRAIL power station launch offers:
Score up to $3,150 in exclusive savings on Bluetti’s new Apex 300 versatile power station and bundles starting from $1,439
Bluetti is officially launching its new Apex 300 Versatile Power Station along with several bundle options at up to $2,600 off in initial early-bird discounts alongside an exclusive 10% bonus savings for our readers. Things start with the lone Apex 300 Power Station at $1,439.10 shipped, after using the exclusive code 9TO5TOYS10F at checkout for an additional 10% off your order. This new backup power unit will normally fetch $2,399 at full price once the early-bird savings ends, but you can take advantage of these first-time savings now to score a $960 markdown that sets the bar for future discounts in the future. Head below to get the rundown on this station’s capabilities and check out the many bundle offers also available.
If you want to learn more about this all-new power station’s monstrous capabilities and the many bundle offers we’re seeing during this launch, be sure to check out our original coverage of these exclusive deals here.
Head back to school on Lectric’s XP Lite 2.0 folding e-bikes with $365 in free gear from $999, more bundles up to $654 off
Lectric has launched its Back to School Sale that is offering up to $654 in free gear accompanying e-bike purchases, with a bunch of models seeing increased bundle sizes this time around – plus some select accessory savings too. One such model is the XP Lite 2.0 Long-Range e-bikes that are all coming with $365 in free gear at $999 shipped, while the XP Lite 2.0 JW Long-Range e-bike gets the same bundle at $1,099 shipped. You’d normally have to pay $1,364 and $1,464, respectively for these same packages at full price, but as you’re likely aware by now, the savings come in the form of the bundled gear rather than actual price cuts on the bikes themselves. We’ve been seeing these models getting much smaller bundles between $100 and $200 over the last few months, but now they’re increasing in size just in time for students prepping for their upcoming class commutes. Head below for more on these and the other deals during this sale.
Get 2,700 PSI power through this Greenworks Pro-grade electric pressure washer + foam cannon at $360
Amazon is bringing back the best pricing of 2025 on the Greenworks Pro 2,700 PSI Electric Pressure Washer with Foam Cannon at $359.99 shipped. This particular model with the added foam cannon bundle isn’t available directly from the brand’s website, with it normally fetching $450 at full price. In 2025 we’ve seen three previous discounts to this same repeating rate, with today’s deal following suit for a fourth-time opportunity, giving you a 20% markdown for $90 in savings at the second-best price we have tracked – $45 above the all-time low last spotted during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.
Worx’s 6.2-pound 20V PowerShare 10-inch cordless chainsaw returns to annual $100 low, more from $158
Amazon is returning the best 2025 pricing on the Worx 20V PowerShare 10-inch Cordless Chainsaw for $99.99 shipped. It’s coming down off its usual $120 price tag, and is currently going for as much directly from the brand’s website. It was priced down to $104 during Prime Day, with that rate beaten out here today as the best price we have tracked in 2025 – landing it just $11 above the all-time low that we haven’t seen in quite some time. Head below to learn more about this model and its pole saw bundle counterpart option.
The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.