Starbucks

ordered a venti, and i haven’t even taken a sip, and you can see in the picture how little of the drink they actually gave me (just barely above that third line!). i’ve been going to this location since it opened and it’s been a steady decline in quality. the staff are always friendly and trying their best to deal with the crowds; i don’t blame them. unfortunately this means the orders are often wrong (like mine in the pic was supposed to have no whip cream) and the wait time is long. the location is near the public schools and a major highway and constantly gets swamped so either order ahead (if they have it turned on), or be prepared to wait. avoid the afternoons during the school year when the high school lets out or you’ll be there for more than 30 minutes, especially in the spring and early summer.

I’ve started going to the Acton Starbucks location more often as the surrounding stores have been closing earlier. I find the store to be the most efficient and with the best tasting drinks. My only gripe is the parking lot which is very small, the mass of teenagers there anytime from 1 to 3 PM and the whole intersection. But that’s not really a Starbucks problem. I also want to recognize that the majority of the employees are teenagers. Today, A family came into the store and one of their teenage daughters was not wearing a mask. The head barista first asked the girl if she had a mask and the girl said no. The barista said that masks were required and gave the teenager a mask. This teenager became rude and disrespectful when the barista continued to tell her that she needed to wear the mask not hold the mask and even offered to show her how to put the mask on properly (it’s 2022, this kid knows how to wear a mask). After four times, the teenage girl stomped out of the store. I really appreciate Starbucks and this particular barista‘s effort to keep everyone safe in these ambiguous times. And shame on that teenager’s mother who just let her daughter treat an employee like that.

Unfortunately this place has just declined and gotten worse and worse. Drinks are rarely prepared according to the actual recipe and there is no consistency. And when you ask them to make the actual $6 drink you ordered you get rolled eyes and a “gee don’t be such a Karen,” stare. Today they tried to tell a young woman “oh I guess we can add the berries that are supposed to be in the drink but do you really need them??” WTAF.