I may have mentioned this before, but I'm too lazy to search back through my ramblings and find out, so I'll just mention it again. Starbucks in Bali has a strange policy of sending people associated with a particular store off to other far flung stores, thus regularly turning over the staff at any given location. Perhaps this is their policy everywhere, but, to me, it seems counterproductive. Of course, I'm not a businessman and I don't own a huge chain of coffee cafes, but it just seems like they would want to maintain the customer-clientele dynamics in a location, especially when they are working out well. In this way, the individual baristas become more than just employees. They become familiar faces, friends. It seems to me that people would be all the more inclined to frequent an establishment in which they have formed friendships and connections that go beyond the level of simple service and transaction.
Of the delightful people I have come to know over the past couple years at the Renon Starbucks, most have now either been sent away or are about to be sent away. Dharma was sent to Nusa Dua, which is quite far away, more than an hour long drive for him, and he has therefore quit altogether. Mul was sent to the airport--again, far away and very inconvenient. Agus was sent to Kuta. Today will be Hendra's last day in Renon, and he is going to the old Discovery Mall, also in Kuta (and believe me, no one, except tourists, wants to go to Kuta). Resy is going to Seminyak (same as Kuta), and Adi will quit Starbucks altogether next month rather than be sent to the boonies.
Of course, my response is selfish on one level. It has been a pleasant group of friends in my own neighborhood, for one thing--people whom I would look forward to seeing every day. Moreover, each was generally inclined to give me either a discount coffee or a free coffee on every visit. Lol.
Aside from that, however, it seems a mistake to me to dismantle the community feeling between employees and customers at any location. And it seems very odd that Starbucks would seek to send employees far away from their homes rather than find employees that already live near a particular location.
Anyway, farewell to Hendra today--a tender-hearted, gracious young man full of laughter and good humor. I will miss his teasing and his daily smiles.
Of the delightful people I have come to know over the past couple years at the Renon Starbucks, most have now either been sent away or are about to be sent away. Dharma was sent to Nusa Dua, which is quite far away, more than an hour long drive for him, and he has therefore quit altogether. Mul was sent to the airport--again, far away and very inconvenient. Agus was sent to Kuta. Today will be Hendra's last day in Renon, and he is going to the old Discovery Mall, also in Kuta (and believe me, no one, except tourists, wants to go to Kuta). Resy is going to Seminyak (same as Kuta), and Adi will quit Starbucks altogether next month rather than be sent to the boonies.
Of course, my response is selfish on one level. It has been a pleasant group of friends in my own neighborhood, for one thing--people whom I would look forward to seeing every day. Moreover, each was generally inclined to give me either a discount coffee or a free coffee on every visit. Lol.
Aside from that, however, it seems a mistake to me to dismantle the community feeling between employees and customers at any location. And it seems very odd that Starbucks would seek to send employees far away from their homes rather than find employees that already live near a particular location.
Anyway, farewell to Hendra today--a tender-hearted, gracious young man full of laughter and good humor. I will miss his teasing and his daily smiles.
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