It's early morning, you're late to work and your un-caffeinated self is getting grumpier by the minute as you wait in that never-ending Starbucks line. But worry not, there may be an answer to your woes soon.
Starbucks announced that its coffee-loving customers will be able to get their lattes a lot faster after they release a new mobile app nationwide in 2015. The app will let customers pre-order their drinks from their app and pick up their orders at their local Starbucks.
Starbucks customers have been asking for a pickup service for years but it was only recently that Starbucks felt it could realistically tackle the challenge. And a challenge it is. If the service isn't timed properly, the coffee could sit out too long and get cold and potentially put a customer off their brew indefinitely
The company already has an existing mobile payment app, but loyal Starbucks drinkers will receive rewards for using the enhanced app.
Starbucks revealed on Thursday that customers in Portland will be the first to use the app and service later this year, which will cut time spent standing in lines.
It appears that Starbucks is joining the competition to provide customers what they want. Just one week ago, the mobile payment technology company Square announced its release of an app that let's users pre-order coffee drinks that can be picked up in certain New York and San Francisco cafes.
The Seattle coffee giant is offering the new perks as a solution to its challenges, which include the demand for online payment options. According to the research Firm eMarketer, the mobile payment market is expected to reach $3.5 billion this year. And the popularity of services such as Seamless and Uber make it clear that users crave the ability to order something with a swipe from a smartphone.
Starbucks also announced on Thursday that its employees are getting a raise and will be able to expose their tattoos in its new, relaxed dress code policy.
Except for tattoos on the face and throat, employees can now show off their tattoos instead of covering them up with long sleeves. They can know wear black denim and colored ties and scarves, and shirts can go loosely untucked. Nose piercing and up to two earrings per ear are now also allowed.
"We want to build a company where self-expression, empowerment and inclusion are nurtured," Starbucks COO Troy Alstead said.
Starbucks choice to allow baristas to show their body art as a form of self-expression aims to ease rising concerns about the quality of retail jobs. The company has previously been criticized for paying its employees low wages and scheduling chaotic work hours.
The company will increase the starting pay for its U.S. workers in January, and all baristas and supervisors will also get a raise. The average barista is paid $9.32 an hour.
