Forced Joy Is Super Cringe
Starbucks baristas are having lots of fun writing on cups, just not the way CEO Brian Niccol intended.
The vibes are not alright.
Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America, Illustration: Jessica Karl
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If you’ve gotten Starbucks in the past few weeks, perhaps you’ve noticed that your drink now comes with a hand-written note. Last month, CEO Brian Niccol essentially told baristas they need to write nice little messages on every customer’s cup or else. But the mandated engagement, which he claimed would help foster “moments of connection,” isn’t going according to plan. Instead of the words of affirmation Niccol was envisioning — “you’re amazing!” and “seize the day!” — baristas have taken to writing entire novels on customers’ cups: