The Starbucks in this article is on the Fort Belvoir Army Base and is operated by the Army and Air Force Exchange Services.
Fort Belvoir Starbucks Charges Nine Employees Thousands for Drinks. [Mount Vernon, VA Patch] – Starbucks manager Stacy McDonald worked at the Fort Belvoir location for more than five years. As of Wednesday, she was fired after the company accused her of stealing $3.75 worth of merchandise while on the job. Eight months pregnant, she has lost her health insurance and more than 200 hours of sick time that she was planning to use for maternity leave.
Apparently there are conflicting policies involved.
AAFES’s policy states that while employees are on shift, they are authorized to have unlimited brewed coffee, tea, and fountain soda. However, Starbucks’ policy allows just one free beverage during work hours. The expectation is every barista is to sample coffee, espresso, milk and pastries to ensure quality and knowledge to provide effective information to customers.
One of the employees was being charged more than $600 for adding milk and lemonade to her “unlimited tea.” One employee owed $13,951.
At least these employees have union representation to help them fight these charges. Many baristas do not.
