Opening mid valley was a great experience. Everything kinda happened at once, so it was messy at times but thanks to my pre-opening team, we were able to open the store after 2 pre-opening days. I can still remember how good it felt to hear SW congratulating me for being able to open within 2 days. It became the new guideline for other new store opening after that – to open within 2 days! (That was when I first learned about the term market spoiler. Haha!).
We opened together with the Mid Valley Megamall and unfortunately, very few tenants did so. There were plenty of shop lots still under renovation so the mall wasn’t exactly swamped with shoppers. Just us partners! :)
As challenging as it was for business, the low period allowed me to focus on getting things right at the store. As mutually agreed, Uzir , Angie and I had many little discussions over which was the best way to do certain things. I think we might have talked things to death on a lot of matters. Haha….but it was all good, all good. I personally feel that we worked very well together. Well of course we did, Uzir and Angie was very enthusiastic at their jobs! Have you ever seen 2 Shift Supervisors fighting over who gets to complete paperwork? (Managing Productivity and Profitability to be exact!) Well I did!!!! One of them would complete it at the earliest opportunity and coyly slide it into my drawer, as though nothing happened. The other would walk in the next morning, open the drawer only to find that it has been completed. That’s when you’ll see the overjoyed face of the former screaming “Hah!! Too bad, I beat you to it!”. Believe me, all these positive energy in wanting to do their job, this, truly happened. It was a blessing to me, cos I was learning the ropes of being an Assistant Manager In-charge and they were always there, eager to help.
I started learning about P&L in depth; how all the figures are connected as well as how and where to trouble shoot when figures come out wrong. And they certainly did! EL would drop in now and then to check on my P&L progress so I dun get into trouble. But you know, no matter how much you’re taught, you still gotta experience it yourself to get the wholesome learning experience. So I had more P&L lessons from SW (read: he asked, I scrambled for answers!) and so bit by bit, I learned.
The low sales period drove us to venture ‘outside the box’ in order to get better figures for my P&L. I also needed more sales so I could schedule more partners on the floor. It wasn’t much fun for my partners when they have all these energy to pull shots and blend frappuccinos and yet I can’t give them the hours! So we did this thing……………………..and then that thing…………………….and then some more of this thing………….and we got more sales! Yay!!
Hmmmmm……….I never saw pouches get filled so much, so fast!!! ;)
And then December came, bringing with it the scare that was Y2K. I didn’t really care about it though. What got my attention was this grand new year’s party that was gonna happen at KL Plaza SW had told me we were getting involved in.
It wasn’t a big deal – only thousands of people, dozens of blenders and tons of ice. LOL!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
#005 Mid Valley
Several days after the "I'll take it as a challenge" conversation I had with SW, THE day came.
Today was my meeting with SW for the pre-opening discussion. I was very nervous because SW has been very strict and firm in all my prior dealings with him. He doesn't scold you or anything like that, but there's this air about him, this seriousness that makes you worry about making mistakes. But since i was "taking it as a challenge", i had no choice but to brace for impact. Hehe.
After a short conversation, it was back to business. SW handed me a New Store Opening booklet and boy was it thick. It had these time lines leading to the store opening day, some 16 weeks or so. SW was very thorough in explaining all tasks required of me for the opening. We went through the booklet page-by-page and I felt like there was this increasingly heavy boulder on my shoulders. There were requisitions to be made with Finance, discussions with Marketing, trips to the bank, site visits, looking out for a panel clinic, F& B orders to be made, small wares and packaging items to order,this and that, that and this, a follow up here, a follow up there, a budget P&L, people to hire and the list went on and on and on not even the energizer bunny can handle, let alone me. But i wasn't about to say that to SW, no sirreee...wouldn't want him to think that I'm not capable now do we. By the time we were done that day, i had this long list of things to do. SW told me (and i came to learn this act as Setting Expectations in the coming years) that he'd like me to give him an update from time to time and that he'd like to be made aware of any problems i was facing. I thought "Yeah, progress update shouldn't be a problem.....follow-ups are easy"
Boy was i wrong!
In the coming days and weeks, i had more and more conversations and updates with SW and i realised that progress updates aren't much fun. Especially when you find your self saying these a lot -
"Let me check and get back to you",
"Hmmm....I'm not very sure about that, can i check and get back to you?",
"Err....no, i have not managed to do that yet, but I'll do it soon",
"Yes, i have done the follow up with them.......they say they'll get back to me. When? err..they didn't say when",
"Yes, yes, I'm prepared for it, I'm just waiting for him to be free for us to do it".
"Oh I'm sorry, i didn't notice that"
Hahahahahahahhahahaa............it was tough. I guess i wasn't used to such detailed and hands-on coaching before this, so i found myself explaining why things are not done on time a lot. But i knew that the stakes were high and that i really need to make it work. So i shifted gears and started to get with the program - being more firm with datelines and follow up, having things documented whenever necessary (which was very often!), getting people's attention and support rather than waiting for it, etc... and then things started to work! I was getting more and more attention and support from people. My store opening assignment led me to dealing directly with partners at the SSC. That was when i first met people who later became friends and best buddies!
One of the first few partners SW introduced me to was Wei Wei, who in later years transformed into Mary, hehehehehe.....(but more on that later). She assists SW for anything and everything that is Ops. And she did it well too! Wei Wei helped me with all the office needs and then some. Little did i know that we were going to be really good friends!
Choi Ling and Yee Chin were the ones helping me to sort out all my needs for cash, coin change and petty cash. Oh yeah, there's also that 300 bucks worth of items to purchase like cleaning accessories and stuff. They too, in the coming years, became my good friends. And i should really apologize to Yee Chin for teasing her all these years about the name incident, hehehehehhehee.......tui pu chi Yee Chin! :)
And then there was Michelle, who became my good 'ol neighbour at the SSC in the years to come. Michelle was, and still is, at the time of writing the person in charge of SCCO (back then it was referred to as Purchasing....i think). She was the one who puts up the orders of small wares, packaging items and all the store equipments to Seattle. I worked well with Michelle, i liked the fact that she was direct, honest and very helpful!
I also came to know the partners i was going to work with - Angie and Uzir! I already knew Angie but i have yet to meet with Uzir, who works at #002 Bangsar. The word on the street was that although things are the same when i t comes to standards, the partners over at Bangsar have their own working style, their way of doing things that are different than what partners in KLP do. So i knew that we will need to discuss and agree on a lot of stuff even before we start to work together. And we did just that. The 3 of us agreed that when it comes to standards, there is only one way of doing it. But for things that are not standards, we will discuss the different ways each of us is accustomed to and decide, as a team, on the way that is most beneficial for us. This led to many discussions and I'm proud to say that we communicated well among us! Hats off to Uzir and Angie!!!
Soon, it was November and the store opening day was closing in fast! There were more and more things to do but i was very fortunate that SW and the people around me were always helpful, even my brother! I had to ask for his help to drive me around town for me to get the coin change needed for the store. My ex-5 bike can only carry so much :)
There were about 8 of us doing the pre-opening including SW, who were hands-on to a scary level. hahaha! After 2 days of cleaning, unpacking, calibrating and multi-tasking (am not sure i can put in Organizing in there), we were ready.
And in mid November 1999, #005 Mid Valley was open for business. YAY!!!!
(Bowing as i hold the award)......I'd like to thank my mom, and my family and my friends..........hahahah!!!!)
Today was my meeting with SW for the pre-opening discussion. I was very nervous because SW has been very strict and firm in all my prior dealings with him. He doesn't scold you or anything like that, but there's this air about him, this seriousness that makes you worry about making mistakes. But since i was "taking it as a challenge", i had no choice but to brace for impact. Hehe.
After a short conversation, it was back to business. SW handed me a New Store Opening booklet and boy was it thick. It had these time lines leading to the store opening day, some 16 weeks or so. SW was very thorough in explaining all tasks required of me for the opening. We went through the booklet page-by-page and I felt like there was this increasingly heavy boulder on my shoulders. There were requisitions to be made with Finance, discussions with Marketing, trips to the bank, site visits, looking out for a panel clinic, F& B orders to be made, small wares and packaging items to order,this and that, that and this, a follow up here, a follow up there, a budget P&L, people to hire and the list went on and on and on not even the energizer bunny can handle, let alone me. But i wasn't about to say that to SW, no sirreee...wouldn't want him to think that I'm not capable now do we. By the time we were done that day, i had this long list of things to do. SW told me (and i came to learn this act as Setting Expectations in the coming years) that he'd like me to give him an update from time to time and that he'd like to be made aware of any problems i was facing. I thought "Yeah, progress update shouldn't be a problem.....follow-ups are easy"
Boy was i wrong!
In the coming days and weeks, i had more and more conversations and updates with SW and i realised that progress updates aren't much fun. Especially when you find your self saying these a lot -
"Let me check and get back to you",
"Hmmm....I'm not very sure about that, can i check and get back to you?",
"Err....no, i have not managed to do that yet, but I'll do it soon",
"Yes, i have done the follow up with them.......they say they'll get back to me. When? err..they didn't say when",
"Yes, yes, I'm prepared for it, I'm just waiting for him to be free for us to do it".
"Oh I'm sorry, i didn't notice that"
Hahahahahahahhahahaa............it was tough. I guess i wasn't used to such detailed and hands-on coaching before this, so i found myself explaining why things are not done on time a lot. But i knew that the stakes were high and that i really need to make it work. So i shifted gears and started to get with the program - being more firm with datelines and follow up, having things documented whenever necessary (which was very often!), getting people's attention and support rather than waiting for it, etc... and then things started to work! I was getting more and more attention and support from people. My store opening assignment led me to dealing directly with partners at the SSC. That was when i first met people who later became friends and best buddies!
One of the first few partners SW introduced me to was Wei Wei, who in later years transformed into Mary, hehehehehe.....(but more on that later). She assists SW for anything and everything that is Ops. And she did it well too! Wei Wei helped me with all the office needs and then some. Little did i know that we were going to be really good friends!
Choi Ling and Yee Chin were the ones helping me to sort out all my needs for cash, coin change and petty cash. Oh yeah, there's also that 300 bucks worth of items to purchase like cleaning accessories and stuff. They too, in the coming years, became my good friends. And i should really apologize to Yee Chin for teasing her all these years about the name incident, hehehehehhehee.......tui pu chi Yee Chin! :)
And then there was Michelle, who became my good 'ol neighbour at the SSC in the years to come. Michelle was, and still is, at the time of writing the person in charge of SCCO (back then it was referred to as Purchasing....i think). She was the one who puts up the orders of small wares, packaging items and all the store equipments to Seattle. I worked well with Michelle, i liked the fact that she was direct, honest and very helpful!
I also came to know the partners i was going to work with - Angie and Uzir! I already knew Angie but i have yet to meet with Uzir, who works at #002 Bangsar. The word on the street was that although things are the same when i t comes to standards, the partners over at Bangsar have their own working style, their way of doing things that are different than what partners in KLP do. So i knew that we will need to discuss and agree on a lot of stuff even before we start to work together. And we did just that. The 3 of us agreed that when it comes to standards, there is only one way of doing it. But for things that are not standards, we will discuss the different ways each of us is accustomed to and decide, as a team, on the way that is most beneficial for us. This led to many discussions and I'm proud to say that we communicated well among us! Hats off to Uzir and Angie!!!
Soon, it was November and the store opening day was closing in fast! There were more and more things to do but i was very fortunate that SW and the people around me were always helpful, even my brother! I had to ask for his help to drive me around town for me to get the coin change needed for the store. My ex-5 bike can only carry so much :)
There were about 8 of us doing the pre-opening including SW, who were hands-on to a scary level. hahaha! After 2 days of cleaning, unpacking, calibrating and multi-tasking (am not sure i can put in Organizing in there), we were ready.
And in mid November 1999, #005 Mid Valley was open for business. YAY!!!!
(Bowing as i hold the award)......I'd like to thank my mom, and my family and my friends..........hahahah!!!!)
Saturday, September 6, 2008
#001 KLP
After undergoing training in the first week of September 1999, i was very anxious and eager to start working at the store. I was also glad that i wasn't gonna be the only new partner at KLP. That took the pressure off a little bit.hehehehe....
During this time, there was no KLP 2 downstairs, but there was a small outside seating right besides the staircase, complete with umbrella and all. Weekdays were busy, but the weekends are really hectic. Fortunately for me, there were plenty of great partners working on the team. A lot of them were great coaches too. Looking back, a lot of the things i apply at work now, i learnt from these great people. Some of them who i grew to know were 2t, Cheyanne, DD and Faiz. They were my SS (except for Faiz, who was a barista) and they were the ones who helped me learn all the ropes about being a sbux partner. And yes, i believe some of them also had fun looking at me, sweating-all-the-time at work. No, no.....i wasn't panicking all the time, that is just who i am.....i sweat a lot, and all the time. I move, and so i sweat. Story of my life!
The most important thing to remember though, is that they made me feel welcomed as a member of the team and they really cared about me doing my job well, something i truly appreciate.
Just for fun, here are some of the things they taught me:
1. I once cleared some tables and then put all the mugs, plates, and cutlery into the sink and went back out to the front. About a minute later, Cheyanne came asking us "Who put the mugs and plates into the sink?" I told her it was me and she brought me to the BOH and said " When you slide, you can't just put all the stuff in the sink and leave, cos if everyone does that, then we'll end up needing 1 person just to stay at the BOH to wash all the dirty dishes. So when you slide, you must rinse the dirty stuff and then put them onto this dishwasher tray. Okay?
Lesson: Clean As You Go aka CAYG. and i made sure i did that from that day onwards, thanks to Cheyanne. Hmmm....i wonder with more than a hundred stores now, is it still a practice?
2. As part of our shift handover, we are required to write in the Communication Book any new info or updates of what happened during our shift or what is going to take place later in the day/week. I wasn't consistent in this, so one day when i came to work, i realized that something happened on DD's shift and he was put on the spot, not having the info he should have gotten from me (from the Comm. Book). He was saying "How come the info was not in the comm book? This is what the comm book is for, or else we will not know what is going on in the store before and after our shift" "This will make us look bad, like we don't know our stuff" I felt bad, deservedly so.........and so i made sure of it. After that incident, the comm book (and essentially communication) became one of the things that i ensure happens sufficiently and appropriately.
Lesson: Effective Communication is key to the success of a team. And for those who think i communicate to much, call DD. Settle it with him. haha!
3. I also learnt another very,very important thing from 2t, Cheyanne, DD. Never, ever, pick up the phone without having the daily info on your hands. Info being: yesterday's sales, yesterday's TC, average check, markout amount and percentage, today's sales target, today's up-to-date sales, etc. Why you ask? because, my dear friends, you DO NOT want to have to say "Err..i'm not sure, can i check and get back to you?" to SW when he calls the store. Hahahahahaah! scary huh? To be fair, SW is not a scary person (at least to me he isn't). He is actually very professional, true believer in the Star Skills. What he is, is that he's strongly firm and he sets expectations really well and then holds you accountable to it outstandingly well. Hope i didn't just scare you there.hahahahaha. But hey, i found out that we all need that, especially if you want to create a high-performing team. Cos if you don't, you'll find a lot of things lacking and plenty others not happening at all.
Lesson: Be on top of things, if you want to succeed.
Of course, my coaches taught me a whole lot of other cool stuffs, but those are some that are really fresh in my memory. Am not sure why.
After working at KLP a while, other new partners started to come in. I heard that we were planning to open our third, fourth and fifth store, in Jaya, JBCS and Mid Valley respectively. This was when i knew May, she was part of the pre-opening team for JBCS. the team was training at #002 Bangsar though, not at KLP. As for us, we have Hizam, another AM hired for all these store openings. I was still considered new to the team, so i wasn't his coach or anything. As days go by, i enjoyed my job more and more, there's always new things to learn and i was looking forward to meet the people at work every single day. That was how good the team made me felt!
It was somewhere in October, when my store manager, EL, asked me to come and sit with him for a while, saying he had something to discuss with me. He told me that the SM hired for Mid Valley (who was in my batch) had resigned. SW had asked EL who would be a good candidate to replace him, and that EL has mentioned my name. EL said that, looking at how things have been, he felt i would be able to replace the person and opens the MV store. I said "But I'm still in training, i am not even confirmed yet. and I'm not a SM" EL said that all that is not important, what's important is that i am willing to learn as i go and that i am up for it. He felt that i had what it takes to make it happen for MV. The plan is for me to open MV as an AM, and if everything goes well, I'll get promoted to SM. I was very happy that he felt confident about my ability, but i was also very worried, not sure if i could pull it off. In overall, i was totally surprised as i did not see it coming. SW was gonna call me in a few days time to ask me about it and i need to have an answer by then. I asked 2t about what i should do. She said that it sounded like a good opportunity for me and that it would have been better if it was a promotion, instead of being the AM in charge. Financially, i thought it was a brilliant plan, cos if i do it well and get promoted to SM, I'll get more money! hehehhee......(i did take a pay cut when i joined sbux).
And so the day of the call came. SW said that i have been showing progress in my work since i joined and that i seem to fit into the sbux culture well, and so they think i would be the right person for the job. I thanked SW for the vote of confidence and said, "Yes, I'll take it as a challenge" I also said that i will be needing a lot of support and help from him, EL and everyone else. As i put down the phone, i felt a sense of relief, which was quickly overcomed by the sense of doubt. Hahaha!!!
SW was going to come to KLP to give me the pre-opening checklist and to let me know what to do for the whole pre-opening. Gulp!
During this time, there was no KLP 2 downstairs, but there was a small outside seating right besides the staircase, complete with umbrella and all. Weekdays were busy, but the weekends are really hectic. Fortunately for me, there were plenty of great partners working on the team. A lot of them were great coaches too. Looking back, a lot of the things i apply at work now, i learnt from these great people. Some of them who i grew to know were 2t, Cheyanne, DD and Faiz. They were my SS (except for Faiz, who was a barista) and they were the ones who helped me learn all the ropes about being a sbux partner. And yes, i believe some of them also had fun looking at me, sweating-all-the-time at work. No, no.....i wasn't panicking all the time, that is just who i am.....i sweat a lot, and all the time. I move, and so i sweat. Story of my life!
The most important thing to remember though, is that they made me feel welcomed as a member of the team and they really cared about me doing my job well, something i truly appreciate.
Just for fun, here are some of the things they taught me:
1. I once cleared some tables and then put all the mugs, plates, and cutlery into the sink and went back out to the front. About a minute later, Cheyanne came asking us "Who put the mugs and plates into the sink?" I told her it was me and she brought me to the BOH and said " When you slide, you can't just put all the stuff in the sink and leave, cos if everyone does that, then we'll end up needing 1 person just to stay at the BOH to wash all the dirty dishes. So when you slide, you must rinse the dirty stuff and then put them onto this dishwasher tray. Okay?
Lesson: Clean As You Go aka CAYG. and i made sure i did that from that day onwards, thanks to Cheyanne. Hmmm....i wonder with more than a hundred stores now, is it still a practice?
2. As part of our shift handover, we are required to write in the Communication Book any new info or updates of what happened during our shift or what is going to take place later in the day/week. I wasn't consistent in this, so one day when i came to work, i realized that something happened on DD's shift and he was put on the spot, not having the info he should have gotten from me (from the Comm. Book). He was saying "How come the info was not in the comm book? This is what the comm book is for, or else we will not know what is going on in the store before and after our shift" "This will make us look bad, like we don't know our stuff" I felt bad, deservedly so.........and so i made sure of it. After that incident, the comm book (and essentially communication) became one of the things that i ensure happens sufficiently and appropriately.
Lesson: Effective Communication is key to the success of a team. And for those who think i communicate to much, call DD. Settle it with him. haha!
3. I also learnt another very,very important thing from 2t, Cheyanne, DD. Never, ever, pick up the phone without having the daily info on your hands. Info being: yesterday's sales, yesterday's TC, average check, markout amount and percentage, today's sales target, today's up-to-date sales, etc. Why you ask? because, my dear friends, you DO NOT want to have to say "Err..i'm not sure, can i check and get back to you?" to SW when he calls the store. Hahahahahaah! scary huh? To be fair, SW is not a scary person (at least to me he isn't). He is actually very professional, true believer in the Star Skills. What he is, is that he's strongly firm and he sets expectations really well and then holds you accountable to it outstandingly well. Hope i didn't just scare you there.hahahahaha. But hey, i found out that we all need that, especially if you want to create a high-performing team. Cos if you don't, you'll find a lot of things lacking and plenty others not happening at all.
Lesson: Be on top of things, if you want to succeed.
Of course, my coaches taught me a whole lot of other cool stuffs, but those are some that are really fresh in my memory. Am not sure why.
After working at KLP a while, other new partners started to come in. I heard that we were planning to open our third, fourth and fifth store, in Jaya, JBCS and Mid Valley respectively. This was when i knew May, she was part of the pre-opening team for JBCS. the team was training at #002 Bangsar though, not at KLP. As for us, we have Hizam, another AM hired for all these store openings. I was still considered new to the team, so i wasn't his coach or anything. As days go by, i enjoyed my job more and more, there's always new things to learn and i was looking forward to meet the people at work every single day. That was how good the team made me felt!
It was somewhere in October, when my store manager, EL, asked me to come and sit with him for a while, saying he had something to discuss with me. He told me that the SM hired for Mid Valley (who was in my batch) had resigned. SW had asked EL who would be a good candidate to replace him, and that EL has mentioned my name. EL said that, looking at how things have been, he felt i would be able to replace the person and opens the MV store. I said "But I'm still in training, i am not even confirmed yet. and I'm not a SM" EL said that all that is not important, what's important is that i am willing to learn as i go and that i am up for it. He felt that i had what it takes to make it happen for MV. The plan is for me to open MV as an AM, and if everything goes well, I'll get promoted to SM. I was very happy that he felt confident about my ability, but i was also very worried, not sure if i could pull it off. In overall, i was totally surprised as i did not see it coming. SW was gonna call me in a few days time to ask me about it and i need to have an answer by then. I asked 2t about what i should do. She said that it sounded like a good opportunity for me and that it would have been better if it was a promotion, instead of being the AM in charge. Financially, i thought it was a brilliant plan, cos if i do it well and get promoted to SM, I'll get more money! hehehhee......(i did take a pay cut when i joined sbux).
And so the day of the call came. SW said that i have been showing progress in my work since i joined and that i seem to fit into the sbux culture well, and so they think i would be the right person for the job. I thanked SW for the vote of confidence and said, "Yes, I'll take it as a challenge" I also said that i will be needing a lot of support and help from him, EL and everyone else. As i put down the phone, i felt a sense of relief, which was quickly overcomed by the sense of doubt. Hahaha!!!
SW was going to come to KLP to give me the pre-opening checklist and to let me know what to do for the whole pre-opening. Gulp!
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Barista Training
September 1st 1999 was my first day as a Starbucks partner.
I was slated to attend some classroom training at the Starbucks Support Centre or SSC. Isn’t that cool? It’s not their head office, it’s their Support Centre. I think that is so cool! The title, to me, doesn’t just mean it’s called differently, but it also describe the function of the departments oh so clearly; that they were there to support the partners out in the field. I mean the stores. So, to me, that says a lot.
By this time, I have shifted from Shah Alam to Ampang, thanks to a buddy of mine who had a spare room in his place. My mode of transportation was BEV7558, my loyal Honda EX5 motorbike. Very, very, practical – I could pretty much reach any destination within kl in 15-20 minutes. Yup, it’s totally possible! It’s also very generous - it dished out gifts without you asking for them, no special occasion required. I’ve gotten the wire-in-my-eye gift and of course, who can forget the infamous curry puff-eating-amnesia-causing event of the year 2000? Errr…actually, I kinda did. Hahahahaha! But let’s save that for another day.
Since I wasn’t very familiar with KL at that time, my housemate, Sigh 8, said he would drive me over to Plaza Berjaya for my first few days of work. I sorta knew that the Bukit Bintang – Imbi area is kinda hectic with traffic, so I was a little worried about getting there on time. I kept asking what time we should leave the house to get there by 9am. Sigh 8 was much more relaxed about it though, so I thought it shouldn’t be a problem. He’s doing me a favor after all. So I just went with the flow. When the morning came, we left the house and got stuck in traffic, starting right in Ampang itself. Naturally, I started to get really tensed, but I didn’t wanna overreact, cos beggars can’t be choosers, so I kept saying, it’s okay….it’s okay……….we still have time……….i think it should be okay……..it should be alright…
IT WASN’T OKAY. I was late. I reached the training centre at about 9:15am – 15 minutes late, ON MY FIRST DAY OF WORK!! I apologized to the Training Manager, TBL and shamely, took my seat. There were about 7 other trainees in that room. And they were on time. I promised myself there and then that I will not be late for class again. Ever.
The training session had a lot of sharing and activities. We were sharing things like “My favorite place to shop” and “My favorite place to eat”. Angie’s favorite place was SS2 because there’s plenty of food to choose from and the prices were reasonable. I had no idea where this SS2 was of course. My favorite shopping place was Carrefour , which was also my workplace. hahaha! I then learned that Angie and I will be working at Starbucks KL Plaza.
We were also taught on how to steam milk and make beverages. There was this scary/funny moment when one of the trainees did something wrong while steaming milk and got sprayed with milk all over the face and body! That got me panicked a bit, but nonetheless, it was funny to see. Hahahahahah! Oh come on! You’d be laughing too! Oh, in case you’re wondering, it wasn’t Angie, she did well. Don’t assume. Hehehe…
At the end of the last day of training, we were told this by TBL “Everything you’ve heard and everything we’ve talked about in this training, is the ideal way. It’s how it should be, in an ideal environment. Now, outside this training room, at the stores, that’s the reality. So don’t panic if you see something that is different than what you see here, and don’t expect everything to be perfect” That got me thinking a bit.
And then I said to myself “You better not be late on your first day of work at the store!”
I was slated to attend some classroom training at the Starbucks Support Centre or SSC. Isn’t that cool? It’s not their head office, it’s their Support Centre. I think that is so cool! The title, to me, doesn’t just mean it’s called differently, but it also describe the function of the departments oh so clearly; that they were there to support the partners out in the field. I mean the stores. So, to me, that says a lot.
By this time, I have shifted from Shah Alam to Ampang, thanks to a buddy of mine who had a spare room in his place. My mode of transportation was BEV7558, my loyal Honda EX5 motorbike. Very, very, practical – I could pretty much reach any destination within kl in 15-20 minutes. Yup, it’s totally possible! It’s also very generous - it dished out gifts without you asking for them, no special occasion required. I’ve gotten the wire-in-my-eye gift and of course, who can forget the infamous curry puff-eating-amnesia-causing event of the year 2000? Errr…actually, I kinda did. Hahahahaha! But let’s save that for another day.
Since I wasn’t very familiar with KL at that time, my housemate, Sigh 8, said he would drive me over to Plaza Berjaya for my first few days of work. I sorta knew that the Bukit Bintang – Imbi area is kinda hectic with traffic, so I was a little worried about getting there on time. I kept asking what time we should leave the house to get there by 9am. Sigh 8 was much more relaxed about it though, so I thought it shouldn’t be a problem. He’s doing me a favor after all. So I just went with the flow. When the morning came, we left the house and got stuck in traffic, starting right in Ampang itself. Naturally, I started to get really tensed, but I didn’t wanna overreact, cos beggars can’t be choosers, so I kept saying, it’s okay….it’s okay……….we still have time……….i think it should be okay……..it should be alright…
IT WASN’T OKAY. I was late. I reached the training centre at about 9:15am – 15 minutes late, ON MY FIRST DAY OF WORK!! I apologized to the Training Manager, TBL and shamely, took my seat. There were about 7 other trainees in that room. And they were on time. I promised myself there and then that I will not be late for class again. Ever.
The training session had a lot of sharing and activities. We were sharing things like “My favorite place to shop” and “My favorite place to eat”. Angie’s favorite place was SS2 because there’s plenty of food to choose from and the prices were reasonable. I had no idea where this SS2 was of course. My favorite shopping place was Carrefour , which was also my workplace. hahaha! I then learned that Angie and I will be working at Starbucks KL Plaza.
We were also taught on how to steam milk and make beverages. There was this scary/funny moment when one of the trainees did something wrong while steaming milk and got sprayed with milk all over the face and body! That got me panicked a bit, but nonetheless, it was funny to see. Hahahahahah! Oh come on! You’d be laughing too! Oh, in case you’re wondering, it wasn’t Angie, she did well. Don’t assume. Hehehe…
At the end of the last day of training, we were told this by TBL “Everything you’ve heard and everything we’ve talked about in this training, is the ideal way. It’s how it should be, in an ideal environment. Now, outside this training room, at the stores, that’s the reality. So don’t panic if you see something that is different than what you see here, and don’t expect everything to be perfect” That got me thinking a bit.
And then I said to myself “You better not be late on your first day of work at the store!”
Monday, July 28, 2008
Siren's Call
It was August 1999.
I was unemployed after having resigned from a direct selling job which i did for 3 months (which was pretty life-changing, but more on that later..) and was then looking for a job.
And Z, a very good friend of mine, handed me a newspaper job advertisement and said "Here, i got this from C Ja. She wanted me to pass it to you, she said you might be interested". When i looked at the job ad, i saw this sexy woman-like logo with a sign that said "Starbucks Coffee" and "Now Brewing" and i went "Oh, F&B.....interesting". I have not heard of Starbucks before that day.
Having been a demi-chef for a year and a Dept. Head in retail for 2 years, i wanted to look for a managerial position in this Starbucks Coffee Company. So i started reading and spotted the following positions: Store Manager, Assistant Manager, Shift Supervisors and Baristas. As i compared my working experience to those required in the ad for each position, i found that i kinda fit into the AM position and that sounded pretty good to me. Cos you know, it has the word manager in it. That must mean the salary's not bad. Hehehe....
The job ad said that Starbucks was holding an open house at their office located on the first floor of Plaza Berjaya, Jalan Imbi. So i went. The receptionist handed me an application form to fill up. There were only a few people there at that time so i was able to keep my nervousness in check. Until i spotted M Over, who is my college mate, who was also there to apply for a job. I thought "Damn! Competition!" So then i got very nervous. I kept hoping that there were looking for more than 1 person for the AM position.
I've only been waiting a while when they called me in for the interview. It was on one of the upper floors. My first interviewer was Jenny and she was friendly. I can't recall what answers i gave Jenny during that interview, but this is what she said at the end of it "We are conducting second interviews for candidates who are succesful in their first interview today. So, i would like you to follow me back to the first floor for your next interview". I thanked her and i smiled. I was happy that i have gotten passed the first stage of interview but i was still nervous. You see, all my previous positions had only one interview level, so it was something new to me.
Back on the first floor, Jenny led me into the far end of the office space where someone was already waiting for me. My second interviewer was SW. He was also friendly. It was quite interesting that the interview had sections where there were non-job related questions involved. SW said he noticed that in my application, i stated that i like bowling. He said that he likes bowling too and he asked what my average scores were. I think i mentioned somewhere in the region of 160 (which was only achievable on my best days.hehehe).I think that small talk about bowling kinda break the ice a bit.
After several exchange of questions and answers, SW mentioned that the next step for a successful candidate was attending the On Job Experience (OJE) at a Starbucks outlet. I was waiting for him to say "You're invited to attend the OJE", but instead, he said this - "How do you feel about the position of a Shift Supervisor?" and it was like hitting the wall. This was what i was saying inside "NOOOOO!!!!! i want the AM job! not the supervisor!!! oh no! why is he offering me this supervisor position?? what am i gonna do??" and then i had an idea (and thank god for that!). I said "Well, i would really appreciate it if the company could give me the opportunity to attend the OJE, so i could show my ability. If, after the OJE, the company feels that i'm more suitable for the position of Shift Supervisor, i'll understand. But I hope i can get the opportunity to do the OJE first. The reply given to me was "OK" and i could not tell whether it was a good OK or a bad OK. At the end of it, i was told that if i were successful at the second interview, someone would get in touch. And so i waited.
After a few days, Jenny called and told me that i have been shortlisted for the OJE. I am to report to the SM of Starbucks KL Plaza on the coming Saturday at 10am. I was so happy!
Came Saturday, there i was, all eager and anxious! One of the first thing the SM did was to offer my a drink. I looked up at the menu, browsed it a bit, and decided that i was gonna have the one called Espresso. Why? cos it sounded cool! hahahahahah!! Can said to me (and i found out later that this was intended as a soft caution!) "Oh, you need a wake up call?" I replied "hmm...not really" So they made me my tiny little cup of Espresso. When they put it on the table i thought "wow, look at that small little cup - this looks interesting!" and so as i was listening to Can, i took a sip and suddenly realised what a WAKE UP CALL was!!!! I couldn't even swallow the first sip!!! Embarassed as i was, i tried to keep cool (though i was pretty sure someone somewhere in that store was gigling!) So i did what a rational person would do.......add more sugar! surely, that's all it needed, more sugar. Wrong! hahahaha!!! so i left it as it is cos "i was already full". more like full of it. hahahahahaha!!!!!!
After the brief welcome note, me and the other 2 OJE candidates were brought around the store where we were introduced to the staffs working that day. This was when i first met 2t (whom i fondly refer to as Mother Nature these days...heheheh).
Throughout that OJE, I focused on the thought of showing my capability so i could get the AM position and not offered the Shift Supervisor position. I remember gathering enough courage to ask one of the barista if i could help with packing the beans into the orange and brown colored bag, which i then learned was called the tin-tie bag. I felt good about volunteering, cos it shows that you're a pro-active person and not the shy type. I mean, Can mentioned earlier that i should feel free to get involved in the operations and to help wherever i can, so i know that i better make sure i do just that. And i remember making rounds around the seating area inside and outside constantly so i could help to clear tables. I was sweating like crazy!!!! but then that's just me. I sweat all the time. I do. Seriously, i do. Ask anyone.
By noon, the store started to get packed and customers started to form a queue to make their orders. It was really busy! And i sweat even more! Haha!
I felt pretty good at the end of the OJE. I felt that i have shown Starbucks my best capability and that the only thing to do now is just wait. and pray that i get the job.
The call came in a few days after the OJE and Jenny delivered more good news when she told me that i was shortlisted for a final interview with SW at the office. That call certainly made my day!
Though i was still nervous, i was feeling better during the final interview, perhaps it's because it was more like a discussion and a sharing session for me. Although SW mentioned that he has gotten good comments from the staffs regarding my OJE, he did not mentioned anything about the the AM or the SS position. So there was still a big question whether i've done enough for Starbucks to hire me. I was told the same thing at the end of the interview. "If you're successful, someone will get in touch with you". And so i waited to hear from Jenny again.
Jenny called a few days later. She said that she had a really good news for me - I was successful in my application and Starbucks would like to offer me a job. I asked "May i know for what position?" She replied "Assistant Manager". Woohoooo!!!!! She said AM!!! not SS!!!!!I almost jumped off the balcony!
I was told to start work on September 1st 1999 which will be my first day of training.
Little did i know that it was just the beginning of an extremely satisfying part of my life!
I was unemployed after having resigned from a direct selling job which i did for 3 months (which was pretty life-changing, but more on that later..) and was then looking for a job.
And Z, a very good friend of mine, handed me a newspaper job advertisement and said "Here, i got this from C Ja. She wanted me to pass it to you, she said you might be interested". When i looked at the job ad, i saw this sexy woman-like logo with a sign that said "Starbucks Coffee" and "Now Brewing" and i went "Oh, F&B.....interesting". I have not heard of Starbucks before that day.
Having been a demi-chef for a year and a Dept. Head in retail for 2 years, i wanted to look for a managerial position in this Starbucks Coffee Company. So i started reading and spotted the following positions: Store Manager, Assistant Manager, Shift Supervisors and Baristas. As i compared my working experience to those required in the ad for each position, i found that i kinda fit into the AM position and that sounded pretty good to me. Cos you know, it has the word manager in it. That must mean the salary's not bad. Hehehe....
The job ad said that Starbucks was holding an open house at their office located on the first floor of Plaza Berjaya, Jalan Imbi. So i went. The receptionist handed me an application form to fill up. There were only a few people there at that time so i was able to keep my nervousness in check. Until i spotted M Over, who is my college mate, who was also there to apply for a job. I thought "Damn! Competition!" So then i got very nervous. I kept hoping that there were looking for more than 1 person for the AM position.
I've only been waiting a while when they called me in for the interview. It was on one of the upper floors. My first interviewer was Jenny and she was friendly. I can't recall what answers i gave Jenny during that interview, but this is what she said at the end of it "We are conducting second interviews for candidates who are succesful in their first interview today. So, i would like you to follow me back to the first floor for your next interview". I thanked her and i smiled. I was happy that i have gotten passed the first stage of interview but i was still nervous. You see, all my previous positions had only one interview level, so it was something new to me.
Back on the first floor, Jenny led me into the far end of the office space where someone was already waiting for me. My second interviewer was SW. He was also friendly. It was quite interesting that the interview had sections where there were non-job related questions involved. SW said he noticed that in my application, i stated that i like bowling. He said that he likes bowling too and he asked what my average scores were. I think i mentioned somewhere in the region of 160 (which was only achievable on my best days.hehehe).I think that small talk about bowling kinda break the ice a bit.
After several exchange of questions and answers, SW mentioned that the next step for a successful candidate was attending the On Job Experience (OJE) at a Starbucks outlet. I was waiting for him to say "You're invited to attend the OJE", but instead, he said this - "How do you feel about the position of a Shift Supervisor?" and it was like hitting the wall. This was what i was saying inside "NOOOOO!!!!! i want the AM job! not the supervisor!!! oh no! why is he offering me this supervisor position?? what am i gonna do??" and then i had an idea (and thank god for that!). I said "Well, i would really appreciate it if the company could give me the opportunity to attend the OJE, so i could show my ability. If, after the OJE, the company feels that i'm more suitable for the position of Shift Supervisor, i'll understand. But I hope i can get the opportunity to do the OJE first. The reply given to me was "OK" and i could not tell whether it was a good OK or a bad OK. At the end of it, i was told that if i were successful at the second interview, someone would get in touch. And so i waited.
After a few days, Jenny called and told me that i have been shortlisted for the OJE. I am to report to the SM of Starbucks KL Plaza on the coming Saturday at 10am. I was so happy!
Came Saturday, there i was, all eager and anxious! One of the first thing the SM did was to offer my a drink. I looked up at the menu, browsed it a bit, and decided that i was gonna have the one called Espresso. Why? cos it sounded cool! hahahahahah!! Can said to me (and i found out later that this was intended as a soft caution!) "Oh, you need a wake up call?" I replied "hmm...not really" So they made me my tiny little cup of Espresso. When they put it on the table i thought "wow, look at that small little cup - this looks interesting!" and so as i was listening to Can, i took a sip and suddenly realised what a WAKE UP CALL was!!!! I couldn't even swallow the first sip!!! Embarassed as i was, i tried to keep cool (though i was pretty sure someone somewhere in that store was gigling!) So i did what a rational person would do.......add more sugar! surely, that's all it needed, more sugar. Wrong! hahahaha!!! so i left it as it is cos "i was already full". more like full of it. hahahahahaha!!!!!!
After the brief welcome note, me and the other 2 OJE candidates were brought around the store where we were introduced to the staffs working that day. This was when i first met 2t (whom i fondly refer to as Mother Nature these days...heheheh).
Throughout that OJE, I focused on the thought of showing my capability so i could get the AM position and not offered the Shift Supervisor position. I remember gathering enough courage to ask one of the barista if i could help with packing the beans into the orange and brown colored bag, which i then learned was called the tin-tie bag. I felt good about volunteering, cos it shows that you're a pro-active person and not the shy type. I mean, Can mentioned earlier that i should feel free to get involved in the operations and to help wherever i can, so i know that i better make sure i do just that. And i remember making rounds around the seating area inside and outside constantly so i could help to clear tables. I was sweating like crazy!!!! but then that's just me. I sweat all the time. I do. Seriously, i do. Ask anyone.
By noon, the store started to get packed and customers started to form a queue to make their orders. It was really busy! And i sweat even more! Haha!
I felt pretty good at the end of the OJE. I felt that i have shown Starbucks my best capability and that the only thing to do now is just wait. and pray that i get the job.
The call came in a few days after the OJE and Jenny delivered more good news when she told me that i was shortlisted for a final interview with SW at the office. That call certainly made my day!
Though i was still nervous, i was feeling better during the final interview, perhaps it's because it was more like a discussion and a sharing session for me. Although SW mentioned that he has gotten good comments from the staffs regarding my OJE, he did not mentioned anything about the the AM or the SS position. So there was still a big question whether i've done enough for Starbucks to hire me. I was told the same thing at the end of the interview. "If you're successful, someone will get in touch with you". And so i waited to hear from Jenny again.
Jenny called a few days later. She said that she had a really good news for me - I was successful in my application and Starbucks would like to offer me a job. I asked "May i know for what position?" She replied "Assistant Manager". Woohoooo!!!!! She said AM!!! not SS!!!!!I almost jumped off the balcony!
I was told to start work on September 1st 1999 which will be my first day of training.
Little did i know that it was just the beginning of an extremely satisfying part of my life!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Reminiscing
It was the weekend. I had just dropped a friend off at his place and was on my way home, driving through maluri area. I was waiting for the traffic light to turn green when i spotted a different kind of green. The all-familiar green sign. The sign which i've grown to love over recent years of my life. The first thought that came to mind was this - "hmmm.....they must be wanting to increase the awareness of the outlet in the area to have left the signage on after closing".
And then i smiled. I smiled because the sight of a switched-on Starbucks logo at the PGRM store, 1 year after i ceased being a starbucks partner, had prompted operations-driven thought and comment in my head. But it didn't stop there. By the time the traffic light turned green, i was already immersed in my thoughts of my Starbucks years. As i drove forward towards ampang that night, i felt a little poignant. I've missed some of the good times i've had with the people i used to work with, many of whom i've developed great friendships with.
But you see, i have been having a lot of these reminiscing moments. In most instances, i feel that it's a norm for one to think of the past, for it has definitely played a role in shaping one's future, but at other times, i question whether it's a sign of my inability to let go of the past. I am saying this because i have this tendency to keep pondering about all sorts of what-if scenarios.
And it's a weird feeling..................because i really like where i am now. I feel that i have made the right decision in moving on.................and yet i have all these thoughts and moments and happenings all around me that ever so often pulls me back to that same spot. The what-if spot.
And so it came to me. A possible solution. I said to myself "I should write this down. All of it. All these memories, experiences, i should just pen it down. Then, maybe then, it'll be resolved........Yes! re-live the moments one more time before i call the final curtain.
Maybe then..........will i find closure. If that is indeed what it's all about.
That green sign revelation took place more than a month ago and to be honest, i've been feeling optimistic ever since. I've told a few people about my writing plan. One of them said that i've always seemed to still love Starbucks anyway and another friend of mine said that i am a FREAK. Now what would you do without your friends? Hahahahaa....
So here i am............writing this down. All 7 and a half years of it. There's gonna be a lot to recall......but that is the plan.
This is gonna be so much fun!
Yay!
And then i smiled. I smiled because the sight of a switched-on Starbucks logo at the PGRM store, 1 year after i ceased being a starbucks partner, had prompted operations-driven thought and comment in my head. But it didn't stop there. By the time the traffic light turned green, i was already immersed in my thoughts of my Starbucks years. As i drove forward towards ampang that night, i felt a little poignant. I've missed some of the good times i've had with the people i used to work with, many of whom i've developed great friendships with.
But you see, i have been having a lot of these reminiscing moments. In most instances, i feel that it's a norm for one to think of the past, for it has definitely played a role in shaping one's future, but at other times, i question whether it's a sign of my inability to let go of the past. I am saying this because i have this tendency to keep pondering about all sorts of what-if scenarios.
And it's a weird feeling..................because i really like where i am now. I feel that i have made the right decision in moving on.................and yet i have all these thoughts and moments and happenings all around me that ever so often pulls me back to that same spot. The what-if spot.
And so it came to me. A possible solution. I said to myself "I should write this down. All of it. All these memories, experiences, i should just pen it down. Then, maybe then, it'll be resolved........Yes! re-live the moments one more time before i call the final curtain.
Maybe then..........will i find closure. If that is indeed what it's all about.
That green sign revelation took place more than a month ago and to be honest, i've been feeling optimistic ever since. I've told a few people about my writing plan. One of them said that i've always seemed to still love Starbucks anyway and another friend of mine said that i am a FREAK. Now what would you do without your friends? Hahahahaa....
So here i am............writing this down. All 7 and a half years of it. There's gonna be a lot to recall......but that is the plan.
This is gonna be so much fun!
Yay!
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