Recently Starbucks launched their new customer engagement site MyStarbucksIdea.com to find a way to reinvigorate their brand. Whether you have a suggestion for products or experience they want to hear about it. And in much the same way that Dell did on their site you can comment and vote on the ideas. For me my suggestion isn’t about new products its about service.

Back in February, Starbucks in the US closed all their stores for three hours one day to do barista re-training. When I first heard this I thought it was amazing. Just what they needed. The sad part is that training didn’t spill across the border into Canada. Lately I have found the quality of the beverages has been lacking, specifically not getting exactly what I asked for. And to be fair, its not all baristas. There are two stores I visit regularly in Vancouver – Burrard @ 3rd and Oak @ 23rd and both of them have an employee that should be held up as a shining example.

Recently I saw this sign on one of the espresso machines that has given me hope. I’m not going to be shy about saying this isn’t right. It feels like they are starting to make the right moves to recapture some of the customers they have lost. At $4.25 for a Grande Skinny Mocha Latte, I think I should get what I want.