Starbucks Runs Short on Cups, Syrup as Eased Covid-19 Revives Sales -- 2nd Update
09 Junho 2021 - 11:01PM
Dow Jones News
By Heather Haddon
Starbucks Corp. is running short in some stores on basics
including cups and coffee syrups, baristas said, as the chain
grinds back to full operations in the wake of the Covid-19
pandemic.
Cake pops, cup stoppers and mocha flavoring are among the items
that have run out in places at times, some baristas said. The
company is pausing production on several lower-sales items to focus
on higher-selling ones, one person familiar with those plans
said.
A Starbucks spokeswoman said shortages of some items are
temporary and vary by store and market. The company has temporarily
removed from its app oat milk and beverages made with the dairy
substitute until it restocks its inventory, she said.
Signs of the Covid-19 pandemic are disappearing across the U.S.
as new cases fall and states remove restrictions on businesses and
public gatherings. As the economy roars back to life, many
businesses have run short on labor and the goods they need to serve
customers eager to return to restaurants and concert halls.
Supply-chain problems have contributed to shortages of products
from wood pulp to pallets. Costs are ticking up as a result.
Ketchup packets and frying oil are among other supplies that have
fallen into scarcity in recent months.
For restaurants, some chains and cafes that do much of their
business to-go have kept dining rooms closed to avoid overwhelming
staff. Some have asked customers to adapt to not having enough
ketchup or other condiments.
Starbucks employees said they are serving drinks in different
cup sizes when the proper ones aren't available. Some customers
have grumbled when their preferred items were out of stock, some of
those employees said.
"Due to current supply shortages, some of your favorites may be
temporarily out of stock," Starbucks wrote to its app users earlier
this week. "We're sorry for the inconvenience."
Starbucks has recovered much of the U.S. sales that evaporated
earlier in the pandemic, and is now restoring limited seating to
more domestic cafes. Chief Executive Kevin Johnson said during The
Wall Street Journal's Future of Everything Festival last month that
the company wants to bring back indoor service on a limited basis
across its U.S. stores, up from roughly 60% of locations at the
time.
Hiring enough workers for cafes has been a problem in some parts
of the country, Starbucks baristas said. One Wisconsin store
recently put up a notice offering baristas $200 if they referred
someone to be hired by the chain from June until the end of
August.
Mr. Johnson said the company was in a good position regarding
staffing at U.S. stores. He added that some of the company's
distributors and suppliers have had to navigate issues in hiring
and trucking that have crimped deliveries to the chain, but were
working on adding staff. He said new plants being built by Swedish
oat-milk maker Oatly Group AB should help build up Starbucks's
supply of the beverage.
Write to Heather Haddon at heather.haddon@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 09, 2021 21:51 ET (01:51 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2021 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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