Starbucks Boosts Barista Pay, Tips, Bonuses

0:00Starbucks is shaking up how it pays as baristas rolling out bigger tips and bonuses to boost morale and service. Starting July 2026, customers can tip with debit or credit cards on mobile orders, not just in store or with Starbucks cards. They're also adding performance bonuses up to $1200 a year for baristas and ship supervisors at top stores paid out 300. Bucks per quarter for hitting sales, ops, and service goals. These moves could bump total pay by 5% to 8% when combined. The company is switching all US employees to weekly paychecks after hearing complaints about biweekly weights and introducing full-time coffee house, coaches to keep stores running smooth. Baristas have pushed for these changes amid tougher workloads, but unionized spots of about 5% of locations won't get bonuses right away. Those nearly 600 union stores need collective bargaining first, and talks have stalled for over a year. This fit CEO Brian Nichols back to Starbucks plan launched September 2024, focusing on

1:04better cafe vibes and faster service. They've poured over $500 million into extra staff hours, US traffic is up for the first time in two years, and more seats are coming. As Starbucks builds on this momentum, it'll be key to watch if these perks ease labor tensions and keep customers coming back strong. Local news, powered by AI. This is Durham News today. I'm Corey with The Story.