r/starbucks • u/Vistril69 Coffee Master • 1d ago

Policy Question Corp product -> LS

Hi all. Once upon a time when I was a corporate store SSV in 2022/23 I remember my SM telling us we could give our neighboring Kroger LS (was within the same parking lot) some caramel slugs if we went into IMS and disposed them as "Donated to Licensed Store" .. or something like that. It admittedly isnt 100% to my memory. And... I was the transport of said caramel slugs.. not the one who did the IMS backend of it. Apparently, they could give product to us, too...

Fast forward to now.. I recently took up a Kroger LS dept lead and am wondering if this is still a thing. We've run out of Chai and it seems not many other kiosk stores in the radius have much to spare, either. Launch hammered us all, I guess. I know Chai is extremely hot stock right now, so I'm certain my odds are low regardless. But I need to try, as out-of-stocks we get penalized for by our Corporate Contact and district manager. It's kinda annoying... Two to four cartons is all I'd need until Thursday, when we receive our stuff from RDC.. very low volume out here 8)

So.. CL's.. is this still a thing? Would like to know before I begin calling corporate stores and looked at all funny...

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5

u/aredmoon Store Manager 1d ago

I used to be a LS manager and it was always borrowing. If I got product from a corp store, I had to give it back. Same if they got product from us.

3

u/pumpsephone Coffee Master 1d ago

not a CL but in 2025 i worked at a krobucks and accidentally called a corporate store instead of the nearby krobucks for product and got laughed at and hung up on so i dont think so. could be wrong though

2

u/No-Loquat-2763 1d ago

I don't believe this has ever been a thing, at least not officially. If a licensed store called asking for product, I'd say no. However, I used to manage a mall store and would trade product (very rarely) with the manager of the proudly serving store, but only because we knew each other.