A Customer Just Paid for Your Retention Strategy

Victoria Purser
Jun 20
2 min read

By Victoria Purser, Founder & CEO, ConquerHR® and Co-founder, HRLearns™ | @therealvpofhr

When Starbucks franchisee lets the public fund "employee benefits and retention," HR better be the one writing the receipt.

HERE'S THE RECEIPT—LITERALLY

The Starbucks Franchisee Customer Receipt

A Starbucks customer walks into JFK, grabs a latte, and walks out with a $0.92 charge for "Employee Benefits & Retention."

No, this isn’t satire. It’s what was printed right there on the receipt.

And just like that, HR became a customer conversation. And not in a good way.

SOMEONE JUST INVOICED HR'S RESPONSIBILITY

The surcharge wasn’t imposed by Starbucks corporate, but by a third-party vendor running the location. That nuance doesn’t matter to the customer. They see the brand. They see the fee. And they see right through the lack of transparency.

"When people have to pay extra just to believe you value your employees, you’ve lost the plot."

This wasn’t a rogue pricing decision. It was a reputational hit disguised as a receipt.

And HR got caught in the crossfire.

THE $0.92 AUDIT

Do the math:

1,000+ transactions/day at JFK Terminal 5
$0.92 x 1,000 = $920/day
That’s over $330,000/year allegedly going to "employee retention."

Cool. Show us the impact report.

Did it cover healthcare? Mental health? Tuition? No one knows.

That’s the problem.

STOP CAREWASHING YOUR EMPLOYEES

HR has a new epidemic: Carewashing.

That’s when your company signals how much it "cares" about employees without putting real structure, budget, or accountability behind it.

It’s performative. It’s hollow. And worse? It makes your best people leave.

If a receipt has to convince people you value your team, HR's credibility is already in arrears.

"You don’t tip or fee retention. You build it."

REAL HR MOVES THIS REQUIRES

If your HR team is still waiting for permission to lead, print this blog and tape it to the breakroom fridge. Then do this:

Audit every third-party surcharge or "benefits" claim tied to your brand
Verify whether those funds are actually reaching employees
Set a policy: You use our logo, you meet our care standards
Make retention a strategy, not a donation bucket

THE CONQUERHR TAKE:

This isn't about Starbucks. It's about every HR leader watching credibility erode one invisible policy at a time.

If HR doesn’t control the narrative, someone else will—and they’ll turn your culture into a checkout line item.

Want to stop being surprised by receipts like this? Come to the next HRLearns™ Workshop.

HOW TO MANAGE GEN Z: Train, Coach, and Lead with Confidence in Today’s Workforce

Led by HR strategist and leadership coach Brenda Neckvatal

🗓️ July 17, 2025 , 1 - 2:30 PM ET | 12 - 1:30 CT | 11 - 12:30 MT | 10 - 11:30 PT

🔗 Register HERE

We won’t give you buzzwords. We’ll give you real tools.

Because we don’t outsource retention. We own it.

Victoria

@therealvpofhr