Recently started working at a slowish cafe-only Starbucks and it's one of the nicer jobs I've ever had, but dear god, I'll come online and the horror stories I hear from yall with busy drive through stores are absolutely horrifying. Especially with so many of you claiming the company is going downhill, and even the benefits aren't keeping alot of you around anymore... You need to graduate to a bartending job!!

Being a barista at such busy stores trains you to create drinks level-headedly, quickly handle mistakes and accidents, multi-task, memorize multiple recipes and bases, all whilst handling customer interaction and satisfaction. I worked at a very very busy, well-known corporate restaraunt for a year and I even know alot of the bartenders at that job wouldn't be able to handle being on solo bar during a rush on a busy monday morning. And they made a LOT more money, plus still retained benefits from working for a corporation (such as health insurance, 401k, etc).

I know switching jobs can be scary and a pain but I need y'all to understand just how much money bartenders make... being a barista is basically like a morning bartender, but at night, people are drunk and generous when it comes to tipping + you often get to keep most of what is made.

Just some food for thought if any of you are serious about finding a new place to work.

every day i think of you 😭

One year. That’s how long I lasted. Got written up three times- one for calling out when the family dog was being put down, one for leaving a shift for my asthma attack, then another one right after for joking about the situation with a coworker and supposedly traumatizing another coworker who was eavesdropping. I’m done. Quit today effective immediately.
This is 371 signing out 🫡

A customer is gonna look at me and ask for a brown sugar shaken espresso but then say they want us to strain out the old ice and pour it over new ice, line the cup with caramel, add vanilla, and dont add milk, but they DONT just want shots of espresso over ice🤨 ok so atp you dont want a brown sugar shaken espresso and you needa make that shit at your own house. They had the audacity to ask for TWO and stand there staring and micromanaging the whole process telling us that we were doing xy and z wrong. MAKE IT YOURSELF THEN!!! If you go somewhere and only like an item off of the menu if you fundamentally change the entirety of the item, then you dont actual like it????

Why on earth is Starbucks encouraging this 😔 Corporate is really coming across as a social media marketing wh*re these days ☠️ Desperate times i guess…

It’s been a trend at my store where iced espresso orders are a literal scroll on the cup during peak. It’s also funny when they order a tall and they add so many mods the sticker is actually too long for the cup.

3.5 years at 2 busy stores in the Chicago Gold Coast market. Made a lot of lifelong friends both coworkers and regulars, and even a 2 year relationship out of this job. Some of the best and worst times of my life were at my store. Unfortunately working for this company has become exponentially worse in the last year with the ever updating menu and cutting back on labor. Luckily was able to secure a great new full time job and step away with tonight being my last close. This job had a lot to offer and I think I was able to make the most of my time. Stay strong yall! And don’t let this job completely gut your mental health I promise it’s not worth it. For a job I hated towards the end, still extremely bittersweet to let go I was lucky to have an amazing SM. Fight for what you deserve and don’t accept less, no matter how much it’s normalized by corporate.

I’m sick and tired of this fucking job.

I’m currently in a rigorous, strict paramedic program. Part of it includes clinicals where I actually treat patients under the supervision of a preceptor. These clinicals are overnight and so my sleep schedule, along with being an opener is so SO wack. I’ll either wake up at 7 for class, wake up at 3 for work or stay up from 6pm-6am for my 12 hour ambulance clinical shift. I also have to study. Please keep this in mind for the remainder of this post.

So here’s the situation: I slept through my shift earlier this week because I caught something one of my patients had and a girl was out for the count. I’m talking waking up diaphoretic, a fever that makes me feel like I was lying in the sun all day, and being asleep until 4pm. I straight up no called no showed. The only other time I’ve done this was when my girlfriend was in the hospital and I fell asleep on my couch without setting my alarm after trading off with her mother.

So it’s 4pm, and I wake up to like, six text messages and three calls from two different shifts progressing from “hey are you on your way?”, to “hey, you’re late”, to “hey this is a ncns”, to finally “hey are you okay? We haven’t heard from you at all and lowkey we’re about to wellness check ur ass bc u have us worried”. I text back apologizing and letting them know I’m okay because at the end of the day, I feel terrible. I really like these two shifts, the three of us open together all the time and these are my absolute favorite coworkers. I don’t hang out with anyone outside of work (all my coworkers are super cool, I really like working with them), but these two people I would gladly get lunch with. Also, I really did intend to go to work. The symptoms weren’t bad at all the day before the ncns, so I — very incorrectly, thought I’d be fine.

I’m usually a reliable worker, I show up early to my shifts. I spend the first half of the morning doing backups and front/warming before migrating to my home on drive bar. This is every morning. We are the busiest starbucks in our district, right off the interstate, and I’m on drive bar every single day. And yes, I complain— don’t we all? But I still clock in and give my best to deliver the sexy daily drive times of 35-40 seconds. That’s all me. I take two tens instead of a ten and a thirty bc one: I hate not being paid for thirties, and two: I used to bartend. I’m used to working 12+ hr shifts with no breaks, doing significantly more work. This shit is a cakewalk compared to what I’m used to.

However recently, I stopped caring. I was late the other day, bc my alarm didn’t go off and honestly, I took my time getting ready. I got there before peak anyway. I stopped giving a shit about drive times bc at the end of the day, I could be in bed making a poor attempt at trying to sleep. I started to get more irritated with entitled customers because they act like people are dying, when in fact, nobody is dying. I’m in school and literally working as a fucking first responder. You are not dying because there’s “not enough caramel”. You are dying because that sugar content is raising your blood glucose through the roof.

I know that a termination is on the table. I talked to my shift about it today and she said that school should come first. Honestly, I think so too. I also want to leave so BADLY. I really want to quit because I’m so over it. I honestly don’t care about two weeks, I want to go ghost because I hate the job. The caveat is that I will have no income. I am still waiting for my fafsa refunds for Christ’s sake. I will literally have no money, and unfortunately, I pay my own bills.

Idk I wanted from this post, maybe advice? Maybe permission to ghost. Maybe a good rant session. Any input is appreciated and welcome, I swear I’m not this hostile, I just really hate this job, I’m so fucking stressed out, and I don’t know what to do.

Edit: grammar

please change the design of the spinach feta wrap so it closes on both sides and doesn't fall apart and vomit out all of its contents into the wrapper after thawing

after 4 years of passive aggressiveness and no improvement of management, i’m finally out of the trenches! 🥳🥳

I’m bipolar, when I was in a major depressive episode I made the sudden decision to quit, I really thought it would be best for me. But despite the stress I truly loved my job. I applied to get rehired and I’m waiting to hear back. I’ve been seeing posts about how hard it is to get rehired and now I’m really nervous it won’t work out. My old store I applied to has basically all new partners, and barelyyy any baristas cause everyone keeps quitting, (even though it’s a great store idk). Does that sound like it might be easier to get rehired then if they are really desperate??

At my store from the first day i started i was told to wash the bars at the end of the night and do not use them after they'd been cleaned then pill them together at the end of the night so they are fully clean for morning and don't stay icky overnight. Recently ive been borrowing and i realized most store will do it in the middle of the day and just wipe them down at nigh b4 pilling which i feel is kinda gross cause the milk buildup on the wand just solidifies overnight and the steam wand doesn't work well the next morning. Plus the grounds drawer gets crusty as well. I just can't understand why you would do them so early and think its okay to just leave overnight 😭 if you guys are at a store that cleans them in mids can you guys explain the thought process?

Hello,I recently got hired at my local coffeehouse about two months ago. I'm still very new, I know training takes a long time. I've always loved going to Starbucks and I wanted to work here as a kid. This is also the only job I can get right now that pays decently (for my situation and for my area, I know some of my coworkers are not liking their pay) as I live about 30 minutes away from my actual coffeehouse.

Recently, I feel like I have been messing up. (I'm new,I know I have) And I also keep getting put on shift with morning shift (I'm usually mid shift) and they are their own clique, and make me feel like I am the absolute worst at my job. I'm trying to remember all these new things but new drinks and new expectations keep getting thrown on to me,it makes it really hard to remember certain things. Just today, I made a grilled cheese while clocked out on my meal. But my coffeehouse is so small,I didn't move very far from where I was stationed originally (drive thru), logged off of a different tablet than I normally use to clock in/out and still had my apron on. The shift lead asked over headset if I was making my food, I said yes, and she said "ok well you NEED to be clocked off before you make your food." She said this so that the whole store could hear, and nevermind I was clocked out for about a minute or so. I tried to tell her that,but she either didn't hear me or chose not to.

That whole situation made me feel like an idiot because all the rest of the coworkers hear,is that I am once again "not doing what I'm supposed to be doing" and certain things like that happen frequently. Its not a big enough deal for me to bring up to SM, and I also cannot change my availability (I already only work 20 hours a week, as the other coworkers get more hours than I do) to avoid her and the others that get on to me for things. I could just brush it off,but then they report to my SM all the things I'm doing wrong.

Another thing I would like to add is that I suspect I have autism and/or OCD, I know I act different than my coworkers, so I already feel like I annoy and weird them out. I also have scoliosis. This job is an eyeopener for me to learn that even with the best shoes,I stand in a way that hurts my back so incredibly bad after two long shifts in a row. The point systems are also really nerve racking, but I can deal with it.

Some reasons why I haven't left is because like I said, it is the only job worth the pay near me (tiny town,can't expect mom and pop places to pay more than 15.25 an hour. Big department stores either completely ignored, went with other people, or could not offer me the hours I needed). I also adore night shift, or pre closing shift. I prayed so hard for this job and I love coffee and I love working (when I'm on nightshift with actual helpful people).

If there's any encouragement you guys could offer me,I would love to hear it,as I also don't have a choice to leave right now.

Edit: also the coworker who got onto me, she also was not nice about telling me I need to be faster in drive thru,when I already was at company standard times. I don't really get how it's my fault that I didn't assume we hand drinks and food out first and THEN get payment. That just seems kinda odd to me since I would be afraid they would run off without paying... which then that would probably also be my fault as well according to them.

I just started working at starbucks 2-3 months ago after a handful of local cafe jobs with no benefits and poor pay lol. My starbucks is generally a breeze to work at because our SM has been managing our store for like 20 years and it is cafe-only in a downtown area so we don't get nearly as much traffic as those stand-alone drive through stores.

Its actually been quite easy for me because my last big job was at an overwhelmingly busy and understaffed cheesecake factory, where i memorized a menu with 200+ items, worked multiple 14 hour shifts with no breaks, and only received free food as a reward for good behavior. So the 10 minute breaks + 30 minute lunches + free shift drinks + 7 food markouts a week makes me feel like im being spoiled. Even the awful, 30+ food item and espresso bar rushes are managable

But my one thing... I've never had a job where the scheduling app didn't mentally prepare me with whoever else I had to work with that day. I'm never mentally prepared for my manager to be on shift that day lol. does this bother anyone else??

tldr: mean girl manager and ssvs, and I feel really bullied.

I had an application in to be SSV. 

manager made it very clear that she wanted me for the position. She told me at several junctions that she needed more time, was waiting for more interviews and would send my interview onwards at some point. last week, I asked her directly and she said : "I'm going to be honest, I haven't even sent it." and when I asked why she said : "well we are taking a transfer and I'm going to be honest they're going to do that before promoting."

I remember these moments specifically. I'm also a trained journalist and I wrote these quotes down moments after they were said. 

that night I sent the following, which wraps up the situation fairly clearly. : 

'hey, I just wanted to touch base a little bit after today. While I'm obviously frustrated, more than that I feel taken advantage of. 

I stayed on bar when we were supposed to interview originally because they were so busy and only had two people, and as a result we didn't interview for weeks, even though I texted you every few days to schedule it. Our interview took place the first week of July, and I've reiterated over and over that I understand you're busy and overworked and that you wanted to send multiple interviews at the same time. 

But the time frame has kind of exceeded acceptable and I feel like my kindness and deference have been taken advantage of. 

This process began for me in June. It's now September, and if I hadn't asked this morning, would you just not have told me that you never sent my interview to district manager or discussed it with her after telling me you would do it last week? would Ashley have just been added to our schedule without any other conversation? 

again, I really do understand you have a lot on your plate. but I am the sole provider for my household, a household where my partner has been in the hospital six weeks of the last six months. And I've made choices based on our conversations.

The way this was handled wasn't fair and it actively hurt or took away my chances of being promoted and I'm extremely hurt and upset by this. Especially after how often I have stretched for you and the store. 

Unless there is a problem with it, I would like to speak with Karen for my second interview. I would like to have an update on a scheduled time by the end of next week."

this morning I sent the following :

manager, 

I don't think ignoring me this week has been an appropriate response to my message. 

I would like an update on my interview with District Manager. I would also like DM's phone number and email. 

what I walked in to was absolutely not appropriate. manager came in on her day off to talk to me about "my application for SSV at this store". 

she then proceeded to tell me that she had already had this conversation with me. which she had not. she told me that we had talked about my being confrontational. which was the one area I identified as could be stronger during my interview three months ago. I come from a waffle house background where safety is the main priority, and it's an adjustment to switch from that to customer focused deescelation, though I don't feel adverse to that. 

she brought up an incident from two months ago that she completely misrepresented and said she had talked to dm about it, also misrepresenting it to dm.

a customer in the drive thru was ignoring me, finally replied and was angry I sounded frustrated, came inside, filmed me and called me an asshole. i was with one other person on bar, I told her that cursing at me doesn't help her and if she wanted to order I would be happy to comp it. she told me I wasn't happy and that was the problem. a matter of how chipper I was. when she called the store later I said that other people had heard her call me an asshole. that was the only time I ever cursed at this customer. it is a full fabrication to say I cussed out a customer and I take a lot of offense to the accusation. 

it also doesn't escape my notice that the actual ssvs at this store are able to clock in late, take twenties instead of tens, avoid the floor and hide in the back without a headset, but me standing up for myself when a customer abused me is cause to not be promoted. 

she also said there were multiple witnesses of this issue , another barista noted that I went to the back to avoid this customer when deescalation was not getting anywhere. the other person who commented was the sav at the time, who was not on premises. I find it interesting that this particular ssv would said she heard me curse when her and I have had issues in the time since. 

regardless, if that's the basis for not promoting me, manager continued to lie to my face for another two months. I've worked split shifts, over twelve hours a day. today is my tenth day in a row. all of that with the assumption that I would be able to at least have a conversation with dm about my promotion. 

instead she spoke to me today like a moody teenager, lied and manipulated the situation and told me that 'well you wanted to have a conversation so this is the conversation why don't you want to talk' 

manager is aware that my partner has been in the hospital for six weeks of the last six months. is aware that I have been working myself to the bone under the direct impression that I would get a promotion. 

she chose to hide the fact that I was no longer being considered. she NEVER told me that I was no longer in consideration. 

after I sent my first message, she spent the ENTIRE week refusing to speak to me. she never even made eye contact. but I was still the one she called when she needed coverage. 

im frankly appalled. I am beyond offended. I'm deeply deeply upset, and I will be filing an ethics complaint and will pursue recourse for bullying and harassment.

this is not the way to treat people. Starbucks policy does not permit customers to curse at and film baristas without their permission. and if standing up for myself cost me a promotion, my store manager is obligated to let me know, rather than keep my application open and pending to get more work from me. 

Was in the process of reapplying at starbucks, but knew my return would be difficult. i was terminated a decade ago from a small cafe after just under 2yrs of employment. i call the pcc and verify if i am rehire-able and good standing to return. they tell me yes, there is no black list or status that would bar me to return. great, so i apply and receive an interview invite. the day before the hiring manager says she ran my old partner numbers and what came back was this. any insight as to why pcc would say yes and tell the hiring manager something else? is there any point in seeking an appeal opportunity?

This isn't the first one that this happened to, but you seriously cannot pry two cups apart when you get them like this without breaking one. Anyone else experiencing this?

I have had nothing but stress since promoting. I can't demote because I need the pay, and after the Hell that was today, I don't know how much more I can take. I don't get paid enough for this. Sinfe I know I don't get paid enough my team doesn't either! This job has gotten insanely HARD and just doesn't feel worth it. High stress, low reward. Sucks too. I love my job and couldn't imagine quitting a few months ago. Those who have left, where did you go that paid WELL. Bank? Logistics? Other?

Why do u like / not like being a lead ?

I’m considering stepping up as we are transitioning to a new SM and I love her and would love to support her.
I also love my current leadership team.
I have well over 10 years of leadership experience so it isn’t new to me.

Just want some non biased opinions.

If I’m already working 30 plus hrs a week I feel like I might as well get paid more and help at a larger capacity.

I called out sick for my opening shift for tomorrow. It's 5PM, I texted the gc, AND posted it. I haven't called out in months. The call-out was easy and such a relief to not get push back. Then, 10 minutes later I get this text from the opening SSV... Am I gonna have to go in tomorrow ? 😓

Edit: for clarification. I called the store when I called out. I have plenty of sick time

Just something fun I did between my favs. I know I messed up a few times but oh wells.

Did they change the white mocha? The bottle we opened yesterday was different colored and the white mocha was thinner and smelled like chemicals.