Don’t stress and don’t feel weird! Store transfers are super easy and common. If you’ve got the ability, I’d say go to a couple of the stores in your new area and hang out as a customer, try and get a feel for them. Be upfront about how you’re looking for a store to transfer to, see what the baristas there say about it.

I transferred from NC to VA without really checking out the store I transferred to - I picked the one in my area with a drive thru because my old store had one and I loved working in it. Little did I know that it was the busiest store in the entire state, and I was basically throwing myself into a gladiatorial arena.

Definitely talk to a manager first! It helps them build a better connection with you, and definitely gives you a big advantage when transferring because the manager already knows who you are. And if the store you want to go to has a waitlist of transfers (the one I want to go to does) and you happen to not be trained on drive, you might be out of luck. However most stores especially if they aren’t EXTREMELY busy are super easy to transfer to. Good luck!