Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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Different mindset (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by dancing_durian
I’ve contemplated about writing this for many times and since it’s Sunday and everyone would likely be overwhelmed and understaffed, it’s a good opportunity to put this reminder here.
Disclaimer: I’m a shift.
Throughout my tenure at Starbucks, my views and what I consider important have changed. A LOT. Many times. I think my brain does have a unique ability to shift my focus so I don’t go insane with all the treacherous things that I’ve witnessed and endured. One of those things is always being understaffed. Many times were due to simple ignorance and negligence. Many were very intentional to an insidious amount. Others were a result of favoritism (proven with data and proof).
It was finally on a shift this week that I finally had to let go of frustration in favor of something else. Not giving a fuck. And no, I don’t mean not doing or caring about my job.
Of all my value and perspective changes, the one constant thing I keep for myself, as a barista - I will always support my team and as a keyholder - I will always support and stand behind my baristas. That’s the extra human aspect on top of all the admin things I was hired as a keyholder to do - inventory count, temp log, etc. After those things, I’m no longer obligated for anything else. I’m not responsible for customers walking out when all of us are performing at max capacity. I can’t respond to every complaint about the state of the store when everyone on my team is stretched thin. I have to favor getting the lines down and not potentially pissing more people waiting in line off in lieu of connecting with every single one of the customers.
Remember the metrics you are being evaluated by at your position. You can add your own values like I do. But other than that, you are not responsible for anything beyond that. The number game belongs, ultimately, to your store managers. They are the ones being evaluated by those things - sales, customer connection scores,...if they are willing to sacrifice and let those numbers go in the red bc they are unwilling to give labor, let their job be threatened. You go on and perform your duty. You get paid the same per hour whether it was a rough or easy hour. Your job will be secure as long as you function as your job descriptions entail.
Don’t stress. Don’t get frustrated. Don’t cry. Over something that is not worth any of those for.
Hope this helps everyone.
Disclaimer: I’m a shift.
Throughout my tenure at Starbucks, my views and what I consider important have changed. A LOT. Many times. I think my brain does have a unique ability to shift my focus so I don’t go insane with all the treacherous things that I’ve witnessed and endured. One of those things is always being understaffed. Many times were due to simple ignorance and negligence. Many were very intentional to an insidious amount. Others were a result of favoritism (proven with data and proof).
It was finally on a shift this week that I finally had to let go of frustration in favor of something else. Not giving a fuck. And no, I don’t mean not doing or caring about my job.
Of all my value and perspective changes, the one constant thing I keep for myself, as a barista - I will always support my team and as a keyholder - I will always support and stand behind my baristas. That’s the extra human aspect on top of all the admin things I was hired as a keyholder to do - inventory count, temp log, etc. After those things, I’m no longer obligated for anything else. I’m not responsible for customers walking out when all of us are performing at max capacity. I can’t respond to every complaint about the state of the store when everyone on my team is stretched thin. I have to favor getting the lines down and not potentially pissing more people waiting in line off in lieu of connecting with every single one of the customers.
Remember the metrics you are being evaluated by at your position. You can add your own values like I do. But other than that, you are not responsible for anything beyond that. The number game belongs, ultimately, to your store managers. They are the ones being evaluated by those things - sales, customer connection scores,...if they are willing to sacrifice and let those numbers go in the red bc they are unwilling to give labor, let their job be threatened. You go on and perform your duty. You get paid the same per hour whether it was a rough or easy hour. Your job will be secure as long as you function as your job descriptions entail.
Don’t stress. Don’t get frustrated. Don’t cry. Over something that is not worth any of those for.
Hope this helps everyone.
cloudsgone 29 points 3y ago
"Work to the rule" is what I tell my new baristas when they're getting overwhelmed and frustrated during understaffed peaks. If you're in a position, stay there and follow your routine, don't deviate from it to try to do two and three jobs at once. I train a lot of new partners, and I always try to stress this, because I know that if my manager can get away with understaffing and overworking really dedicated employees, she'll continue to do so and we'll continue to be understaffed.
Unfortunately a lot of partners can't see this. They're hard workers with anxious personalities and they're scared of our angry customers. I get it. But they're the ones that get burnt out, they quit in a year or two and move on. The partners I'd much rather work with during an understaffing are the long term ones- there is no rushing around trying to fight to inevitable shit show. They just keep going, they stay calm and don't break their backs trying to accommodate an amount if customers we are just not able to handle. We know there's no swimming upstream and that our shift ends when it ends.
The mythical labor hours our manager promises us for x amount of transactions per half hour are just a carrot on a stick. It'll never happen, it's all to see how far they can push employees before regrettably having to pay another. They give us these positions we are supposed to know and stay in, tell us not to break routine... but fully expect us to for "more labor". Partners make this company rich, and we're greatly undercompebsated for it. That's why I do my job exactly how it's supposed to be done by standard.
Fuck it! Is the healthiest mindset at this job.
Unfortunately a lot of partners can't see this. They're hard workers with anxious personalities and they're scared of our angry customers. I get it. But they're the ones that get burnt out, they quit in a year or two and move on. The partners I'd much rather work with during an understaffing are the long term ones- there is no rushing around trying to fight to inevitable shit show. They just keep going, they stay calm and don't break their backs trying to accommodate an amount if customers we are just not able to handle. We know there's no swimming upstream and that our shift ends when it ends.
The mythical labor hours our manager promises us for x amount of transactions per half hour are just a carrot on a stick. It'll never happen, it's all to see how far they can push employees before regrettably having to pay another. They give us these positions we are supposed to know and stay in, tell us not to break routine... but fully expect us to for "more labor". Partners make this company rich, and we're greatly undercompebsated for it. That's why I do my job exactly how it's supposed to be done by standard.
Fuck it! Is the healthiest mindset at this job.
dancing_durian [OP] 10 points 3y ago
Thank you. This is really fantastic. I really like what you said about hardworking partners with anxious personalities. And they do get burnt out. Who wouldn’t when you break your backs and still get told you’re not doing enough. And it’s heartbreaking to see it happen and hopefully with us putting these out here, it’ll help prevent more of that.
GaggleGuy 2 points 3y ago
Exactly this. Me today as the mid shift. I was shorted 2 usual people at 2 different times in the day. One time after peak, and one time before the handoff. I told my partners exactly what you just said, with my manager watching us from a table in the cafe. Yeah it was busy, yes the process was slow, yes we were all doing our jobs really well (it was the A team). One person can only do so much, and its kinda disgusting what our store managers, district managers, and ultimately what we call "the higher ups", push onto us for how much they "give" us. I found out yesterday that the "free" spotify isn't even free, it's taken out of your pay stub.. imagine that. Sure you can get health insurance, and bean stock if you stay long enough. The health insurance isnt even good, it covers bare minimum in most cases. Don't even get me started on fucking headspace.
This company is really gross in how it treats it's bottom line. However, I've met a lot of amazing people at various stores who are really nice and genuine people. (I've also met the opposite but that's just everywhere). This post hit me deep after today's shift. I wish everyone to take this post and start applying the idea of "just do my duty and work WITH your team." Don't work FOR your team, or AGAINST your team, noone wins in that situation.
This company is really gross in how it treats it's bottom line. However, I've met a lot of amazing people at various stores who are really nice and genuine people. (I've also met the opposite but that's just everywhere). This post hit me deep after today's shift. I wish everyone to take this post and start applying the idea of "just do my duty and work WITH your team." Don't work FOR your team, or AGAINST your team, noone wins in that situation.
cloudsgone 3 points 3y ago
Wait spotify isn't free??
nyliag 6 points 3y ago
At the end of the day, it is only coffee. I feel like I remind myself of this at least once a week.
dancing_durian [OP] 1 points 3y ago
It is just coffee. And we know that. Unfortunately, for some customers, it is EVERYTHING to them. And sometimes it’s not even coffee that they place importance in. It’s more like their last line of defense or distraction from everything else. And the only thing we can do is react neutrally or positively to their rage.
capgrasdeluded 4 points 3y ago
I'm a shift too and feel pretty much the same way. It helps to have a manager who cares, and my manger and my ASM both do a good job and care about the partners and the store. We're understaffed like everyone else sometimes but I just tell my team to stay calm, stay planted when possible and do your best. That's really all we can do.
dancing_durian [OP] 3 points 3y ago
that’s honestly is perfect. You can only do your best and I guess, hope for the best. It is fortunate to have a manager who cares. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for many others.
Momisnotmyname 4 points 3y ago
I feel like this is the coaching conversation I have the most with newer partners. Know your role, and don't take things home, i.e emotional garbage.
dancing_durian [OP] 5 points 3y ago
But if they take it home, it is oK. I don’t want to discourage people from caring if that’s who they are fundamentally. Just a shift in perspective to help them reprioritize to make the job more bearable.
GaggleGuy 2 points 3y ago
Disclaimer, I know they take the cost of spotify off your check, however I don't know 100% the following info:
They probably take it off your check at a discounted rate. So spotify probably gave starbucks a deal where they pay less for each subscription, And then they take that ammount out of your check over the course of two weeks/month. Which if I know anything about corporations.. is less than the ammount they would spend on per say.. regular quarterly raises.
They probably take it off your check at a discounted rate. So spotify probably gave starbucks a deal where they pay less for each subscription, And then they take that ammount out of your check over the course of two weeks/month. Which if I know anything about corporations.. is less than the ammount they would spend on per say.. regular quarterly raises.
dancing_durian [OP] 1 points 3y ago
Isn’t that crazy? They’d rather give a music subscription than actual raises to help with living cost.
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