Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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Well if you're gonna make me do your job... (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by Narthithuth
222**** 4year+ club with a culinary degree and experienced running a professional kitchen, most senior partner at my store which is mostly staffed by fresh high school grads I'm old enough to have birthed. I'm not exactly down with the cool kid next new thing like tiktok and I'm fine with that being a divide between me and the others. Been having issues with some of the kids getting way too forward with their political lukewarm takes on the clock as well as gossip and shit talk. By and large I let it slide but I draw the line at bigoted jokes no matter who says them or who it's about.
Young lad at the store seems to think it's funny to make jokes about other staff including myself being old, the idea of other people "peaking in high school" which he's in no place to say, and most damning he has repeatedly caused discomfort among partners by saying blatantly sexist stuff about men. Usually it's just small stuff and it's not worth addressing, but a while ago he has a really bad day where he was constantly talking over me, correcting me, went off about how partners who chose to leave over changes in company culture and policy were weak and couldn't adapt to change, and bragging about how he's going to be a manager because he was allowed to train a fellow teenager.
It was extremely uncomfortable but I chalked it up to him having a bad day, chose to let it slide with caution. Lo and behold, not two weeks have passed and now his tune is that he's quitting to go to college and he's clearly checked out. He then dropped a line on headset, straight up said "kill all men." I said whoa there, that's not okay, and he replied like he didn't know what I was talking about. The shift and I just exchanged a long look and when we talked afterward we agreed it was so far over the line that it must be brought to SM's attention.
So I did. I detailed these issues to my SM and in his words he didn't want to "play telephone" by relaying criticism and that he thinks we should address it to him ourselves. I told him I would not be nice about it if it came up again and while he said he didn't want me to be mean, which isn't what I was getting at, he still thought it should come from fellow baristas.
Okay, so be it. Next time the kid says something like that I'm going to chew him out in the open, preferably with an audience, and demand that he be sent home or I leave myself. I don't think this is an overreaction, it's literally the SM's job to deal with exactly this sort of thing and if he doesn't I will make it clear that they both fucked up.
Ahem. Dogs are cute. That is all.
Young lad at the store seems to think it's funny to make jokes about other staff including myself being old, the idea of other people "peaking in high school" which he's in no place to say, and most damning he has repeatedly caused discomfort among partners by saying blatantly sexist stuff about men. Usually it's just small stuff and it's not worth addressing, but a while ago he has a really bad day where he was constantly talking over me, correcting me, went off about how partners who chose to leave over changes in company culture and policy were weak and couldn't adapt to change, and bragging about how he's going to be a manager because he was allowed to train a fellow teenager.
It was extremely uncomfortable but I chalked it up to him having a bad day, chose to let it slide with caution. Lo and behold, not two weeks have passed and now his tune is that he's quitting to go to college and he's clearly checked out. He then dropped a line on headset, straight up said "kill all men." I said whoa there, that's not okay, and he replied like he didn't know what I was talking about. The shift and I just exchanged a long look and when we talked afterward we agreed it was so far over the line that it must be brought to SM's attention.
So I did. I detailed these issues to my SM and in his words he didn't want to "play telephone" by relaying criticism and that he thinks we should address it to him ourselves. I told him I would not be nice about it if it came up again and while he said he didn't want me to be mean, which isn't what I was getting at, he still thought it should come from fellow baristas.
Okay, so be it. Next time the kid says something like that I'm going to chew him out in the open, preferably with an audience, and demand that he be sent home or I leave myself. I don't think this is an overreaction, it's literally the SM's job to deal with exactly this sort of thing and if he doesn't I will make it clear that they both fucked up.
Ahem. Dogs are cute. That is all.
[deleted] 4 points 3y ago
It’d probably be in the kids best interest if you didn’t go easy on him. Better they learn this lesson as a teenager at Starbucks than in a future job that they may have more on the line with.
asphyxiat3xx 4 points 3y ago
Sounds like your SM is avoiding their responsibilities. It is not your job as a batista to confront fellow partners about unacceptable behavior. Lord knows if this boy had been on my floor his ass would have been sent home, and my SM would definitely hear about it.
ihateyousoymatcha 3 points 3y ago
That particular phrase has a spot in common teen culture at the moment but I don't think he's aware of it's meaning.
It revolves around misandry and he probably picked it up from TikTok and is just repeating content.
Still, perhaps not a good topic for the work environment.
It revolves around misandry and he probably picked it up from TikTok and is just repeating content.
Still, perhaps not a good topic for the work environment.
Narthithuth [OP] 2 points 3y ago
I don't care if it's a meme or a joke, it's 200% not okay to do that at work, even more so when it's making other people uncomfortable. He doesn't even know his audience in that case. Which might be because we don't generally discuss anything political while working as a matter of courtesy. If it was just between him and a friend and not broadcast that would be one thing but he literally said it over the headset into the ear of every person working.
ihateyousoymatcha 2 points 3y ago
I agree, not something you say to just anyone, and not a work conversation.
I've heard 'All Men Must Die' over headset but that was a direct Game of Thrones reference with a regular 🤗
I've heard 'All Men Must Die' over headset but that was a direct Game of Thrones reference with a regular 🤗
kennaks3 2 points 3y ago
It sounds like he got a little too comfortable at work. As you said, your store is staffed with mostly fresh high school graduates around his age, so he probably makes these jokes to entertain them. He sounds like your stereotypical outwardly progressive YA who just doesn’t like authority and clearly only saw his job as temporary. I’m not even going to lie, though I wouldn’t say those things at work, I’m can’t say I wouldn’t be amused if someone else did. It’s really just the current humor on the internet atm. Saying things like “kill all men” or “men are trash” is just a dark joke that people say in response to a douche-y , stereotypical man. If I’m going to be honest with you, it sounds like he’s trying to push your buttons. You kinda come off (at least from your post) as someone who wants to be looked at with the upmost authority. You’re throwing around your culinary experience/age and your seniority as a barista as if any of that really matters when you’re both currently working the same job. I really think he’s trying to get you annoyed, so I’d advise not making a scene during a shift.
No, it’s not ok and yes someone should have done something about it a long time ago, but he’s leaving shortly from the sounds of it so I wouldn’t even bother.
No, it’s not ok and yes someone should have done something about it a long time ago, but he’s leaving shortly from the sounds of it so I wouldn’t even bother.
Narthithuth [OP] 1 points 3y ago
I don't use any of it as a point of authority. My choice to stay a barista rather than supervisor has been very intentional. The point of this is just as much about my manager expecting partners to address flagrantly inappropriate behavior ourselves rather than doing his job when it was brought to him as it is about the behavior itself. If the behavior is specifically to tweak my nose rather than a general lack of self-awareness and professionalism I would say that is worse, not better, because it would be targeted. Other than his comments about my age that one day I don't think that's the case.
bcmead92 1 points 3y ago
When someone crosses a line and your store manager isn't there it's the shift supervisor's responsibility to pull the barista aside and handle the situation. But I agree, the store manager should have addressed this with the supervisor at the time and the barista involved.
Narthithuth [OP] 1 points 3y ago
He said he wanted me to address it myself, so that's what he's going to get.
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