Nah, you’re fine. I’m a trainer and y’all get a lot of information thrown at you in a very short amount of time. My goal as a trainer is not to make sure you’re a pro at everything but to make sure you’re familiar with everything.

I’ve been at Starbucks almost four years and you know what? I still spill stuff. I have a reputation at my store for being a messy barista. I still mess up recipes. I still flub up talking to customers.

Your goal right now should be making yourself familiar with the menu, comfortable with talking to customers, and being aware of your coworkers needs. Remind yourself you’re working in a not normal environment. This is not what working at Starbucks is always like.

I’m sure you’re doing a million times better than you’re giving yourself credit for.

Our training is rough and this job is HARD. It will take a while for you to feel like you are comfortable but that is completely normal. It is a lot of things to learn in a high pressure environment. The key to this job is not letting your mistakes overwhelm or discourage you. We all make mistakes and we all have days when we feel stupid. It's the picking yourself up and trying again that makes a great barista. Keep at it, you'll do great!!! We are all behind you, lil' green bean 💚

I’ve been a partner for over 19 years and for the first six months I didn’t think I was going to make it. When I hired on back in the day, we didn’t have sandwiches. We only had about 4 different Frappuccinos (no cream fraps yet) and it was a pre-mix. We went to classes at a training center (4 hours of Starbucks experience, 3 hours of Communicating about Coffee) and had a dedicated trainer that wasn’t also floor coverage. The drinks actually still followed a formula you could teach to (3-4-5 for syrups for everything but Caramel Macchiatos, 1-2-2 for shots, etc.). I still used to cry during or after work almost daily but I stuck around and eventually got to be very good at my job. I’ve learned all of the crazy stuff they’ve rolled out (and unrolled..and rolled out again, etc.) over the years but it has been cumulative. As I’m training people on our almost incomprehensible menu I often wonder if I’d make it as a new partner in 2020. I guess the point is you’re only three days in. You’re probably doing much better than you think you are. Just keep asking questions and try to do as much hands on (as opposed to just watching) stuff as you can. And for god sakes, when you learn the bar routine please stick to that.

I reassure all the new baristas (esp. when I see them struggling) that for my first few weeks, I thought I was just going to be an idiot forever. I had worked at a movie theater, then retail for years, but it was a difficult learning curve for me. I remember having bad work-related nightmares early on in training...even though my boss and team were super nice! Then one day it literally clicked. I didn’t even see the direct moment, just... oh my god, I didn’t mess a single thing up today or ask for reassurance.

Also someone on my super experienced team (almost daily) says out loud “...did I put base in this... ? guess I’ll find out when I blend it...” “ugh... was this decaf? Guess I gotta pull these shots again just to make sure.”

I love laughing off any mistakes we make. You’re not a robot. Sometimes you forget a gasket in a whipped cream canister, sometimes you push too hard on a lid and hulk-smash the whole drink on the counter, sometimes you knock over a whole container of freeze dried berries during rush... sometimes you forgot to hit start on the oven and now that last croissant is charred. I laugh, I acknowledge the thing that happened and apologize to the customer, or my team member I sprayed with hot water, people tend to be less mad when you’re like “haha, oh my god, I’m so sorry I’m an idiot lemme remake that drink for you real quick, ugh, this has just been my LIFE today...”

Awe! Green beans are so cute 😊 it took me a good six months to feel completely confident about all of the drink recipes and the different positions. Don’t beat yourself up! You’re doing great. Ask as many questions as you need to! 👍🏻

lmfao I did the same thing. one time I forgot to put the lid on the blender before I blended a Frappuccino B))) everyone makes stupid mistakes, you never really grow out of it but dw you're not alone

Everyone seriously feels this way. Don’t feel stupid, and don’t be afraid to ask coworkers questions. After a couple months you’ll feel comfortable in the job. This job has a big learning curve.