Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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Anyone else hate working with their manager on the floor? (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by Critical50
For the past 3 days or so, everytime our manager is on the floor with us she makes everyone mad. Constantly tells people they arent doing enough of something. Said she wants drive thru times to be less than 50 seconds during our peak. Apparently gets upset at people for walking away from their station for a bit to do something. But shes walked away from her station, and sat down to talk to customers.
stevebuckyy 76 points 2y ago
lmaooo bro i cried three times today because our SM was on the floor. :) i always knew she was insufferable but it's tolerable when there's another shift. today though, it was just her until 11. and i was there at 6. we're the only ones who can bar (she literally drove away or fired the only bar partners) and it was nonstop. also.. she can't bar that well. the amount of times i've had her ask "do they want this filled all the way with \[milk\]?" when it's an AMERICANO is astounding. i'm not the best at bar either -- only four months in, but i'm better than her. i seriously contemplated walking out. or murder. the usuals you know.
anyway... sorry for my own rant, just know that you are not alone. unfortunately. i wish it was different for both of us.
anyway... sorry for my own rant, just know that you are not alone. unfortunately. i wish it was different for both of us.
dancing_durian 24 points 2y ago
Some SMs are just not that competent on the floor and alright, maybe that’s not what they’re hired for but some just don’t even try. It’s a running joke at my store when my baristas would start asking me a question, they would start with ‘maybe I should ask SM this? THEY would know!’ XD
stevebuckyy 3 points 2y ago
god, that sounds like a joke that should be common in our store ahah. yeah, she's not competent at all. we ask ourselves how she even became an SM every single day bro...
blkjoey 7 points 2y ago
was talking to one of my shifts who said most SMs are hired from outside the company and that SB doesn’t really promote from within bc it’s cheaper. apparently bc our wages are slightly higher than average ($1-2), and then bc shift leads get another pay bump, they expect a bigger increase if they were to become an SM.
Critical50 [OP] 8 points 2y ago
Lol higher than average? We barely get paid much.
Local coffee shops charge less for their drinks, yet the coffee they source is leagues more expensive to get than the coffee Starbucks obtains.
Theres grocery stores that pay standard employees more than our SSVs.
Local coffee shops charge less for their drinks, yet the coffee they source is leagues more expensive to get than the coffee Starbucks obtains.
Theres grocery stores that pay standard employees more than our SSVs.
stevebuckyy 4 points 2y ago
yep, ours was an outside hire from walmart. it makes sense from that perspective, but i've heard rumors that our sm hasn't been fired yet because starbucks spent "a lot of money" on her. not sure what that means or if it's true but, lol. she's had so many harassment claims filed against her, customer complaints, etc etc. we love it!
[deleted] 10 points 2y ago
My store manager cannot stay on task. He will walk away from bar in the middle peak and go to the cafe and talk to customers. Or it will take him 4 hours to do the AM food pull and 8+ hours to put up a truck. All because he has 0 attention span. It is physically impossible to work with him.
stevebuckyy 7 points 2y ago
I feel for you. Ours makes us do like 4 things at once and gets snappy at you if you're slacking. I can't even imagine 8+ hours on an order... I'm a simple barista but I can put away most of the order in under an hour, lmao.
Kaywin 4 points 2y ago
I work with a couple shifts who are like this. Our SM does expect us to multitask as much as possible, I believe to reduce labor. I don’t know what to believe always. She’s very good at rationalizing and explaining why some things are the way they are, even when she’s telling me something is the opposite of the way I was trained. It’s a bit of a mindfuck if I’m honest. I just try to roll with it and change my habits going forward...
I_love_you_drugs 1 points 2y ago
Dude saaaaammme 😭 My old store’s back room is easy to hide out in so the shifts make the order last literal hours, going slow as molasses in the dead of winter, just to make it so they have to do as little of their actual job as possible. I’d go back there to stock and one shift in particular would just be sitting watching YouTube videos on his phone. Just glad they got new leadership shortly before I transferred
hopelovepeace33 1 points 2y ago
That’s insane! I’ve never done a food pull nor have I ever done a truck but it shouldn’t take that long to do either one of those. Shifts I’ve seen do it have food pulled within an hour or so as well as the order before the deadline for it to be submitted.
hopelovepeace33 3 points 2y ago
I’m beyond horribly slow at bar and I still know that an americano doesn’t get milk in it unless the customer wants some 🙄🤦🏻♀️ this is why I’m so grateful for the SM I had & the current new SM coming to the store I’m at. I worked with during the beginning of covid, she helped out at my store when all the other Starbucks in my district were closing down & my little store just kept going strong with amazing main partners & borrowed partners. I really want to transfer to the new store my SM went to because I really enjoy the environment he creates & as much as he hates being on the floor he does it. One time it was me, him, & this other girl who was a brand new (even newer than me) hire & she just didn’t know a lot & my SM would just give me the 😳 stressed out eyes & I’m like WE’RE OK WE CAN DO THIS JUST TAKE DEEP BREATHS 😂 if any of you guys live in the Jacksonville, FL area you can always come on over to my store.
stevebuckyy 3 points 2y ago
i'm so glad you have an SM you like! and that's not sarcastic. i'm a little jealous haha
unfortunately i doubt i'll be over there any time soon but hey, if it ever happens 😂
unfortunately i doubt i'll be over there any time soon but hey, if it ever happens 😂
hopelovepeace33 1 points 2y ago
I understand, you’re work environment is only as good as the people who are in leadership positions make it. I’m sorry that you’ve got to deal with that type of environment because it’s not fair on any of the shifts or baristas & I hope it gets better like you get a new SM 😂 good luck
allyballybeeeeee 30 points 2y ago
Tbh I was just thinking today, I LOVE working with my manager on the floor. Like she’s always good spirits and super helpful and supportive. I feel so bad reading through this sub sometimes, makes me so damn appreciative.
kqs13 5 points 2y ago
Same, im really appreciative of the store I work at, because the comments remind me of my old stores and now I'm at the best store I've ever worked at and im so happy. With covid it has gotten really frustrating at times but it helps a lot to have a great team.
[deleted] 3 points 2y ago
[deleted]
aimsthename88 2 points 2y ago
Same here! My SM is brand new at my store (promoted from within) and he’s awesome! I give him crap on occasion if he’s making a drink wrong but he’s so much better than my old manager. I’d much rather have an SM who made an effort to get out on the floor and experience our store for him/herself vs one that tried to manage from the back room - or worse, from home.
ETA-as a barista and now a shift, my SM has made me feel comfortable in coaching him, just like I do everyone else at my store.
ETA-as a barista and now a shift, my SM has made me feel comfortable in coaching him, just like I do everyone else at my store.
coreyatay 19 points 2y ago
less than 50? god i wish. mine was always pressuring for under 40
presleysnipes 15 points 2y ago
Pre-covid we were pressured to aim for under 30 😓 now most of the pressure is put on getting our CC to 70 and tbh that's even more exhausting. I say keep it at 40 and try not to be too good at your job or you'll just keep getting more and more asked of you for no extra pay 😂
analiseh18 5 points 2y ago
70?! We get 50 on a good week good lord
presleysnipes 3 points 2y ago
We haven't done it yet, but we are the highest CC drive thru store in the area. Last I heard, we got a 66 and that's the highest we've gotten. We haven't gone below 50 in forever though. Pretty sure someone would get fired if we did at this point 😂
mern_ 5 points 2y ago
I was lucky enough to work at the fasted dt in the Midwest region, average out the window time was 27 seconds. Our peak was amazing, regional director and her superior (I forget the name of his title) would come to observe us to be able to teach surrounding stores our ways. We even won awards for it!!
It takes a lot of teamwork but it’s possible and it’s rewarding to be a part of that 😊
It takes a lot of teamwork but it’s possible and it’s rewarding to be a part of that 😊
Kaywin 4 points 2y ago
I don’t know if we could do this with the amount of multitasking asked of us. It seems like we ROCK when we have dedicated partners for certain tasks (eg dedicated warmer, DTO, DTR; once enough people roll in and start ordering food it gets very hard to double warming and DTO, which is the way things are much of the time in the morning.)
Simplyroro 2 points 2y ago
What are your average tickets ? My stores average ticket is 9.46 on weekends and 8.48 on weekdays. Our food UPH averages 89 during peak and is 68 for the whole day. We do 9 to 10k a day. Our average window times are around 62 seconds and we are proud!
otterpopemo 1 points 2y ago
This sounds like my store! Our drive times are 75 and I'd like to bring them down to 62 - what's the secret?
mern_ 2 points 2y ago
I know a couple things we did that stuck with me, every partner wore a headset (especially warming and bar), dtw would ring in the order for dto if dto had to grab warming, all of us were able to do both dto/dtw efficiently, always answer the beep never ask them to wait
Also today had a visit with the regional director and regional Vice President and the rvp was able to show us how to more effectively utilize our deployment maps and it brought our otw times down by 5 seconds in the course of 30 minutes
Also today had a visit with the regional director and regional Vice President and the rvp was able to show us how to more effectively utilize our deployment maps and it brought our otw times down by 5 seconds in the course of 30 minutes
mern_ 1 points 2y ago
Honestly I worked at that store from 2017-2018 and I don’t really remember those numbers. I’m sorry, I really wish I did so I could compare them to my current dt that I’m the asm at now that I have a better understanding of operations. Would be super awesome to have those numbers!!
otterpopemo 1 points 2y ago
Can you speak to what that store does differently? I have a drive thru that can stack 20 cars, with an average ticket of $12/car and we struggle with our drive times.
mern_ 1 points 2y ago
It was the manager we had there. I don’t know how he did it but he was able to really instill operational excellence in us
hopelovepeace33 1 points 2y ago
It’s totally possible when you’ve got enough people there to do all that needs to get done during those peak times & also you’ve got to have customers that know their order and not get to the window & say they wanted iced instead of hot after you specified their order with them & then add on like 2 food items 🙄🤦🏻♀️ it’s infuriating when customers do that! Also those ones who come through and ask if they can do two separate orders 😤
mern_ 1 points 2y ago
Actually my dt was severely under staffed. We ran a 5 part every day for peak and only had about 12 partners in a store that needed 30+
It’s really about the team you have the teamwork that’s instilled in them. Morale helps
It’s really about the team you have the teamwork that’s instilled in them. Morale helps
hopelovepeace33 0 points 2y ago
Well take your 12 & subtract 9 of them which is what my store was dealing with. It was non-stop until about 20 min before I left at 2:30 and I had gotten there at 6:30, so 12 people working isn’t severely under staffed. Also the 2 people I worked with on the day I’m referring to worked our ASSES off to get through the drive thru line as quickly as possible & we functioned as a team & have great teamwork instilled in all 3 of us. So come back and discuss under staffed when you’ve got 3 people working a store and the line is wrapped around the building the entire day and discuss DT times to me because if you think 12 is under staffed then you’ve got no idea what really being under staffed is.
sosaidsmudge 15 points 2y ago
Our manager like that finally left and we have a new ASM raised up from the ranks who gets it. In the past month we have had drive times in the 30s regularly. Same talent. Same shift team. But when you lead with compassions results show. I get where you’re at and y’all are capable of much more than what she is ALLOWING you to achieve. Chin up partner.
Edit: we have been lucky if we break 55 on a weekday. So this has been huge. Again same people same setup but leadership starts at the top! Don’t be discourage by a bad SM, that’s their issue not yours. I imagine it’s a lot of projection but you and your partners aren’t the issue, she is.
Edit: we have been lucky if we break 55 on a weekday. So this has been huge. Again same people same setup but leadership starts at the top! Don’t be discourage by a bad SM, that’s their issue not yours. I imagine it’s a lot of projection but you and your partners aren’t the issue, she is.
hopelovepeace33 2 points 2y ago
Good energy starts from the top and comes down to those around them.
Disastrous_Pickle 7 points 2y ago
My SM used to set everyone up for Saturday/Sunday peak, give himself a job, and then walk away from that job. He’d leave me stranded on drive, yell at me for starting to cover his position, walk away again and then yell at me for our times being over a minute. I was one of the fastest on DT, but because he couldn’t make up his fucking mind he screwed my times constantly. He also did coke in the bathroom so...
cancerofcolor 5 points 2y ago
do we work at the same store because i feel the exact same way
hit-or-miss-my-ass 4 points 2y ago
My store manager can honest to god suck my dick. I don’t speak to her unless she’s as usual missed food or something. Not a nice person to work with. I don’t know outside of work but I don’t see her out of work so I’m not making an opinion on her away from work and the store. As a manager and a partner I have no respect as she doesn’t have for us.
She has the personality of a wet napkin and is just u pleasant to be around.
She has the personality of a wet napkin and is just u pleasant to be around.
lesbian_valkyrie 3 points 2y ago
My store literally makes more money than any store should. A tier one store and we still only get labor for 4 man plays during peak AND 3 people the rest of the day. Opening and closing are only 2 people. I’m an ASM and have been with the company for way too long. I can tell you that a barista who has been with the company for 4 months and a manager who isn’t great at bar CANNOT get less than a 50 second drive time. You need to lay off of them.
Maybe during this pandemic YOUR STORE can run efficiently and get good drive times. Other stores CANNOT. Most partners have quit or are LOA for having COVID-19 or having to take care of family that has it.
Maybe during this pandemic YOUR STORE can run efficiently and get good drive times. Other stores CANNOT. Most partners have quit or are LOA for having COVID-19 or having to take care of family that has it.
stevebuckyy 2 points 2y ago
was this a reply to that jerk down below? you accidentally replied to the whole thread if so. but yeah, 4month barista and sucky manager here; our drive time monitor is broken so we don't know that extent of it buuuuut the average prep time was like 8 minutes. rippppp. we tried our best though :(
lesbian_valkyrie 1 points 2y ago
It was. My bad. You’re totally fine. You did your best and that’s all Mr. Starbucks can ask for 😂
agenttwix 2 points 2y ago
YESSSS my manager is a passive aggressive BITCH. She wanted help unpacking boxes to stock and a big rush came in so we stopped to hop back on bar and she got so mad and said “The customers can wait”😂😂
marilynmansonsbitch 1 points 2y ago
i just hate working with him ‘cause he’s a dick.
LM_x847 1 points 2y ago
I hate it, but don't really have to worry about it since our manager is literally never on the floor.
lea-oppalove 1 points 2y ago
The one thing I hate is the double standards when we're given a set list of expectations but the manager places themself above them and it happens blatantly in front of partners that just got coached on it. The walking away from station is a prime example, bc they're the manager they don't adhere to staying planted. Luckily my manager doesn't do it until the rush ends and usually communicates it, though.
colonade17 1 points 2y ago
The phrase baristas in my store use is that our manager is "a stickler for the rules that don't matter" like no batch blending fraps, and you have to follow routine for complicated drinks that make our routines breakdown.
And then since he only works on the floor about 10 hours per week he can't really do bar very well, but usually insists on being on bar.
And then since he only works on the floor about 10 hours per week he can't really do bar very well, but usually insists on being on bar.
Critical50 [OP] 1 points 2y ago
So who does he blame when times are slow while hes on bar?
Peebles46 1 points 2y ago
EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. when my SM walks into the store everyone just clenches cause she always tries to do every single role like we aren’t doing it properly and ends up messing up the entire flow of the floor. She’s kicked me off bar on several occasions because I wasn’t fast enough, then fucks up every drink and destroys the bar. She’ll try to do that whilst attempting DTO, warming AND POS. Then complains that the energy of the floor is low.
sunnyismybunny 1 points 2y ago
I would love to know WHERE all these stores are that you guys are speaking about/from.
Pre-COVID, 45-47 seconds would get you first in DT time in the district.
Post-COVID, 50-52.
And my district is next to New York Fucking City.
In what universe are you guys achieving under 30 second times like some people are claiming they are? Or even under 40?
Pre-COVID, 45-47 seconds would get you first in DT time in the district.
Post-COVID, 50-52.
And my district is next to New York Fucking City.
In what universe are you guys achieving under 30 second times like some people are claiming they are? Or even under 40?
flynn_frank 1 points 2y ago
Sorry to hear that :/ normally I really enjoy working with our manager on most days, and I'm sure most, if not all of us do as well.
Millerboycls09 1 points 2y ago
My old SM was actually the fastest on bar. She had worked in like a Safeway kiosk by herself for years and then transferred.
Jeffyhere43 1 points 2y ago
Your manager works on the floor? Lol
sizzlethizzle 1 points 2y ago
Meanwhile my manager wants us to hit 30 seconds and maintain our number one position in customer connections in the district.
43richierich43 1 points 2y ago
YES YES YES!!!! i even hate working with some shift supervisors lol
xiew 1 points 2y ago
My manager will bar during peak. When he was transferring to a new store and asked if I wanted to go with I didn’t hesitate. He’s been with the company since like ‘91 and is a 2***** (yes 6 digits) and is the best manager I’ve ever worked with in my 7 years with the company.
baristamathematician 1 points 2y ago
We got a new manager in February and she has been on the floor for a total of two hours the whole time.... so we have the opposite problem!
messybluejaye 1 points 2y ago
Damn..we all got bad managers on the floor
hexsan91 1 points 2y ago
Is this location in CFL by chance? Sounds a lot like my last manager... I’m so glad I took exit pack 3, tbh.
Critical50 [OP] 1 points 2y ago
Central Florida?
official_koda_ 1 points 2y ago
It stresses me out. I don’t understand why people complain about their manager being off the floor all the time, I’m like dang I wish mine was off the floor more
Psychedelic_Doughnut 1 points 2y ago
You think that’s something, try all that but she wants the window time to be below 39 seconds 😂
misodeadinside 1 points 2y ago
Damn I feel like this is most SMs sadly. Are most of them brain washed?
Critical50 [OP] 1 points 2y ago
Well, they get hired from outside. Didnt have to work their way up. So they dont have the same experiences that we do. They're making $50K+/yearly at a pretty, uh, "happy" company. Most of their employees like each other. So their overall outlook on the company would be pretty great.
But they are likely also fed a lot of information by DMs on what matters, and probably get shit on if those things drop. Like customer connection. 🙄
But they are likely also fed a lot of information by DMs on what matters, and probably get shit on if those things drop. Like customer connection. 🙄
[deleted] 1 points 2y ago
[deleted]
TheYesExpress 1 points 2y ago
My SM gives everyone so much anxiety when she’s on the floor.
helloimsad_ 1 points 2y ago
Starbucks managers a different breed
nogodsnocopsnokarens 1 points 2y ago
I used to (previous sm was pretty controlling and very stressful to be on the floor with), but honestly my current store manager and asm are absolutely incredible, and really fun to work on the floor with. They have really positive and understanding attitudes and super fun and aracaris vibes so it’s super chill
[deleted] 1 points 2y ago
[deleted]
0x52and1x52 -32 points 2y ago
Drive thru times should definitely be under 50 and you’re supposed to stay planted during peak so she’s kinda right.
Good_Viibes 20 points 2y ago
DriVe thRu tIMeS sHOulD deFinItElY bE uNdEr 50 aNd yoU’rE suPpOsED tO sTaY pLAntEd dURinG pEaK sO sHE’s kINdA riGhT
0x52and1x52 -10 points 2y ago
Ok
lesbian_valkyrie 13 points 2y ago
If you read, they were the only 2 who could bar. OP is four months in AND the manager can’t bar that well. How are they supposed to have a drive time under 50? ALSO, Starbucks has cut labor so bad that most stores during peak only have 4 people on the floor. Staying planted isn’t a thing when that happens.
0x52and1x52 -5 points 2y ago
We bar with 2 people right now and it’s stressful but we still stay planted...
Kaywin 2 points 2y ago
I think it depends on your volume and the physical size of your store, too. I can tell you right now we could NOT survive if every one of our partners weren’t competent on bar. My store has 30+ partners total.
stevebuckyy 1 points 2y ago
i'm so jealous,,,, our store has maybe 12 people... and only five bar people.
stevebuckyy 13 points 2y ago
found the manager!
0x52and1x52 -6 points 2y ago
Nope, it’s just our goal is a 37 and we’re high volume. It’s kinda like common sense during peak. I don’t really care but your manager is literally just doing their job.
Critical50 [OP] 11 points 2y ago
You sometimes have to leave your station.
Sometimes my customer support doesnt restock something I need, they might be busy or something. So I go get lids or cups myself when its a little slow, because its close by, saves them a bit of time, etc.
Sometimes my customer support doesnt restock something I need, they might be busy or something. So I go get lids or cups myself when its a little slow, because its close by, saves them a bit of time, etc.
0x52and1x52 -9 points 2y ago
What position? I can understand DTO but bar should never ever leave during peak unless you have zero drinks.
Critical50 [OP] 6 points 2y ago
That'd be the idea if a lot of the people in my store werent slow...
I cant make them go any faster. So I go faster for them.
I cant make them go any faster. So I go faster for them.
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