Hello fellow slaves of the siren.


An elderly regular of mine was getting his usual one morning before quarantine when he said his birthday was soon. I asked him jokingly if he had any wisdom to share with a young whippersnapper like me. What he said was this: “Your worth is never determined by what you do. Your worth is inherent, always there, no matter what your job is or what you accomplish.” He got very emotional while telling me this and it didn’t strike a chord until now.

Before quarantine I was a Starbucks robot. I have never really gotten approval from my parents or romantic partners, and as a result I searched desperately for validation of any kind. Getting approval from managers and supervisors was where I found validation and self-worth.

I have several mental illnesses that make me vulnerable to others and people frequently take advantage of this.

Pre-quarantine, I would do the absolute most. I’m sure everyone knows a barista like this. I would hang on every word my managers said, do anything they asked me to do, and work every shift with a kind of rushed, panicked, tensed up approach. I would literally do dishes like my life depended on it on a slow Monday afternoon just so I could feel like I was worthwhile. I would do everyone else’s jobs.

Quarantine really put things into perspective for me. I can run around and work myself to death as much as I want, but there are two things that will never change:

1. I will still be paid the same as the bored, lazy teenager sitting on till the entire day.

2. I will still seek validation from others, and those in positions of power will continue to take advantage of this vulnerability for their own gain.

Ever since quarantine ended and my store reopened, I’ve made a special effort to just... do my job. Do what is expected of me, be responsible, but do NOT do 1000 x more than I need to. I actually have energy now to go home and do things I enjoy, not just pass out immediately.

Hilariously enough, the managers of my store have noticed this. They actually asked me if something was wrong because I no longer go above and beyond every single day. I told them the truth and they were visibly disappointed (I was regularly doing parts of their job too that I wasn’t expected to, and had stopped) that I wasn’t their slave anymore.

I just want to say... don’t give more of yourself than the company deserves. Don’t fall for the constant propaganda. At the end of the day we are all easily replaceable.

I know many of us are looking for something more in life. We want meaning because working a minimum wage job just to survive fucking sucks. Starbucks has a culture that is a magnet for young and vulnerable people looking for purpose and meaning (and a job, lol.) Starbucks insists that we are a family and that it IS worth our time to dedicate way more energy and time to the company than we are really being paid to (in the name of values that are so human it feels like betrayal to resist them at first).

Don’t fall for it.. don’t work hours you won’t be paid for. Don’t stay longer at your shift if you don’t want to. Don’t come in early if it means you won’t have time to eat breakfast. If the store is falling behind in one way or another and you are truly doing your job, it’s not your fault that things aren’t done, it’s the fault of whoever made the schedule and it’s not your responsibility to fix by giving more of yourself than you can afford to.

There is a deeper purpose in life but it’s not at Starbucks. Be good to your coworkers and community but never let the fancy words of the company make you forget that you are a minimum wage worker, a business bottom-feeder, and an excellent individual with so much opportunity elsewhere that you can only afford to give the company exactly how much energy and time they are paying for.