I'm gonna say this probably every day until I die, now, so here you go: three tips for Starbucks and also food service in general.

1) There are only two states at Starbucks: You're either in the way or on a break. There is nothing else.
*What it means*: don't apologize or feel useless because you're in someone's way while training. That's normal, and you'll learn to work with it. Don't minimize yourself, just take up the space you take up and learn to be part of the flow.

2) The busier it gets, the slower you move.
*What it means*: The temptation is to start to rush rush rush as things get busier, but you end up sending your brain into panic mode, which means you mess up or forget things and spend a lot of time on fixes. When it gets busy, take a deep breath and slow down your thought process, begin to move with purpose. You'll end up being faster because you'll make fewer missteps, and your calming energy will make everyone relax so it'll feel less stressful for everyone (including customers!) It's the difference between basically throwing drinks at people ("tallvanillalatteforSamthankyou") and taking the two seconds to connect with them ("Sam, I've got your tall vanilla latte! Have a great day!"). And it does make a difference.

3) It's just coffee.
*What it means:* Dude, none of this matters. None of it mattered before COVID, and certainly none of it matters now. So what if Lucy wants an iced espresso but please fill it with cream she's not paying for? So what if Chris wants you to brew an entire quarter batch of dark roast because he "doesn't like pourovers"? So what if Margie literally lies to your face about what she ordered? It's just coffee. Is it annoying? YES. Is it worth picking a fight? PROBABLY NOT. (It is sometimes. But it's probably not your fight to pick anyway; send your SSV after 'em.) Don't take it too seriously, and don't let it get to you. Everyone will survive this interaction, no matter how stupid or petty or actually laughable it gets.
*I totally say "Hey, no big deal, it's just coffee!" to customers to lighten the mood when I'm trying to sooth ruffled feathers, and it usually works great.*

Don’t rush the learning process. You’ll get there. Take a deep breath, it’s a low paying job and it’s just coffee, or should I say sugary milk. The customers will yell and many aren’t friendly, but just walk away. Don’t fight back, don’t give them the satisfaction or the upper hand.

I honestly hate it - the pay does not equate to the mental stress it’s given me in less than a month