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Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind

Full History - 2020 - 10 - 09 - ID#j85yuc
336
Have you ever wanted to call your manager and say you’ve lost your power, your water, and your will to live? Cause me too. (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by EmAlkaline
Power’s been out for 3 days. It’s hella cold, and I’ve been getting ready by candlelight at 4am cause I’m an opener. Every day. The only person who has to open every day, mind you.

Yesterday, approximately 100,000 people were out of power. We were one of the few places up and running, so where do you think everyone went for food and drinks?

Water main just broke in my area, too. No water.

I had to miss a graduate class yesterday cause guess what? No power.

I’m sitting in my car (which broke down this morning going in to work) with my phone plugged in to try and charge it up a little bit.

I’m up for promotion at work, apparently. Which I mean cool but also that’s a lot.

Was yelled at by my manager twice today for stupid things. Like talking to my coworkers instead of the customers in the cafe who weren’t interested in chatting - believe me, I’d tried.

I recently left my boyfriend of 1.5 years and moved back in with my parents at nearly 24 years old cause even working full time I can’t afford my own place.

And you know what? I’m fresh out of fucks to give.

I don’t wanna go to work tomorrow.

Edit: Thank you to everyone who’s shown their concern! I want you all to know I’m okay (or at least will be), I’ll be having a girls’ night with a friend of mine tomorrow night, there’s a bottle of wine with my name on it for that sole purpose, and my power will hopefully be back on late tomorrow night.

My water’s back on, and I’m just going to keep telling myself that getting ready by candlelight at 4am is romantic and Mary Shelley as f*ck. I have a couple days off coming up anyway.

Update: I didn’t call out, I’m at work and I’m chilling. My manager was kind enough to put me on drive today as I asked since I’ve been on bar all day all week! She seems to be back to her usual kind self, I think yesterday was just an off day for her. No word on power, but that’s expected!
kaitlyn_vargas 68 points 2y ago
I’m so sorry about this sadly Starbucks doesn’t seem to care about us or our equipment i bump screen is so broken they couldn’t even fix it when they came into replace a part. I feel like I work so much but my paycheck says another thing. I am so sorry for you air hug through the phone
EmAlkaline [OP] 14 points 2y ago
Thanks, love. That really means a whole lot!
Koalastars009 18 points 2y ago
Keep us posted! :( is there anything you can do to at least get the water back on? That sounds terrible. I would call in splurge on a hotel if you can. At least for a day. Is there a reason for the power outage?
EmAlkaline [OP] 10 points 2y ago
I will, thank you for your concern! I’ll be okay - Luckily water’s back on, and we have gas heating for that, so that’s good.

There were severe storms through my area on Wednesday with gusts up to 110mph, so about 8 trees fell on power lines just in my street alone. Sooo many people have been without power, we just happened to have to deal with it a little longer because of the downed lines. Hopefully we’ll have power back by late tomorrow night, though!
Koalastars009 4 points 2y ago
Stay safe!!! Stock up on a couple of portable chargers when you can! I have a few that I use for video stuff (ring light, mic) but I try to charge them up when a bad storm is coming through.
EmAlkaline [OP] 5 points 2y ago
Thank you!! Honestly the storm took literally everyone by surprise - it moved so fast it was crazy and no one had any idea one was coming. It took between 5 and 10 minutes for the whole thing to pass and it was super powerful. Luckily, though, my dad has this obsession with portable chargers and such because he travels a lot for work on a regular basis! My mom just had all the chargers with her at work today so she could re-charge them for us. I had to sit in my car and charge my phone enough to email professors to explain my situation (which they all understood thankfully).

If anything, I’m lucky I’m as prepared as I am. You have the right idea: portable chargers? Amazing inventions.
Koalastars009 5 points 2y ago
If only the power went out at Starbucks 😔
sparkytheboomman 8 points 2y ago
You can definitely call out. Especially if you don’t really care about that promotion lol. I know it feels wrong but if you really just need a break and you’re literally working every day, take a break man. This job is not worth disregarding your mental or physical wellbeing.
EmAlkaline [OP] 7 points 2y ago
You’re definitely right. But I think with my anxiety and depression, it’s probably good for me to go anyway for the sake of keeping a routine. Plus, after tomorrow I have Sunday and Monday off!

(Kinda - I still have grad school stuff to do, but I’m used to it all. Plus I have a girls’ night planned and a bottle of wine to go through.)
Nemoitto 3 points 2y ago
Can I be honest? I cried inside for you cuz I’ve been there. I loved being a barista but starbucks doesn’t give a shit how you’re actually doing beyond those doors. I know all too well. I worked there for a long time and even tho promised promotions, none. Yeah their big idea of a promotion is making you a lead and giving you store manager responsibilities. It seems cool at first like oh everybody look at me being all in charge but in the end it doesn’t matter and none of that stress that comes with it is not that serious and you shouldn’t bare it. The only thing good of Starbucks is the people you meet there and they’re the ones who will care the most about you.

Now I know I said starbucks doesn’t care right, okay well yeah, they really don’t, they need you more than you need them which is why they even have a funding for baristas where hey can help you out with like $1000 tops depending on the situation at hand. I got it twice from the starbucks cup fund. It’s another way to make them look good and keep you there. I’m not saying it doesn’t help but hey it is what it is. You’re in a situation because of them, meaning not enough pay, too many hours, too much stress, and making baristas give no fucks anymore by the day. I hope you get through whatever it is you’re going through okay. I’ve been there. And I was a damn good barista. People who hated everyone even loved me. I got mad tips, customers bring me food and offer to take me on trips like they knew me or some shit lol. The job was cool, but that’s about it...it’s just a cool job, nothing more.

It’s not meant to help you have a house if your own. I only did cuz I had two jobs. Talk to me if you need any more advice or starbucks knowledge, I was a coffee master too, still got my two black aprons. I’m always open to try and help :)
EmAlkaline [OP] 2 points 2y ago
Thankfully when they say I’m up for promotion, they mean it - a shift lead just left and they’re actively training a few of us to see who’s the best fit. But I’m still not sure I’ll take it - I’ve on my been there for 5 months, and there are others there who are soo much better at some things than me. Also it’s the only thing on their plate, and it’s not the only thing on mine.

I’ll definitely look into the cup fund! It would probably be super helpful at the moment! I’m definitely not looking for a house of my own right now, but an apartment would’ve been a nice option. Unfortunately that’s just not an option for me right now because... I don’t make enough to get my own apartment and I don’t want a roommate. Lol!

Thank you so so much for your offer, it really means a lot to me!!
Nemoitto 1 points 2y ago
Absolutely, anytime. I just don’t like watching others go down the same rabbit hole as I did. But there is one good thing I’ll tell you of which came from it...I’ll tell you in a chat. It’s personal lol.
audig96 3 points 2y ago
I’m 24 and recently had to move back in with my parents, I’m also a “full time” employee for Starbs. Last day is next Saturday and I do not have a backup plan if that tells ya anything haha I think it’s fair for you to call out, though. They’re lucky to have you
EmAlkaline [OP] 2 points 2y ago
They were lucky to have you, too! You deserve better than that. I’m glad you have a safe space with your family. You’ll get through this.
wuxtrywuxtry 3 points 2y ago
How long is the power in your area going to be out!!! That's really shitty man, but you can reach out to your fellow partners if you need help. And if your local partners won't cover for you just fucking call in.
EmAlkaline [OP] 2 points 2y ago
They’re hoping power will be back on by late tomorrow night! I thought about doing all of that, but honestly I think going in might be my best bet for my own sanity. Plus, at least it’s warm there! It would be nice to have something to take my mind off stuff, and work tends to be a coping mechanism for me because it keeps me in a routine.
blockparted 2 points 2y ago
...you’re in the Capital region aren’t you?
EmAlkaline [OP] 2 points 2y ago
Omg yes lmao
blockparted 1 points 2y ago
It’s ridiculous! My boyfriend lives in Ravena and only got it back last night. I work at the mall and a tree blocked one of the exits.
Nigee_Ogee 2 points 2y ago
I’m so sorry! 😓😓
EmAlkaline [OP] 2 points 2y ago
Thank you! I’ll be okay - power should hopefully be on later today!
NOTcreative- 2 points 2y ago
Hi. I’m really sorry to hear about your situation. Why did you lose power? Your situation, with your car breaking down on top of it I would say, apply for the cup fund. That is what it is there for. I hope you are taking advantage of Lyra, you have a lot of stressors on you, moving back in with your parents, a break up, power and water loss, car breaking down. That is a lot for even the most resilient of people to deal with. I feel for you. You seem to be taking it in stride which is commendable but it is okay to not be okay. Reach out for help beyond Reddit.

Your manager should be able to identify and know that someone isn’t right and you’re not your usual self. They should bring you aside and look you in the eyes and ask with compassion if everything is alright. How can they support you? Offer you guidance and resources for help. Not yell at you for bullshit. That is not a manger living up to the mission and values we set out to create. I’d encourage you to be transparent with your manager and tell them your situation. They should react with empathy and ask what you need.

If that is not how your manager treats you I’d encourage you to call PRSC and tell them about your experience, that is what they are there for, to ensure we are living up to our mission and values at every level. It’s an underutilized resource for partners. Option 3 on our help line number, if you need that feel free to DM me.

Don’t give up, you’re 24. Things may look and feel shitty now but I promise they get better. The 20s sucked for me (barely out of them). Sometimes life throws us curveballs and we take a few steps back, which can be disheartening but, we come out on the other side, stronger as long as we push through it.
EmAlkaline [OP] 1 points 2y ago
I’ll see about the cup fund for sure! Sounds like something I may benefit from, and I’m sure that would be helpful!

My manager’s usually great, but I think she had an off day yesterday - she’s back to herself again today! I think the past couple days have been a lot for us

And finally, don’t worry! I’m not about to give up. I just had a moment where I felt super overwhelmed. I’ve been through soooo much worse than this, this is just a bump in the road and I’m more than aware of that. Thank you so much for your support, I hope you know it means a lot to me!
lovelydare 2 points 2y ago
we had record breaking fires maybe 5 miles away from my work and they still expected us to come in. they dont care.
EmAlkaline [OP] 2 points 2y ago
Damnnnn that’s absolutely awful. I’m sorry, fam. You deserve better than that.
lovelydare 1 points 2y ago
we all do. 🥺
converter-bot 2 points 2y ago
5 miles is 8.05 km
[deleted] 1 points 2y ago
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