Your customers are shit. I worked at Starbucks for a while before going to work at a local roaster and the difference in customers is unbelievable. A Starbucks near my work shut down recently so a lot of their customers started coming to my roaster. Gave me Vietnam flashbacks with how nasty and entitled some of them are. The fact that they’ll come in and order some ridiculous Starbucks drink at a completely different business then act like toddlers when we tell them that we don’t do that is absurd.

I honestly feel this. I used to really enjoy my job and looked forward to going every day. Now I come home every day exhausted and sometimes in tears. I wish people treated us like human

I’m just losing it. Also is there anyway to contact corporate or pcc or something similar to the partner surveys they ask us to fill out over the way we are being treated by customers via starbucks not giving a shit about their employees. I realize it will most likely achieve nothing but I still think it’s worth the try or at least the closure in my mind.

I just started a few weeks ago and I can already feel this myself. People are so mean when I’m still basically learning and no better off than they are on how to run the register. I had a person tell me “it’s not that hard to just push buttons” when looking for their stupid ridiculous custom tiktok order...

agreed. i feel like a robot who isn’t allowed to have any emotions

You aren’t alone in this. I know it’s easier said than done, but just realize that this time is a hard time for everyone. Everyone is frustrated and stressed in their own ways and they just happen to take it out on you. The best thing to do is try to keep your head up and try to be a little beam of sunshine in this dark world. Again, easier said than done and I’m not downplaying your frustration.

On the other hand, you should definitely communicate your frustrations with someone especially if you feel like it’s so bad that you aren’t able to keep up with covid regulations, because that’s so important right now.

Best of luck to you and just try to keep your head up. It will get better and hopefully soon.

I feel like making it a “third place” is just as much the customers’ responsibility as it is yours. But of course, they don’t give a shit. You are excepted to just roll over, kiss ass, and smile. Sorry, mate. Hope your customers get better and more respectful. My store’s customers are 30% decent, 30% kind, and 40% shit. So I guess I’m winning.

Honestly though. When I started at my new store I LOVED it. I had an amazing team and we had so many nice regulars who I quickly got attached to and learned their names and drinks by heart. I loved going to work and I loved connecting with all different kinds of people (safely, of course).

But I feel like over recent months, especially in the winter season and through the holidays, people just got....different. Most of the regulars that came in when I first started don’t come in that often anymore, and the few new ones we have aren’t nearly as friendly. My team has changed SO much in the ten months I’ve been at my store, and while mostly everyone is great, there just isn’t the same vibe anymore. We’re constantly short staffed and it feels like it’s a constant battle between what the morning crew does and what the night crew does and doesn’t do. Just yesterday I had to defend the night shift to two morning shifts because they were complaining about how things don’t get done, and I had to try and explain to them (with no success) that between constant mobile orders (that don’t turn off until 30 minutes until we close and come in CONSTANTLY), closing tasks, and customers coming in, it was hard to get all the extra stuff done between just two people. They said the morning shift was far more busy which they were right, it is, but when your pre-closer leaves at 7 or 7:30 and you still have more dishes, more backups, constantly having to stock, mobile orders and cafe orders, with just one barista and one shift, they’re honestly lucky we get the bare minimum done.

Anyways. I’m about to take a leave of absence for mental health reasons and during that time I’m going to start looking for another job. I hate it because I once loved being a barista, but the job is too mentally exhausting for the amount of money I make. I miss the old days when I first started—I miss being able to leave work without feeling stressed out the ass.

People get so comfortable with being catered to. Regulars who insist we cut drink carriers in half for them. Regulars who demand 40 packets of honey every day. Venti double shots from hell.

I’m thankful to have a kickass team that we can laugh about these things, but my god, why are people like this?

I feel this post so much. Between having to remind people to wear a mask a year into a pandemic and all these stupid tiktok drinks that people expect us to know... I'm annoyed most of the time. Plus then not having staff to add insult to injury, it's exhausting.

I'm lucky enough to work with great partners, but jesus management is so out of touch with what we go through.

I’m so sorry. This is so hard. I had a SM who had no clue how to staff the floor or order everything, we were chronically out of everything and short staffed. It was so stressful and frustrating. I learned in my experience when interacting with guests to fake-apologize, have boundaries, and let go of things that are out of my control. “I’m so sorry for the long wait, I would feel the same if I were in your shoes. The reason is bc we are really short staffed/haven’t received enough of XX product/ whatevs the reason is. Please feel free to share that feedback with my SM so they know to have more people on the shift/order more product.”

This sounds like a problem with people (read: education) in general.

I get this. Just remember though covid has hit and taken a toll on everyone. It’s sucks but we don’t know what people are going through. They could be unemployed or lost someone to covid. I understand enforcing rules is tiring. I’m not saying that taking it out on us is ok but I’m just saying we don’t know what happens in other people’s personal lives.

As for being understaffed ask your manager if they can schedule more people. Tell them you’re understaffed and that it’s hard to get closing stuff done when you’re understaffed.