This is the mood at my store lately. Though we have a nice SM, just can’t seem to keep enough people on the schedule to where it feels stable. Finally got the go ahead to hire a ton of new baristas but can’t get them in and trained fast enough. I’m one of those shifts having to step down because the burnout has complicated my medical conditions. It sucks that the only option for me to reduce hours like my doctor told me to is to demote myself.

This seems to be a really common theme lately..... my store has been struggling like this too. It lit a fire under my butt to reapply to college because I just can’t do this forever. Originally I had joined Starbucks with the intention of becoming an SM, and now as a SSV I see behind the veil of how things are dealt with and I want nothing to do with it. This company is working its most vital partners into the ground

You’ll be sad to know that this could have been written about many of our stores. Like.. to the point where I feel like you may work at mine haha

Hi yes this sounds exactly like my store. I worked 12 out of 14 days because we were desperate for coverage but I’ve worked myself into a serious illness and have now had to take 5 days off to rest. At the end of the day remember this is just starbucks and just a job and your health should always be your top priority!

Same at my store. Always understaffed and out of everything. Customers stay salty at us because they don’t get what they want even though baristas don’t order supplies. We are always scrambling and shifts get stressed bc sometimes not everything can get done. We don’t get paid enough for the work we are doing. When I go in for my shift I’ll end up doing the work that should be split between 3-4 people because we simply don’t have enough people to run the store smoothly.

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My store feels like a circus too. It's honestly laughable that a company as successful as Starbucks does not follow basic business concepts. (In that way, it reminds me of when I worked for my city government.) Here's a few tidbits about my store: 1. We have a partner who calls out sick all the time. He's a morning partner, so his absence is more serious. Since Starbucks allows this behavior to a ridiculous extent and does not allow management to ask for proof of illness, this behavior of his just continues. 2. I'm getting bullied by a partner, and nothing is done about it. The highest-up I've reported the partner to is my store manager. The best she could do was to try to schedule me at different times than the partner. 3. When a promotion to shift supervisor was available, the partner by far the least qualified for the job got the promotion. Unsurprisingly, he's not doing a good job in his new role and even told me he doesn't like having it. I've told my manager to transfer me to another store, but the adjacent ones didn't want me. It sucks because I truly care about my store, but I'm not respected there. I've been considering applying to coffee shops in my city that aren't global corporations like Starbucks is and that will likely have some common sense in how they run their business. The only thing making me feel loyal to Starbucks is the free college degree.

same with my store. experience two partners crying on the floor back to back days. Needless to say, it's been overwhelming for all of us.

I took it on as a second job to compliment working from home. $10-11/hr was not enough payoff for the amount of stress this job causes. Had to put in my two weeks notice.

The profits from brown sugar drinks should go directly to baristas.

We had a shift step down and 9 people leave, including myself, in the last month. Most had been there 1-3 years. I'm not sure about other peoples' mass exodus but I was tired of my morning block catching covid, getting called in for 4am shifts that I was never initially signed up for, getting all the abuse from customers and management, tightening restrictions on every partner for "fairness", and then seeing those same partners who screwed us all going out and partying the next night posting all over socials. *They went through the security tapes to check if I marked out everything properly because a different block couldn't get their shit together but they're the DM's block so they never get full blame.*

Starbucks response to the pandemic completely lacked partner care. They pushed to reopen and get back to normal without accounting for the needs of partners. We’re overworked, overwhelmed, understaffed, and under-appreciated. The company is trying to financially recover from giving us hazard pay by focusing solely on sales, which means partners suffer greatly. But the company doesn’t care as long as they stay profitable.

We need a union lol this is BS

I blame lack of leadership skills. Thankfully, I’m at a cafe store and most of the shifts and management luckily have never lacked it. But I hear horror stories about other drive thru stores and makes me weary about my promotion to shift and having to leave this store.

Same. Understaffed and overworked, for years. At least 12. The past 2 have been really bad though. And training has been absolute garbage for years now too. So good people quit and are replaced with shit people who get crap training and there's never time to learn cuz it's always so god damn busy. It's a never ending cycle. And then you have the sms and dms who micromange you and only give a shit about drive times. How about the mental and physical health of your "partners" who you work like they are robots? This company seriously took a wrong turn years ago and has never managed to get back to what it used to be.

Hahahahaha yo do you work at my store, this shit is bonkers and it does not stop.

I quit last month. 2 other people quit after me.

We had the slowest drive thru in the state because our SM would understaff us and DTO would end up doing food. Front/support would end up doing food for cafe as well but if it got really busy cafe bar would have to do their own food.

It was a nightmare. Everything took forever to get out, customers were terrible to us. I really liked everyone I worked with and the manager was really nice we just never seemed to have enough people to get things done quickly and correct. This was a weekend job for me while I finished grad school, it’s not worth the frustration for me anymore.

Same for my store

Holy shit this is me right now. I'm the closing shift and we've been so busy that nothing gets done during the day. Literally nothing. We're too busy and too understaffed to do anything besides man the reg and bar. No time to prep or clean or anything. And my manager knows it. She was literally talking to our DM not but 2hrs ago on the floor about opening our fucking lobby. Like, are you crazy? Only like 4 of our staff has had vaccines, we've been understaffed for the last 2 months with all new partners and you want to toss that into the mix?! I'm literally spending an extra hour to two hours just cleaning the damn store because we're on a skeleton crew of green beans as it is just to scrape together some form of decency for the opening crew to complain about when they're literally unable to do their own tasks already. God I'm so fucking done. This job is not worth it.

My heart is with you all here, I’ve been out on disability for over 2 years (it’s a very long story and I may post my story in the near future but I can’t right now for legal reasons). It was downright awful and ridiculous even when I was there, well before Covid and all. I had considered returning when I am physically able to but only if I could step all the way down from ASM back to barista, which means I’d have to transfer to a different store or possibly even a different district. I played the tape through of all the scenarios with returning and... I decided I just can’t do it. I see all the posts here and how it seems worse than ever- again, my heart is with you all ❤️ I know how demoralizing and disenchanting this job can make you feel, I once loved my job and this company but it truly does not resemble what it once was

I feel your guys pain as well. We been understaffed and I work more than 50 hours that cause me to lose my voice and I think I need a break. I been dealing with a lot at my store as well and thankfully my DM and SM are cool and dealing with the situations. Already planning my week off because it’s too. It always falls down to the same person and it’s not fair.

I'm reading this on my half and it's hitting super close to home. Every week is busier than the last, especially in the afternoon and evening, for no apparent reason. Our labor has barely increased, and I just heard that the busiest store in our district, which is pretty nearby is going to close for a full week for renovation. Today is just a random Thursday, but it feels like a Saturday during holiday season. I can't do any more than I'm already doing, and I don't know how to handle it if it gets any busier. More expectations are constantly being put on me ans the other shifts at our store, but it's all we can do just to stay afloat. The main reason I stay is for ASU, but I keep putting off going back because I can't handle even one course on top of this. I'm sick of having to work harder with every week for the same pay, just so I can make some wealthy people even wealthier.

tldr; I'm feeling burnt out too. Fuck this place. Eat the rich.

As a partner who just hospitalized for a serious mental break, I feel this deep in my soul. :(


We cannot keep up at this pace, Starbucks as a company is running partners into the dust.

Do you work at my store? Because this is almost exactly.

I just transferred locations, but my last location moral was definitely low. In January hours were cut in half across the whole staff. It was really rough. Apparently all but one person has since requested to transfer. So far, I'm the only successful one.

I was with the bucks for about a year. I looked around and there wasn’t a single face in the morning crew that was from when I started. I felt like I had to do the work of multiple people. And then I still felt like I wasn’t doing enough. I was never recognized for being extra with customers but we’re ALWAYS being pushed to build that connection. I was tired of being a shift and literally just lost the patience and quit one day. I don’t think I’ll go back. And it’s actually put me off from getting another customer service job. It’s rough. But those of u that are keeping with it are so strong and I’m so proud!! I haven’t even been back as a customer, I make all my coffee at home now.

they keep hiring new people at my store and it really feels like no one gives a damn because its too busy, i feel like i’m not being paid to retrain most of them and politely step around them when they’re in my way while im busting ass, i hate my job with a passion, im sick and im tired

I believe every store in the country is facing the same crisis. Understaffed, overly work partners, not enough hours a week, we are short on almost every product we need to make those drinks but the siren if not caring for the people that work for her. It’s exhausting having to work under those conditions and to have to put up with nasty people, their demands and have to do it day after day is not fair to us. For one good customer there are 10 more entitled ones, we don’t get paid enough for the amount of things we go through.

just went on a month long LOA to keep myself afloat in this world. my mental health team was not letting me over work myself in conditions like this anymore. starbucks is becoming ridiculous and we're pulling multiple 50 orders in 30 mins a day multiple days with maybe only 2-3 trained partners who are carrying the shift each day. this is insane.

I started working at my store about 6 months ago and I am working more hours than my shifts and my store manager. I get 1 day off a week IF someone doesn't call in, which is a running theme at my store and with no one in my town actually wanting to work and with my SM being picky of who he hires, it seems like something that won't end anytime soon.

I think this is most stores right now... it’s because Starbucks is so fucking stingy, they refuse to properly staff us. Giving incentives to managers for saving money as well. As if that helps. Not to mention, doing happy hours (I know they’re on pause as of now) and then forcing us to run a 4-5 man play when drinks by the hundreds are coming in. I’ve been a partner for 6 years and we have been a downward spiral as of the past year or two. Don’t see it getting better. They’re too money hungry.

My store manger keeps getting fussed at by the DM because were “scheduling too many ppl per shift” but when we don’t we start drowning then we get fussed at when we close late but’s that because we’re getting. Rushes until close so there’s no pre cleaning so we’re being over worked then we have new trainees who get very little training ppl quitting because it’s too much it’s wack I toatally get it

Hey. I was there a few months ago. I quit and it was the best thing I’ve ever done. If you don’t mind kids look into being a nanny!

I quit because my store was causing an excess of stress and they wouldn’t let me cut my hours slightly. I was working at a cafe before and it was fine but be constantly understaffed and scrutinized starts to get to you.

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Not at Starbucks but same here. We are losing peoplr all over the shop, new hires coming in. It's awful. I've been burning out for a while

It’s been especially bad these past few weeks. I’m a 230 and haven’t been this burnt out in such a short span of time. We’re running out of everything and hitting 116 transactions in 30 min during peak. There’s like three consistent bar partners and I’m one of them. I’m just tired. Tired of making the drinks, tired of rude customers, tired of telling the same people every day to wear a mask. Tired.

our store is just the same. i work in a kiosk in a local grocery store chain, and we have the equivalent of one SM, one trainer, me, and two other girls who both only work 1-2 days a week. i’ve threatened to grocery store management every day for a month that i’m quitting, if only another job offer would pull through i would be out of there so fast. i love my coworkers and my manager, we are all close and include each other in our lives outside the kiosk. it’s just crazy how they think they will really pull more applicants when they are hiring ~$2 less than what other retail stores offer directly next door. it’s such a shame bc i love starbucks, i love the coffee, i love our regulars... but i can’t do that bullshit shifts with nothing clean, no coverage, no anything anymore it’s wild.

Thinks this is universal right now. One of our shifts gave her two weeks , another is in the verge and two partners straight up quit over the weekend.

That’s how it is at my store too. 4 people put in their notice this week including myself. We went from doing $3000 a day to $7000 and our labor has been getting cut every week. I’ve heard managers get personal bonuses for cutting labor, so I’m guessing that’s why we’re all suffering.

Just worked my first shift in four months that was properly staffed (or at least close to it). Seven people total, shifts decided to pull second bar at 8am, forcing me to solo bar for the entirety of my 7 hour shift while all shift leads just talked in the back. Put in my two weeks notice, I will not be showing up for any shifts next week, perhaps the shift leads will finally be forced to work bar if I’m not there.

This is how my store is too. It's bonkers. In the last month, we have hit record sales, like in the history of our store that's been around 10+ years.

Bad management and extra crazy business seems to be the new normal :/ 4 other shifts and myself (also a shift) quit within the last month as well as quite a few baristas.

wow do we work at the same store?? lmao i’ve been telling my partners it’s burnout season.. i can only assume this is the result of how sbux has been treating us especially since covid hit. sending much much much love to all of y’all going through similar situations 🤍