It's not that simple if you care about out the window times or connection scores. Even if you don't, your bosses do (because the company is cutting labor when these measures are bad.) Busy customers who order one drink off the menu (standard build,) maybe one food item, wait longer when the customer ahead of them orders one or more byzantine drinks that a stressed barista must figure out. Even the POS process takes longer in the cafe or DTO when you deal with one of these beverage hedonist/adventurers. This "reasonable customer" who orders one or two drinks off the menu (there, I said it) then becomes resentful and less connectable, I have seen it happen. I wish we could maintain an express line for that customer, who orders standard builds off the menu. For the purposes of my post, I include decaf/blonde and alt milk in "standard build."

I mean this in the most non condescending way possible. Have you thought about taking a break from the Starbucks themed social media/propaganda/news.
I did this myself because I'd read complaints, then take them to work with me... if that makes sense. Like anticipate my customers to be the Karen's I see on this sub. But after a few days I realized I was just extra cynical at work. So I gave myself some time off from this sub.

I realize that's not your complaint, but this is a platform that is dedicated to baristas, their support and their rants. Someone probably posts a post like this once a week. Just as someone will always complain about work, even if you don't think its a big deal...

At the end of the day, corporate Starbucks makes their money, customers will order drinks(let's face it, if a pandemic won't deter them, a random post or article sure as hell won't either), social media will put out modified drinks, workers will complain about work. But if it's getting to a point where it's getting to you, you can take a break from it.

Ok, but customers aren't getting nicer since the pandemic hit. They're getting more demanding, short-tempered and plain rude (obviously not all customers). Baristas are never going to stop blowing off steam and complaining about over-the-top drinks is one way we do it.

We're human we need to vent. And as long as number one and number two on that "How not to annoy your barista" list is 1. Treat them like fucking humans and 2. Tell them the fucking drink size so they don't have to ask 50 times, I don't care.

If corporate has a problem with how this reflects on the company, they could try backing up baristas against abusive customers and fixing the app to prevent them from putting drinks in smaller cups, or ordering a no foam cappuccino.

I literally don’t care about alienating customers lmaooo

Every time this gets posted between here and the main sub, it's because people are looking solely at employee posts on social media.

Please remember that social media is often the only place where people get to vent freely, and is absolutely **not** representative of how employees are on the floor/on the clock.

If customers see this stuff and base their opinion around it, that's on them. Everybody and their nan complains up and down about their job everywhere, and knows that when *they* complain, that it isn't always an actual representation of how they feel about their job... so why would it be any different?

hey yeah so um, i don’t really have the energy to give a shit about the ✨customer experience✨ when my own experience is hot garbage. i’d be more apt to prioritize the customer if management would prioritize the wellbeing of the partner.

Found the person with the extra ass drink order 🙄

I make it my goal to alienate customers 🤣🤣🤣

“we get paid the same whether we’re making an iced chair or a 9-step frappuccino” exactly so i’m not keen to make a thousand complicated frappuccinos while getting yelled at ab drive times for less than a living wage. thank you for your time

corporate isnt going to help us, i think the only thing that might make people stop is getting shamed lol. listen, if it was once in a while, maybe a couple times a day when there wasnt a line, fine. i'll make ur dumbass drink and i'll even ask you if it's good. it's the VOLUME of stupid drinks by people who dont even like coffee... it's eroding the brand and my patience, and i think we should be allowed to complain about it. it's borderline disrespectful.

Coming from a busy DT store, I think it's the emphasis on maintaining drive times while dealing with complex orders and being understaffed that creates added frustrations.

Frankly I think customers should think more about how their behaviors and unnecessary orders affect us. I don't see it as a bad thing... but if they want to assume I'm a bitch just because I'm a barista who experiences frustrations with work like everyone else..well that's on them. I will still make the drinks and be polite, but don't shame me if I want to vent about it later.

I feel like a lot of complaints are less about customers themselves, and more a lack of support for the change in way they order. We’re being staffed like every drink is an iced chai, but instead every drink is a 9 step vanilla sweet cream cold foam essay. Starbucks clearly knows that most drinks are being heavily modified now, but has only very recently put out an update for a standard on “light ice” of all things. They’re moving very slowly, if at all, to support baristas during some stressful changes and a lot of us would simply appreciate them being a little more supportive or transparent. Instead it feels like my workload has tripled, and there’s no visible changes being made down the road to make it more efficient or ease the tension.

So when I first joined the sub, a lot of the posts were pretty valid with ridiculous drinks, but recently I've been seeing a lot of complaining about drink orders that aren't even difficult. Like they just wanted to talk shit about someone ordering a blonde vanilla latte with 8 whole pumps of vanilla. I think venting is a healthy process but if you need to vent because someone ordered 2 extra pumps of syrup, I think its time to find another job...

i am a whiny bitch it’s one of my few joys

If only we lived in a world where our customers were understanding of our number of hands on deck as well as limited space… could you imagine?

We need to laud and appreciate the customers who order from the menu with minimal mods, one drink with a bite to sustain them in their productive lives. They are our bread and butter. I want to please them with quality hand crafted beverages. I want to serve them quickly. I want to connect with them. I don't like it when catering orders that have been sweating on our counters or bizarro/trolling drinks make them have to wait. This is about appreciating the customers that the company was built on, lovers of coffee and tea. They don't treat us like a plaything, it's a relationship of mutual respect. The tiktok trollers do not respect us or our product.

I’m not 100% but when I think about it because the store is earning less money because we’re sometimes selling extra product for no fee wouldn’t that cut into the stores overall available hours? Might not be a lot and Starbucks still understaffs but I thought that could have a doing.

I’m with you. Not sure if the complainers have worked at any other service jobs. I assure, they are mostly worse in almost every thing you can measure. I’ve worked in Starbucks and other places long enough to know!

That being said, I understand complaining once in a while to let steam out.

I second this. It is making us look terrible and is alienating customers.