Yea it does. And you'll realize way more cult-ish things than that. Like those third place discussions that are so internal to starbucks and lie about every public scandal. Or the amount of things done to save the brands reputation(like those BLM t-shirts) and the lack of union organization. Just get that paycheck and focus on the customers. You got this!

Learn the jargon so you’re ready to use it to defend yourself. “You should be assuming the best about me” and “I was making the moment right.” There are more of them, have them ready

Don’t drink the kool-aid

>the science of growing coffee beans in guatemala or whatever…

This is actually one of the less "cultish" things about Starbucks. The part of the training on origin, process, roast, etc is more so Starbucks trying to sound like they know something about specialty coffee (they don't). To a certain extent that info is true, objective and useful for describing coffee to customers.

The real "cultish" stuff you'll see is in the Third Place philosophy, the Third Place Discussions seasonal trainings, obsessions with customer connection scores and ever-changing standards.

Gotta taste leather to climb that corporate ladder

Edit: I mean some people are just genuinely passionate about coffee, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Obsessing over a *company* though...

Lol my temp manager is waaaay cult-ish about the company. Like guuuurl relax lmao. This manager has cases open against her but refuses to actually work out the issues. She’s been accused of saying something offensive to a black partner at her old store. She’s quick to say she’s not racist and has threatened to fire a shift for calling her out on her racism🙄 gotta love having a temporary manager that likes to try and start drama between partners. Unfortunately for her, we’re all cool with each other so her antics dont work. And this woman wants to work for corporate… pfft!

no honestly i wonder how someone can be so genuinely concerned with the company. sometimes i want to remind them it’s still a fast food place paying minimum wage. i don’t care how fancy it looks, it’s still fast food

Just wait until the brainwashing videos!

I was a store manager during the summer of 2016, when the company was cutting labor hours to the bone. I tried to fight it. Some of the things we were being asked to do were flat out ruthless and unethical. I had been with the company for 5 years at this point, and this was where it really hit me that I had might have taken a few sips of Kool-Aid. My district manager and area manager tried to persuade me that I should do what the company was asking because it was for the "greater good," and would help the company survive and continue to be a force for good in the world. Howard Schultz was known for repeatedly saying he wanted Starbucks to be "a company with a soul." THAT's the cult-like stuff. (I left the company later that year.)

As for learning the origins of your coffee, that's something I think you can take pride in. I mean, the way Starbucks presents it tends to be simplified and sanitized, but the idea that a barista should be knowledgeable about how coffee is grown and sourced is good.

HAIL THE SIREN

just clicked through all of the barista basics slides... who REALLY needs to know all this?

One of us! One of us!

Babe it is a cult just embrace it and your life will be easier I promise.

We all drink the Pike in this cult.

I’m pretty sure they’re like obligated to act that way, shit is just weird. Every sm I’ve had has been the same way.

I couldn’t stand it when I worked there. My manager has been there for 20+ years and drank all the kool-aid. She also joined cross fit while I worked there so I think she def has a cult thing

The bean talk is part of their required training for you. FYI. They might not actually care either. If you ask further questions I’m sure you’d get a blank stare

Based

I like the brand and the people. I don’t like how serious some take it though.

Messing up a drink or making any kind of mistake seems like a mortal sin punishable by death.

In the tree, part of the tree. in the tr3e p@rt of the t#ree. i# 7h3 T?9e, ¶∆€7 ©√ ÷π# 2¥€¢ AAAAAAAAHHHHH@$@#_#&@€e™

It is a cult, it’s structured in the same ways as a cult. Welcome to the cult! There is no escape.

You don’t make it as far up the ladder as SM without drinking the corporate kool aid, or at least learning how to talk like you have.

Their job is to be passionate about the company. They don’t become an SM by being cynical.

23xxxxx here.

some of us are genuinely this interested, yeah. we’ve all stumbled our way into coffee some way or another and for some reason or another decided this was the best route forward.

for me personally, the third place mentality is real. coffee shops have always been a place where i can get myself to do things like read, write, and work that i cannot get myself to do at home for one reason or another. it just so happens that i’ve had more personable experiences with starbucks baristas than many others, so upholding that potential experience for others is important to me.

(not to mention, this is a better paycheck than many independent coffee shops and has much more in the way of benefits than almost any food service gig. we like to get cynical about working for starbucks sometimes, but there are many positives if you take the time to notice and appreciate them.)

EDIT: i guess this is all to say the concern is less about the company and more about the environment we’re creating for each other and customers, from my perspective. if you’re someone who struggles to do work, write, read, or in general stay away from unhealthy outlets at home, wouldn’t you want to come to a clean, welcoming environment? that’s where i’m coming from, personally.

This is half the reason I quit, I couldn’t stand how devoted to the brand my coworkers were, beyond the job requirements

LMFAOOOO

Can I just say how blatantly disrespectful this is? I see everything that happens I’ve been a partner for a long time and I’ll say honestly Starbucks isn’t for everyone. If you really feel like it’s a cult then leave. No need to disrespect others. As for coffee talk we all have our own hobbies. You don’t have to like everyone’s.