I feel the same as you. I cannot understand how some people love this job.

I want to leave so bad but I’m transferring stores and am hoping that will be a bandaid for now. My issue is that while the pay sucks here, it’s going to be the highest I can find without switching to a job I just don’t want to do

yep. I'm also very new and am seriously considering leaving. Similarly to you, all my coworkers are great and it's a lot of fun when there's no rush and we can just make drinks and chill a little bit. All the partners keep telling me that I'm doing a great job and am learning very fast but the stress of this job is actually killing me. A 4 hour starbucks shift is more exhausting than an 11 hour shift at my other (non customer interaction) job. Working here is literally giving me stress dreams where I'm rushing to make drinks. I took this job to help with healthcare but soon realized how much it takes from your pay. I'm very close to running away and never looking back.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE. The only way I would consider making Starbucks a "forever career" would be if I were on the management track. And if I'm being perfectly honest, I'm not management material. If I didn't need the money and only worked like fifteen hours a week, then I would also consider it!

Starbucks is a decent place to work and the benefits aren't bad. I stay here with the naive hope that I'll get off my rear and get into grad school, then work only weekends so I can keep my health insurance while I get my teaching certification.

I'm grateful to Starbucks for hiring me and for the many skills I've learned while working here, like social skills! I have fun interacting with customers and appreciate that I'm allowed to goof off a little bit in the name of making a customer's day a little brighter. But at the same time, it's a corporation just like any other. At the end of the day, it's all about the bottom line. At my store, I've got friends who care about me, but in the grand scheme of things, I'm just a cog in a machine.

So no, I'm not pledging undying loyalty. And my SM is well aware that the very SECOND I get the opportunity to make an actual living wage doing something I'm passionate about, I'm turning in my two week's notice.

Anyway, it's been tough coming in lately. We're understaffed and I've got my own issues to deal with. I make my time here bearable by chasing the serotonin. I've always been a people-pleaser who lives for praise, and that's served me well here! I tell a lot of bad jokes. I sing a lot of annoying songs really loudly. It doesn't always work, but it's enough.

Time to quit boo! In my area McDonalds accross the street from my store is paying $50 for people to come to an interview and offering $18/hr for line cooks, same with restaurants like 54th Street. It sucks to keep re-training at new jobs but that's new connections you didn't have before and networking can be a better payoff in itself by meeting new people and just seeing what's out there.

I understand the disappointment I really do. But unless your going to find somewhere that you have a degree for or pays better I honestly think Starbucks is the best job I’ve ever had.

I work at the highest volume store in my district. It’s non stop all day everyday no time for breath or pee breaks.

But. It pays over minimum wage at least where I live.

The benefits while I agree I’d prefer them pay us more, are incredible. It’s incredibly uncommon to qualify for benefits under 40 hr work weeks. Nvm benefits where they pay for ur tuition and offer extra mental Heath resources

I’m in actual therapy finally after struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts for years thanks to this company without paying anything.

All This being said you can definitely make more at other jobs and even by doing less but for me personally I prefer a job that’s non stop over sitting around like some of my other jobs I’ve had.

My vote is stick with it (I’ve worked at other places that higher people on the spot simply because they’ve worked at Starbucks and know the kinda work you’ve put in at a place like that. And keep your options open. You don’t OWE them your time

If you have better options, take them. I personally love my job even with all its pitfalls and the abysmal pay. But I can say that’s only because my previous jobs paid even less and had more work involved, so Starbucks had been my best work experience so far. I think if I didn’t have great coworkers, didn’t have my past experiences, and valued myself more I wouldn’t work for Starbucks.

I feel the same if it wasn’t for scap I would quit instantly. It’s the whole doing the job of three people while a less competent coworker gets to sit in the window and has the same pay that does it for me 🙄

I feel the same, it used to be a really great job (though never my “favorite place in the world”). However I was never upset until we reopened post (lolz) corona. Ever since then the job somehow went to shit from the very top to the very bottom. It makes me sad as a 6 year partner. I’ll be hanging it up ASAP too.

Thank you everyone for your responses, you've given me much to think about!