Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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Stop Complaining (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by Responsible-Will6040
Y’all should just quit if you hate it so much tbh. I’m sick of call outs, I’m sick of being understaffed, I’m sick of my bosses being less experienced than I am, but this isn’t the civil rights movement guys… Starbucks is not very rigorous no matter how busy it is. It’s not forced manual labor where we’re getting paid next to nothing- it’s just a job, that for a lot of people is their first job so we shouldn’t expect insane pay unless you earned a promotion or individual raise, the hardest thing we have to deal with is a couple Karens every day or so. Stress is a part of life and if you can’t handle double barring while the only other partner on the floor is double windowing then you shouldn’t ask for Starbucks to change, you should either change your mindset or find another job or store that you’d be more comfortable at. Sorry for the rude awakening but it seems like some people need to understand it’s not that serious.
Sammiche 20 points 2y ago
You have opened my eyes. I'm going to yank myself up by my bootstraps, march right down to my local Fortune 500 company with my resume in hand, demand to speak to the hiring manager, and refuse to leave until they hire me for a cushy $50/hr job with full benefits where I get to fiddle with spreadsheets all day.
Never again will I complain about an industry that underpays their employees based on the logic that unskilled labor doesn't deserve a living wage, and also that these jobs should go exclusively to teenagers who don't actually need the money to pay bills so that they'll be happy just to have a little spending money. And if they don't like being worked into the ground and are unable to clone themselves through mitosis, I'll remind them that the entire purpose of a job during the teenage years is to learn the value of hard work and that getting paid at all is a luxury. And also you should never complain about anything ever because other people have it worse than you.
And, after all, THAT person over there can handle it, and all people are the same, so by extension YOU should be able to handle it. And by "it", I mean being set on fire.
Never again will I complain about an industry that underpays their employees based on the logic that unskilled labor doesn't deserve a living wage, and also that these jobs should go exclusively to teenagers who don't actually need the money to pay bills so that they'll be happy just to have a little spending money. And if they don't like being worked into the ground and are unable to clone themselves through mitosis, I'll remind them that the entire purpose of a job during the teenage years is to learn the value of hard work and that getting paid at all is a luxury. And also you should never complain about anything ever because other people have it worse than you.
And, after all, THAT person over there can handle it, and all people are the same, so by extension YOU should be able to handle it. And by "it", I mean being set on fire.
Responsible-Will6040 [OP] -12 points 2y ago
I think you’re missing the point. A barista position where a kid having open availability is the main deciding factor in the hiring process is not meant to pay enough to live off of. I feel like people should know this before they work at Starbucks. Everyone needs to realize that expecting a corporation to change to fit their needs is ridiculous and everyone else needs to fix their expectations.
bigmacwithnobeef 14 points 2y ago
While yes, stress is apart of the job and maybe any job, i think you have to take into account, not everybody can just walk away and find another job. Many people are now tied to Starbucks whether it be their health care, childcare, education, etc, but that’s a big part of why people work at Starbucks- the benefits. For many people, this is their permanent job, their full time job. Not all minimum wage jobs are for teenagers fresh out of high school. I think for some people, yes, maybe they’d be less bitter/happier in a different job in a different environment, and if they have the ability to leave- good for them! But not everybody has the luxury to leave their job/find a new one right now.
Responsible-Will6040 [OP] -9 points 2y ago
I understand that, but I don’t think it’s Starbucks’s responsibility to account for the fact that their benefits and pay needs to raise now that people are counting on it for a living as a barista rather than an unskilled labor job that appeals mostly to college level kids. If you need to make a living you (not you specifically but anyone in this scenario) should try to get promoted or ask for a raise if you deserve it. I don’t understand the notion of expecting starbucks to give out livable wages to mere baristas… if you want a higher wage earn a promotion. Sorry.
Millerboycls09 13 points 2y ago
I refuse the label of "unskilled labor"
ofmiceandshelbs 7 points 2y ago
Being a barista is a skilled labor, the amount of information that you are required to know to make the drinks. Also, we can’t just ask for raise because managers aren’t able to give us them anymore, they do yearly raises. If you don’t want to hear us talk about problems and bad interactions, then I’d recommend not reading our posts. A lot of this is so that baristas can communicate with each other and learn what can be done to handle a situation better or just crack some jokes. Many of us don’t have the luxury of just being able to quit sometimes
UnusualCanary 12 points 2y ago
Boo this man!
OneRoseDark 10 points 2y ago
If minimum wage had kept up with inflation everyone who worked an "unskilled" (whatever the fuck that means) minimum wage job would be making $24/hr now. Baristas SHOULD BE ABLE TO LIVE ON THEIR WAGES. Fuck off with this "well but it's not meant to provide for you" nonsense. IT'S A JOB. THAT'S WHAT JOBS ARE FOR.
lil_lizardwizard 3 points 2y ago
literally was the whole reason for the creation of a minimum wage, so people could live off of it…
navkabar 5 points 2y ago
i think it's worth mentioning that i dont bring the negative energy of this sub into work, and i dont think most partners do either. let us vent in peace, man. this job sucks and so does capitalism, let us complain.
El_Trundo17 5 points 2y ago
The culture of my store has completely changed. Last year we rarely had call outs, maybe a couple a week, now we have at least one a day. On top of this no one wants to take the shift that was dropped. Our AC is always out and we live in the south. Our store manager is always on vacation, (I saw him for the first time yesterday in a month.) our turnover rate is insane. There are only 6 of us from last year. Everyone else is new. I understand why you’re saying what you are, and maybe I should quit, but I know, that if I leave, 3 more people will also quit. At that point the store is a mess. I love my friends. That’s the only reason I stay.
Responsible-Will6040 [OP] -2 points 2y ago
I completely understand that! Trust me the situation at my store isn’t much different. All I’m saying is that people should’ve understood that a barista position isn’t a viable option for a livable wage when they got hired and shouldn’t have expected corporate to fix it for them- they should understand that it’s they’re responsibility to get themselves into a place where they’re comfortable, not Starbucks’s.
El_Trundo17 3 points 2y ago
Yeah I get that. I know Starbucks isn’t my forever job. But rn it’s one of my favorite things, I met my my BFFs through Starbucks. I am actually so grateful that I work at Starbucks. I have learned to talk to strangers, and I feel like I’ve become a happier person. I don’t want bash Starbucks, but I see that there is room for improvement. Like hire a store manager that cares about the store. Fix our fucking AC, it’s the fourth time this month it’s gone out. Anyways I get your point I just think people get posted because it kind of seems like your demeaning them.
navkabar 1 points 2y ago
just because we know corporate won't change doesnt mean it's okay. dissension is the very first step to change. do i think i am single handedly going to unionize starbucks and abolish capitalism by complaining? no, of course not. but we shouldnt have to take it laying down either.
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