Hi there fellow baristas. I don’t really know where to start with this post, but I suppose I’ll begin by saying the two years I spent working at sbux were some of the best years of my life. Made a lot of good friends, lived with some of them, and if I could do it all over again I would. I think the best way to go about whether or not my firing was justified is to lay out my story from the beginning.

I (m24) was hired at 19, at a different store and by a different manager than the one who did the firing. My first manager was everything I could ever ask for in a boss. We were on great terms and at one point we even played D&D together at his house. I worked for him for 3/4th of my time at the company, but had to switch locations because my OG store started selling alcohol and since I was under 21 at the time, I had to go.

Queue second manager. I heard some negative things about this guy prior to moving, but being the young and naive barista I was at the time, workplace politics never existed and I was invulnerable to being targeted. So I thought. This boss was known for being exceptionally customer service oriented; to the point where he expects every one of us to be robotic. During my transition, he told me I was assigned “lead barista”, meaning I was exactly the same as all the other baristas, but transferring to his store meant that I needed to be the exemplary one in order to “set an example for the others.” As I continued to work there, I could tell I was not living up to his expectations. Thankfully he worked mornings and I was a closer so I didn’t see much of him, but that doesn’t explain why he wasn’t friendly with me, given he was friendly with the other closers who also did not work with him at the same time. For the longest time it just seemed like the guy had it out for me. My other coworkers were saying the same thing so I definitely didn’t feel like I was alone in my opinion of him, and vice versa.

So you need like 3 or so write ups in order to be terminated from the company. At least that’s how it was when I (2050579) worked there. Up until my firing, I had no write ups. :) Yes that’s right, I was written up 3 times in the same day! And I will list them off for you now.

1.) Arguing with customer: I am on bar making drinks. Customer leans in to ask if her drink is made with soy milk. I tell her yes, and then I also say that I take extra care with nondairy alternatives because I myself only drink nondairy so I understand how important it is to her. “Ok great thanks!” That’s it!

2.) Arguing with more customers: This one I understand to an extent but I do not think being fired is a suitable punishment for what had transpired during this “altercation”. I am again on bar making drinks. I hand off a vanilla latte to “Dick”. That’s his real name and it’s real fitting. Dick hands the vanilla latte back to me and tells me to put vanilla in it. I told him “sure, would you like to double the vanilla?” because I know with certainty I put vanilla in his drink already, and I wasn’t sure if he would enjoy twice the flavoring. I was simply asking out of sheer courtesy, but I now understand that this comes across as an “I am right and you are wrong” type of demeanor. Dick’s head reddens and throbs. He calls my manager over and slanders me with every bad sin imaginable.

3.) No specific reason specified. Just a “culmination of encounters” my manager deemed as inappropriate. When I asked for clarification, he would not provide me with any. :)

So yeah this is my story of how I was fired and I hope I explained everything as best as I could. I want to set the record straight that I’m not perfect by any means, and I don’t deny that I make mistakes. Fuck, I mean this was my first job and I am in no way a sociable person so I guarantee you I messed up along the way. I think the big reason he didn’t like me is because I just flat out refused to become a machine for him, and even if I tried succumbing to his wishes, I am simply incapable of acting that way. The whole reason I’m making this post is because I think I’m on the spectrum, and I was fired because of it. For the longest time I just thought it was the depression and childhood trauma getting the best of me, but ever since I found out what Aspergers is, I feel like I have come to a greater understanding about myself. Anyway I’d love to hear you guy’s thoughts on this because I feel I’m missing a piece of closure from that time of my life.

Also some fun facts. Boss man #2 PEED in the mop sink and “accidentally” sent nudes to a female coworker :) Fuck you, Merv. I don’t wish your life to be any more miserable than it is now, but that’s mainly due to the fact that I don’t think it can get any lower.