Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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Have you caught wind of cutting back staffing? (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by cinnamonmarigold
I'm a SSV at a high-volume DT store. Friday-Sunday peak we hit over 100 customer half hours regularly, with about 7-8 partners. It's hard work. Everyone is doing multiple jobs, as you can imagine. It's very different from the 12 partner plays I trained with. It's exhausting, but our DM keeps saying, "It'll be better once we get more staff."
However, I'm rather close to my SM. I was complaining to him about how tight our peaks have been, as it's been taking a toll on me physically, and he said it was literally all the labor he was allowed to schedule. It's all the hours he'd be allotted for that day.
That same afternoon, I heard him faintly crying in the BOH. Apparently he had just received an email from our DM reprimanding him for having as many partners on the floor as he did, and to cut back labor even more on the next schedule. "I can't do this to you guys," he said.
Is this happening anywhere else? It's just surreal. Are corporate profits so bad we're supposed to be running 5-6 peaks with a cafe, mobiles, and DT next to an interstate? My mind is blown. I wanted Starbucks to be a stable job for me, but this is too much for too little. If I'm going to do more than one person's job, I'd at least like to be compensated for it.
TLDR: I'm hearing rumors that labor is getting cut back? Is this the case in your store/district?
However, I'm rather close to my SM. I was complaining to him about how tight our peaks have been, as it's been taking a toll on me physically, and he said it was literally all the labor he was allowed to schedule. It's all the hours he'd be allotted for that day.
That same afternoon, I heard him faintly crying in the BOH. Apparently he had just received an email from our DM reprimanding him for having as many partners on the floor as he did, and to cut back labor even more on the next schedule. "I can't do this to you guys," he said.
Is this happening anywhere else? It's just surreal. Are corporate profits so bad we're supposed to be running 5-6 peaks with a cafe, mobiles, and DT next to an interstate? My mind is blown. I wanted Starbucks to be a stable job for me, but this is too much for too little. If I'm going to do more than one person's job, I'd at least like to be compensated for it.
TLDR: I'm hearing rumors that labor is getting cut back? Is this the case in your store/district?
bubblegumm002 46 points 1y ago
yup! im a closing ssv so its a bit different, but even tho we r doing literally the most business we have ever done, esp in the afternoons, theyre still leaving us to a 3 play every night after 3 pm, and now my sm is talking abt moving us down to a 2 floor close :/ it's frustrating... they keep talking abt how it'll b better when we have more labor but they're... taking more away? make that make sense
its gna be a great holiday season
its gna be a great holiday season
cinnamonmarigold [OP] 14 points 1y ago
Literally that. I'm honestly scrambling to find another ship to jump to before then. I'm so sorry to hear about your closes. That's rough :(
Boring_Economist4505 2 points 1y ago
exactly what they have done to me at my store the last couple weeks, i only have a two person play from 1-9. My baristas and I are working well over 8 hours with no coverage for lunches or breaks. I feel like i have been hit by a train every day when i clock out. Wish i could give you some advice other than to hydrate and invest in heating pad. Good luck to you!
badatlife15 28 points 1y ago
We either are short staffed or staffed with a bunch of green beans who struggle to be able to do more than 1 role at a time (which I completely understand and think is 100% to be expected with the crappy training we give). One of our shifts was telling us that after complaining to the SM about this was told that the SM has to go by actually number of customers and not based on orders/how much we make, so all those cars/crazy mobile orders with a crazy amount of drinks don’t count towards our labor. I’m not sure if this is everywhere/the standard, but it seems quite illogical. We haven’t been able to have a CS for months because our times were too bad, but it’s hard for times to improve if someone on bar/front has to be running to get things all the time. I’m very close to quitting. This is my second job, staying here just for the insurance and a little extra money is not worth it, especially when my full time job is both physically and mentally draining.
Popperz4Brekkie 1 points 1y ago
Please quit. Trust your body and instincts. This job will chew you up and spit you out.
looker009 12 points 1y ago
Labor shortage is here to stay. Starbucks decided that it will be fast food and Barista is just a number. It seems Starbucks have decided to adapt if you can lean you can clean way to run the business. Why make it easier on their employees when they can keep labor so tight that you will not have anytime to slowdown. If you are schedule to work for 6 or 8 hours, they want you to work all those of hours non stop.
intothewickedness 10 points 1y ago
Yup! I work at one of the busiest Starbucks’s in the country and my store manager informed us he would be cutting back hours. He was told by “leadership” and he is *not* happy about it.
the_senor_cardgage 6 points 1y ago
ah, so we're starting the Q4 labor cuts early this year. usually they hold out until pumpkin fever's run its course to start holiday profit stripmining.
Malevolent_barnacle 2 points 1y ago
fiscal year starts October, every year September feels like trash
amazing_redhead 5 points 1y ago
Now, more than ever, restaurant workers have an upper hand. No more breaking our spirits, out bodies for Starbucks to reach their profit margins. Stage a slow down and only work with the speed you are comfortable with. If we can stand as a unit and demand better we could have a chance. I'm in a brace because of this job and am still expected to work faster. No. Starbucks can do better and if it takes a forceful hand so be it
francescugh 4 points 1y ago
s/o to your sm for having simple empathy for their baristas. those are hard to come by. i can 100% see within the year ive been with starbucks the cutting of labor. when i first started we were open from 6a-5p bc of covid and our schedule basically reflects the hours they gave us then, just spread out until later closing hours.. /: weekends are at most 10 people for the entire day (5:30a-8:30p)
Popperz4Brekkie 2 points 1y ago
I was a SM for 10 years and quit this year. The company is sick and upper management (DM and above) is out of touch. The labor targets became more and more unmanageable. I would work 12 hour days and help with clean plays so I could cut down on labor. And we still couldn’t get everything done that needed to be done with tasks. Much less keep up with customer flow and speed of service. It’s going to take a lot more than ‘routines’ to fix this mess sbux is creating by squeezing partners dry.
cinnamonmarigold [OP] 2 points 1y ago
So well said. Thank you for your input!
cherrythot 2 points 1y ago
We’re lucky to have a 6 person play for peak. Partners that are used to working close to 40 hrs a week are getting knocked down to 20 or less.
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