Order in this order: size of your drink, whether it is hot or cold, the name of the drink, and finally any customizations if applicable.

I probably speak for a lot of people that it bothers me when a customer goes: "give me a caramel macchiato" Ok what size? "I said a caramel macchiato!" Ok a caramel macchiato but what size would you like? "Also a ham and cheese croissant".

Basically just *listen* that's all I would really ask for :)

I don't work at Starbucks either, but I hang around the sub because I have a morbid curiosity about what it's like to work there.

My number one thing is to be patient. It's my choice to stand in a long line and wait for coffee. Nobody is FORCING me to be there and I can leave at absolutely any time if I'm short on time or am just impatient. The way some customers rip into baristas for the wait time is bullshit. If you're in that much of a hurry, get lost and go to one of the other thousand coffee places. Simple as that. Just be patient and be polite because the baristas are doing the best they can. 💕

Shit lady, I ain't ever worked here either...

But I buy coffee every day....

1) keep it simple, these baristas get pretty damn touchy about tiktok bs...

2) Tip, like I feel I shouldn't have to say this but fuck people who don't tip. Starbucks has NOT raised wages up to levels that are remotely acceptable. Tips make a huge difference. But even when they raise wages you should still tip.

3) baristas are graded by a score, it says its "customer connection" score, but all it is really is a bullshit metric they use to discipline or fire people for.

You only get customer scores from mobile orders, and not every mobile order gets scored. So if you use mobile ordering you should always give the highest score possible.

4) some people just have bad days, you understand that, so do they. It does not give you a right to act like a petulant child or throw fucking drinks...grow the fuck up. If your having such a bad day that you need to throw a hot drink at someone you need therapy, not fucking coffee.

5) wear your fucking mask

6) most baristas actually like making secret drinks... you just need to know the ingredients and how it's made.

I'm sure there's a lot of things im forgetting but just in general be a good person to other people.

Its been an incredibly hard year for everyone, but fuck, my Starbucks is always open. Those people put a lot of heart into thier jobs and deserve better than what they gotten from Starbucks corporate.


You seem like a good person OP!

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First of all, that’s so sweet that you want to learn how to make our jobs easier and be nicer to us, so thank you 🥺

Tips of advice:
1. Don’t be on your phone when ordering, whether it’s in store or in drive-thru. People don’t realize how annoying it is when they do that, like I’m just trying to take your order please focus on placing it for two seconds and then you can be on your phone and I’ll stop annoying you with all these questions 🙃 (but I don’t think you’d be like that OP, just generalizing)
2. If you use the Starbucks app to pay, try to make sure it’s preloaded before going to pay.
3. If you’ve placed a mobile order, approach the counter and ask the barista closest to the mobile orders if you can pick up your mobile order, and tell them the name it’s under.
4. If you need multiple different things that are behind the counter (straws, napkins, a side of cream or sugar, etc) try to ask for it all at once. It’s super stressful when trying to make drinks and the same person stops you four different times to ask for four different things when they could’ve asked for all those things all at once.
5. If you want to use stars on your app, make sure you say that *before* we scan. Otherwise we have to refund your order and that’s no bueno.
6. If for example, you were in drive-thru and you happened to notice something in your order is wrong, if you have the time try coming inside to have it corrected, not hold up the drive-thru line. That makes people behind you angry at us most times.
7. Don’t try to buy merch in the drive-thru. That’s really annoying. At my store, we’ve had people make us run all the way from the window to the lobby to grab cups, compare them to see which they like better, decide they don’t like the ones we brought, make us grab more, then decide they will get it next time 🙃 girl please
8. Pay it forward is cool and all, but most people don’t tip when they do that. It’s nice to do that gesture, but for some people it’s a little confusing.
9. Don’t say “squirts” or “shots” of syrup 🙃 squirts is especially uncomfy lol “pumps” of syrup is good
10. If I hear someone say “frappe” one more time I’ll scream
11. If you want to order a “secret menu” or Tiktok beverage, make sure you have the recipe pulled up. If it’s something that’s hard for you to interpret to us, show us your screen, but don’t automatically shove it in our faces 🙃
12. Sometimes it’s kinda nice when people genuinely take the time to talk to us (as long as it’s not hectic and fire burning all around us aha 🥲) and see how our day is going. Like when they actually care. Not when the customer says, “How are you?” Me: “I’m good how are-“ Customer: “Okay, I’ll take a…” like damn why’d you even bother asking.
13. It’s nice when customers learn our names :) we are supposed to make an effort to learn our customer’s names, so sometimes it makes me smile when customers remember me, too. Especially if I see them almost everyday
14. If you wanna treat someone to Starbucks, don’t do the whole “arguing over who pays thing” to be cute with each other. It’s not cute, like just someone hand me a form of payment please there’s a line behind you 🙃
15. Don’t argue with us over COVID protocols that are clearly not under our control. Yeah Karen, because me a lowly little barista makes all the big decisions about what Starbucks as a whole does for COVID protocols in our stores and I’m definitely the right person for you to be yelling at about this 😐

Anyway, sorry that kinda turned into a rant but yeah that’s my list hehe

Tbh just say hello, please & thank you. Order according to what a previous commenter listed, and don’t hover by handoff plane and if you have to interrupt a barista with a question like needing a straw, code to the bathroom, and you can’t find a good opportunity bc we’re running around like headless chickens, just say “Pardon me, may I please…” also don’t reach across the counter to grab stuff that is intentionally inaccessible to customers. Thank you for being you, friend!

If you get that survey after you visit for the love of the siren please just give us the highest score on “did the barista make an attempt to get to know you” our stupid customer connection scores are based solely on this question

Hi, not a barista at all, just a frequent Starbucks customer but I tend to check out this sub a lot just to read everyone's stories and even learn how not to be the type of customer y'all usually dread walking into your stores.

I just wanted to say that out of all the Starbucks stores in all the different countries or states that I have been to, I have not encountered one barista who has ever been rude to me (maybe a couple of tired ones from those pretty busy locations but very understandable). I try my best to remember tips I see on here for when I order and try to be very patient with the staff and while waiting for my drink when I notice the store is quite busy.

Y'all don't deserve being treated like robots nor to have rude customers giving you shit while you work.

(Also, just wondering: I always feel awkward whenever I get to the point wherein I become a regular at a certain location and they greet me by my name as soon as I enter and realize they've already started working on my drink even before I could get to the counter. Is it weird I feel awkward? lol)

Thank you for all that you do. 🥺💕

If you’re going through the drive thru, speak to the microphone/directly to where you order. Unless your passengers have obscenely loud voices, the drivers do all the ordering please!

If you have a mobile order for drive thru pick up, please tell me your name. “Hi I am picking up a mobile order for ____!”

You’re already miles ahead for wanting to be better, and your baristas can usually always tell that you’re trying to be kind.

Order an iced chai.

I joined this sub to learn how to be a better customer. Ya’ll are overworked and awesome!

Just want to say a huge thanks to those who watch this thread just to find ways to make it easier on us. I think the biggest thing is just be kind to us. Before you order just say “good morning or good afternoon how are you?” It’s that simple just be a decent human. We’re not robots, we do make mistakes but be kind, most of us don’t care about remaking a drink and most of the time when we reread the stickers we see our mistake. There is a lot of pressure on us and we are all understaffed, over worked, and you never know who is at their breaking point. We have high turn over rates because of the stress of the job and the abusive customers. We constantly have new people coming in and some things are just learned from practice. Especially speed! Everything in these comments I think are great ways to help.

We have a tradition, some of you may have seen the green apron boards where we write appreciation cards to each other. Leave an appreciation card for a barista who makes the moment for you. Asked to be involved in our partner of the quarter votes. We have a regular at our store we let fill out his vote and our sm used it to pick our current poq! Just some thoughts.

tysm for making an effort on being nice to us baristas.

the first thing i would say is to order like the top comment says. ive had too many people try and look over my screen as theyre telling me “…iced oatmilk vanilla syrup” and im just sitting there quietly like, “wtf is the drink? a latte? macchiatio? a hecking pink drink?? what is IT”

second, please tip! cash is best, our wages are so hard to live with ):

third, be patient. if you order in cafe, the person on cafe bar is most likely doing both mobiles and cafe drinks- and we do the drinks in the order that they come thru. most of the time, if there is a rush in the cafe, there are 30 mobile orders waiting to be made at the same time. ive had people stop me before and shout about the wait times, but theyre stopping me from doing what i need to do to get their drink out.

fourth, please for the love of god, do not order more than 3 frappuccinos in the drivethru. the fraps are so hard and time consuming, and nothing stresses me out more than hearing someone order 6 caramel ribbon crunches over the headset.

fifth, please try your best not to add an item at the window of the drive thru. the barista on drive thru bar gets stopped from making other drinks just to make the addon.

tip! i really don't care about anything else you do to me as long as you tip! lol. cash tips are best! <3 <3 <3

I've done mobile orders and I usually ever buy a drink for myself (work). Rarely will I do a mobile order for 3 drinks. What I find frustrating is that I never get the option to "rate" my mobile order. I have no idea if it's because I order normal drinks or because I always frequent the same locations all the time. How am I supposed to give you guys that support (besides the aforementioned tips which I always do in cash)? I'm trying to beat the system here.

My normal drinks would consist of:
Caramel Macchiato (hot or iced)
Vanilla Latte
Iced Green Tea Latte w/ Almond Milk
Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade
Cinnamon Dolce Latte
Irish Cream cold Brew
Pumpkin Spice Latte or Brew
See, normal drinks. If I ever do a substitution it would be Oatmilk.
... absolutely NO FRAPPUCCINOS. My body does not need this sugar madness.

Or does it perhaps affect whether I pay on my loaded debit card and not the rechargeable gift card?

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Honestly, the fact you're even asking this question shows you're a compassionate person who would be a joy to help. Personally If the person is nice and decent the rest of the stuff doesn't really matter.

I've helped people who literally know nothing about Starbucks or how to order, but are genuinely awesome people and they make my day.

Just remember to tip your barista and just be kind!

Don’t come to Starbucks, go to a locally owned coffee shop

just be polite, speak clearly while ordering and when ordering say the size and hot/ice

During rush, just order your coffee and move along. Do not monopolize my time with small talk at the register when there are 15 people in line behind you!