Sorry she made you feel bad. It's always good to first communicate and ask before you take actions. Yeah, you might think you're being effective and helpful, but some people prefer no help. I've had a couple of situations where I was planted on warming. Everything was going very well, except for warming getting TONS of stickers (the machine didn't stop printing).

I was pretty chill and handling it (I was in my warming Zen zone), putting each order into the warming and packing everything from mobile to cafe to delivery. I have my warming routine.

Then some new green bean thought she was gonna be helpful and took bunches of stickers to put on some bags for me to "pre-prepare" and that fucked up the routine because I was confused and didn't know whether this order was done or not. I ended up making a couple of mistakes by having too many items warmed (2x instead of 1x because of the bag sticker). On the other hand, whenever I'm on bar, I get stressed out when there's too many stickers printing, so I always let people know they can help me, but the warming is like, my thing lol

And that might be a reason why some people when they're in their zone don't like other people grabbing their stickers and better stick to their own planted position (despite the store being fully beautifully stocked). To avoid that, just ask next time, everybody will appreciate it :)

Some partners are capable of hearing ten drinks over the headset and can plot them out. They are already gearing their minds and body to make those drinks, and when that flow gets interrupted, they get testy. It took up all their brain bandwidth and now they are flummoxed. And flummoxed people get snappy. some partners can do two drinks at a time, and appreciate having someone take up the bar and finish drinks. Most partners would appreciate an after peak chat on what really helps them, because we are all individuals with different capacity. I've learned some of my partners like knowing I will start a frap, and they seamlessly flow into it. Others get frustrated cause they didn't hear me yell out Starting Venti mocha frap! It takes time for everyone to fall into their rhythms.

Like /square_pulse said, she honestly probably just has a system that she sticks really well too. I know someone very similar where as long as you leave them alone, she handles it just fine. The second you try to step in without asking first, she starts making errors or stressing bc her system was messed with- even if it's a small thing that is genuinely helpful in the end, some people will feel off beat and have to recollect themselves bc they likely already had a place in their process for that.

You definitely don't have to feel bad about it since you had good intentions and didn't mess anything up, and if she got rude or anything towards you then she's in the wrong. If she was polite about it then it sounds like it was simply a learning experience for both of you and you gained experience in communicating :))

Anyone saying she’s in the wrong is well anyway, everyone has their own bar style and that’s perfectly fine, it’s alright for you to feel hurt or annoyed or whatever but you grabbed without waiting for a response which probably messed her up, always get confirmation before doing something like that. And unless she was outright hostile there’s nothing wrong with boundaries even if it doesn’t make sense to you, we just have to respect them.

Also Personally hate it when people do that without asking and proper communication, because I have a system and you’re fucking with it and now I’m slower then if I was alone, because brain needs to recalibrate and yea some partners I jive with better on bar.

I usually ask or tell the barista I’m helping that I’m grabbing a sticker. I try to grab one they might not have started yet just in case they have a sequence or system going on.
Worst case I grab cold bar drinks and refreshers.
But if she wants to drown whatever let her drown. You did what you could, I wouldn’t worry just keep an eye on milks, ice, and espresso.

communicate to them first and ask if they need help because they probably have already sequenced the drinks in their head

I’m sorry that happened! When I was a greener bean I had quite a few partners like that so I feel your pain.

I also feel the flip side though now that I am on bar for most of my shifts. I don’t mind help, but I usually have a system that keeps me organized so if people don’t communicate before it can really throw me off. If you’re grabbing a sticker and doing it from start to finish in another area I don’t really see a problem with it though 🤷🏻‍♀️

8 year partner here. Out of every “group” of each store, there is 1. I’m at the point I literally ask for help if it’s even one drink. Lol jk but I ALWAYS take help. Remind them it’s not you assuming they can’t handle it, it’s that customers shouldn’t have to wait longer than they have too. We are meant to get them in and out. I have kinda nailed it each time someone gets a little upset I switch them around to other partners or have someone help them. But eventually they will understand. It’s really an ego thing I think. Pay attention to body language and how they are responding to what you are saying, some people need to be talk to different ways. :) you got this. Sounds like you are already on your way to being an AMAZING partner

It’s only because for some people it throws off their beverage sequence routine. I know for me at least I’ll be making 3 drinks at a time, take a peak at the fourth one and in my mind I’m already preparing myself to start that one. So when people take my stickers especially if they don’t tell me it can throw me off because I’m already thinking about that fourth and fifth beverage and yeah :)

I don’t mind when others help me, they just have to communicate and make sure to complete the beverage accurately and quickly (I used to have a manager who’d grab all the drive bar stickers and she’d start a drink then get distracted and walk away without telling you the drink she grabbed wasn’t done 🙃😒)

people trying to help when you're on drive bar essentially fucks everything up for you. we have a system. we're doing drinks as they're being ordered. 9 times out of 10, i have the drink finished before the sticker even prints. literally every second counts and if i have an extra pair of hands in the way, or my sticker gets pulled before i can do it, i might as well walk out back and shoot myself. the drive times are destroyed. your manager will blame you for her pay cut. you've singlehandedly ruined starbucks.

that being said, i try to communicate my needs before peak hits. if i'm on drive bar, i thank people in advance for wanting to help, and then politely ask everyone to leave me the fuck alone.

you'll understand the feeling when you get better at bar and eventually (hopefully?) get a chance on drive. but don't take it personally. i'd ask the drive bar position ahead of time how you can help if you get slow. i think we've all been here before. best of luck to you ❤️

As others have said, communication is the key here. I appreciate the help when it's busy but my SM and one of our shifts will get stressed out by the line of cups on the bar, and just start jumping in and grabbing cups/ making drinks. Meanwhile they have abandoned their support role, so I am running out of ice/lids/cups/milk, and the other partners that they need to be supporting are struggling as well. In this situation it's super annoying.

This is just me personally, but I have a system and when someone messes with it, it overwhelms me. I also don't like people crowding me and we have a very small bar space. So, sometimes cold bar will come over to help with cold brews which is great. But then they're using my sweet cream blender and leaving shit in it when I need to make something for a hot bar drink. It gets frustrating.

​

I also have severe ADHD, and even medicated one thing slightly going out of place just sends my brain tumbling. This is why I'm better on solo positions, but can flex to bar fairly easily.

It's mostly about ruined flow for me. Some of my coworkers I love double bar-ing with because we work well together, but when someone who doesn't get my routine starts taking stickers and moving cups, etc. it really messes me up and I start losing things. Like entire orders lol. Esp if I'm not told. But I don't generally mind people stickering my cups as long as they don't get into my way.

i definitely get wanting to help and that's really sweet of you! you shouldn't feel bad! everyone is different and have different ways of doing things.

personally for me, unless there is a sudden rush of drinks and people, i don't like to be helped or just have people jump in and start making drinks. i get into a groove, sorta, so when someone just takes a drink from my ticket queue, it messes me up a bit because i already had it planned out in my head. i also feel like when someone jumps in to help make drinks, i feel like i'm not doing a good enough job myself keeping up and that's their subtle way of telling me. that's more of me getting into my head about it and mental illness things that i'm trying to work on, tho.

it's very nice you want to help and i think the best option is asking if they need help first. i usually keep track of things that need to get done while on bar so if the person on mobile or cold bar finishes their drinks before me, i usually will ask them to do one of those things instead of helping. you just gotta ask and soon enough you'll learn everybody's presences on bar (if they want help, if they want you to organize mobile orders, etc) and things will flow more smoothly. it'll take some time, but don't let it get to you and certainly don't feel bad for wanting to help:)

Ask before taking someone else’s stickers. That being said, the goal is to make customers get their orders as fast as possible, so as long as you ask permission any reasonable partner should be willing to accept help

Everyone is different. I generally have 5+ drinks planned out ahead of time and the shots are queued up on my machine. Take a drink out of the equation and it causes confusion. It’s not personal. Offer to be their cold bar? Communication is key. Asking is better than assuming.

I think there's a few reasons. One of the biggest I noticed at my first store was that people took a sort of pride in being able to handle all of the drinks. It was considered an insult to them for someone to think that they couldn't handle them and needed help. We were a SUPER busy store (the busiest in our district, and top 5 in our region), so being able to do so many drinks so fast was like a badge of honor. And don't even get me started on being able to solo on the floor at night. That was an even bigger deal to these partners.

For me, I just usually have a routine in my head like others have mentioned. I know what drink I have to do next and how I'm going to work that into my sequencing. When someone takes it or finishes one I was working on, it throws me off and I have to take a second to reassess. But at my current store this is a regular thing. It's really stressful for me, though. It's almost like sensory overload to have someone moving around me trying to help finish my previous or start my next for me. I've actually had moments where I'm literally having a panic attack on cold bar because of this.

It's possible too that they simply have trust issues with new partners. I know it can be hard to trust green beans with drinks that essentially have your name on them.

One last thing, if this is during peak then the partner kind of needs to get over it. The times matter more than anything to management. And if you can take a drink off their line so they can move on to other ones, it cuts down on the window time. This is the biggest reason my current store is the way it is. Our peak times are phenomenal because of it, too.

They feel like they have something to prove?

This person sounds a lot like me lol. I personally don't mind others hopping on bar to help, but I sequence drinks from the stickers I've already pulled. If someone takes a sticker from me, my entire sequencing is ruined and I feel disoriented and confused and I start to mess up drinks. Especially if I already told that person not to take my stickers it gets really annoying, although I won't get mad because I know that person is just trying to help.

I always ask the partners I am near "Do you want me to help when I see you need help or do you prefer to ask me" Some people don't mind and some people hate it.

I just ask if they want help.

I definitely understand not wanting help because sometimes it just gets hard to navigate around people in the broadest understanding of that concept. Sometimes specific people on bar are hard to work around too and I don’t understand why.

But there’s a million reasons they might not want help. One of my baristas is super super fast and never wants help. I’d probably slow her down if I tried. So I always ask beforehand unless they’re being super slow and I gotta do it for the drive times (but I’m a supervisor so I get to make that call).

Of course other times even a seasoned barista might have trouble inserting themselves in the midst of someone else’s routine. You should always just ask if they want help. If they don’t find something else to do. There’s always tasking or cleaning to be done.

I don’t like when partners help me because sequencing is very important to me. It keeps me on track and it keeps me focused. When partners jump in and don’t make drinks correctly or in the wrong order it messes me up.

Honestly, I find that some people are just hard-headed and stubborn working at Starbucks. So many different personalities. Everyone is different and some aren't so nice. I just tend to ask whoever on bar if they want help, they usually tell me yes or no. If no, then I go about my business and do other things. I've been there for 4 years and I just don't care any more about going out of my way to help unless directed because having to deal with people being petty/passive aggressive is something I got tired of when I'm just trying to be a good worker. It's just a normal thing at most Starbucks I feel like, so don't take it personally. I don't understand people that go out of their way to burn themselves out instead of just getting help lol.

oh yeah, I'd say if they don't ask for help, or if you don't ask for their permission to help, I would just stay aside and do whatever small tasks you can. as someone that absolutely hates when I'm on bar and people start pulling my stickers/making drinks, I can see both sides. but for me personally I just don't want to get confused and have the order mixed up. especially depending on who's on dtr, because you don't need someone handing out the wrong drink and making you remake it.

It’s different for everyone! I get frustrated when people don’t help me and I’m super backed up, but you need to update people on what you are doing, specially when you support dt. Usually I start drinks as soon as I hear them on the headset and if the person helping doesn’t pay attention when you tell them something is done or you aren’t aware they are helping l, it can unleash hell on yourself. Also, do not be afraid to ask what they need and how their system works. Yes, we aren’t supposed to pull stickers because it messes with times and blablabla but hey, everybody works around it differently.

I understand you wanting to help (I love to help and ask every time) but a lot of partners do have their own routine, as do I! And I love to help! It’s just about understanding how different everyone is. That’s why you always ask and be super communicated. It really messes me up in my routine and makes me confused when someone helps without communicating. Also, if anything goes wrong the main person you’re trying to help gets in trouble- not you. It’s not that you can’t help. There’s people I work that know how each other work and we can help each other fluently because we’ve all worked together so much so often. It’s all about communication!

sorry they made you feel like that 😕 for me, when I'm on dt bar I dont mind help, if it's helpful..like don't follow me around with whip cream to finish the drink or a lid. it's okay I got it. but if I'm making 2 hot latte's && the next drink is a cold bar drink, I actually appreciate the help. but idk different strokes for different folks

[deleted]

It's all about communication. I know when I worked at Starbucks, I hated people messing with my cups and stickers unless I asked them to. It would mess up my flow, drinks would get lost, and it put more stress on me despite the intention to help.

I'm sorry you've had issues with some of your coworkers, though. My suggestion is just to make sure you communicate with the partners on the floor. I appreciated partners asking me if I needed anything, however you want to phrase it. So, say you're on cold bar and most of the orders are lattes and you don't have much to do, ask the baristas if they need help making lattes or setting the cups up with stickers. (Also, if you place the cups on the counter with the stickers, ask how they order it. I had partners that would put the "last" cup on the bottom and the "next" on top, but I liked to stack them the other way around if I stacked any).

Edit: also, a lot of partners that work on DT bar are good at handling a high volume of drinks, and although when I worked at SB we had great communication in that way (if I was on DT I would've asked you to make the Fraps so I don't need to leave my spot). But other partners don't like help unless they ask for it. It messes with their flow. It just depends, you know?

Don't feel bad about anything. Just keep being awesome and help out when you can.

I can’t think of anyone at my store who is bothered by people taking stickers. Just as long as they’re the other bar partner and aren’t jumping in from window or what have you. To be safe I would just ask “hey do you mind if I pull some stickers and help you knock these out?” since there seems to be some variation at your store. That’s what I asked when I started being put on bar more often. At the end of the day I don’t know why they would refuse help. Everyone just needs to communicate and make sure you’re all on the same page. For example, I don’t like it when people take my stickers that I’ve already pulled & would rather they pull from the sticker machine, but I have a co worker that prefers the opposite. If I don’t want you messing with my stuff I’ll say it gently though and I wouldn’t be passive aggressive.

So before my year at starbucks I would try to help but they would lash out on me and say to not help on drinks or take orders, so i felt sad because they lashed out on me but little did I know that I got use to that and now it’s a pet peeve of mine if someone does my drinks or take my orders on drive thru and I lash out on partners as well and I feel bad after but it’s the heat in the moment because I know they try to help but me being very concentrated on what I’m doing I just hate it

[deleted]

She’s being unreasonable. It’s one thing if you interfere with beverages she has already started and mess up her sequencing or if you pull sticker after sticker from drive looking for one you want to make, none of that is ok. But if you take the first sticker and you are responsible from start to finish, she’s being oddly unreasonable. Even more so if drive times are bad

she should be thanking you😭 idk people like that suck