As long as you come in with the mindset that we are just fast-food workers with a fancy name, then you’ll be fine.

Sending my condolences

Honestly there’s a lot i like about being an employee but there’s also a lot i hate about the company. I really enjoy working with my coworkers, everyone is so hardworking and whenever i have an issue it’s always easy to communicate. One thing that bothers me about the company is that they focus on drive thru times, which is probably something you’ll notice more the longer you’re with the company. Drive times are how fast our drive thru is, usually they aim for less than a minute but my store has been hammering in that our drive times should be less than 30 seconds. this leads to a lot of stress for us baristas, and i have gotten used to taking so many shortcuts on drinks that i’m not even confident in the quality of them. I personally love the early morning time when almost no one is there and i can take my time on drinks, because i do enjoy making the drinks! just not the impossible speed aspect of the job. Other than that, the benefits are pretty good, management could be better sometimes. They do pay a pretty good amount for starting. Training can be either abhorrent or really amazing, no in between. I was trained for 20 minutes on bar before being put on it alone the next day lol. Of course I had someone to ask questions, but it was still more of a solo learning effort than what i expected. I really hope your training is amazing and your store is super slow!

Welcome to hell :)

Just kidding. I’ve been at Starbucks for about a year and I love it. Customers can be rude and there are always some stressful moments, even more if you pick the wrong store to work at (I speak from experience there). But overall it’s a good job, pays well (at least in California), and very rewarding if the circumstances are right.

And I will echo what someone else said on here. If you know and truly believe that Starbucks is essentially a glorified fast food chain then you’re in the right mindset to work there. Starbucks can call itself whatever they’d like but if someone orders a vanilla latte and a breakfast sandwich and walks out with it 2 minutes later then it’s nothing but fast food. And there is no “some aspects are fast food, some aren’t”. Fast food is one of those things where either you are or you’re not, and Starbucks definitely is.

im sorry

Congrats. Honestly it all depends on management and your partners, I feel like getting along with your fellow partners is important because you feel happier coming to work and communicating with them. The faster you learn everything the easier it will be, though it will take time. I enjoy working here I just wish I was paid more

RIP

I'm a new employee as well; only about 3 weeks in. Between my time in my store and browsing through this sub, I will say that partner relationships really make this job, like several others have already said. Both with fellow baristas and your SSVs/managers.

Depending on how committed to the job you are, you can also spend some time on the store iPad learning the drinks. I have been coming in early a little to take some time and go through the recipe cards in the "StoreResources" app.

Overall, you already seem to have the right mindset about the job and a generally positive attitude. I think, as long as your support is solid, things will be great for you!

Yay! Have fun, I hope you enjoy, fellow barista here, I love it!!

I only started a week ago but I'm loving it. I think it's mainly because of my colleagues they're all so sound. The banter makes the day sooooooo much easier. As long as you're workmates are relaxed enough you should really enjoy it.

God speed

Get a feel for your location, the community and the regular customers who come in. Kill with kindness. Listen to them, then repeat what they said back at them to be sure. Don't stress over hot dirty bean water!

From your comments it sounds like you’ll be just fine and enjoy yourself! People (especially in this sub) get really dramatic about how bad this job can be, and it all boils down to having a bad work environment and/or the reality working in fast food. If you get a decent team and can cope with customers and corporate bullshit, it’s not a bad job at all. I’ve worked in food service for longer than I’d like to admit and it’s the best job like that I’ve ever had.

You'd probably like a local coffee shop better

Started about 3 ish months ago at a high volume store, and since you’ve already got barista experience it shouldn’t be too bad. The biggest hurdle for you is probably going to be drive through and corporate’s focus on meeting drive through times. I worked at McDonald’s for over a year and I still felt overwhelmed when I first started out lol. You’ll get used to it I’m sure and find your way of working within and dealing the system.

As for the work environment, your mileage will vary but I’ve had really good experiences with coworkers and management. Most everyone there was eager to help as I started and pretty patient with me as well. I’m trans as well, and I don’t think any of my coworkers have given me a hard time for that, which I’m incredibly relieved for (can’t say the same for the customer base though😬). My store at least is also really flexible with hours if you’re a student or otherwise someone who has to work with a wonky schedule. Benefits are also surprisingly good too. Overall, I’m content enough to work here, I’ve had much worse jobs in the past, and I see myself sticking with this company for a while

it has its ups and downs. I definitely agree that it’s going to feel more like “fancy” fast food than any former barista experience you have, but it is genuinely harder work than anyone prepared me for.

overall despite the workload and how shitty corporate is I love my team and genuinely enjoy being a barista there!

I’m sorry to hear that bud, hope it works out. LMAO. It’s fine it’s just got it’s fair share of bullshit you have to put up with.

Good luck from a happily former partner

You are gonna hate your life. But love it at the same time. I stay for the coworkers I have loved every single person i had the opportunity to meet in these last 8 years

I just started two weeks ago and I'm in my last week of training. I started working not knowing what to expect and I'll say it does take a lot out of me since I'm working 30+ hour weeks! But this new lifestyle is helping me mentally. The people I work with are so supportive and lovely. I hope you'll settle in well and good luck in training!

Damn there’s a bunch of negative ass people here. Starbucks is a job, your make it what it is. Good luck! Have fun and take your time learning all the stuff. There’s a lot of stuff to learn lol

As someone who was also out of the job for nearly a year before working for the Siren, I understand what it can mean to have any kind of job after nothing at all. In that sense, working for sbux was really a godsend for me, especially since they feed you while you’re there, and the food on your day off program is still going.

The most important things I’ve found so far:
- Communication is the most important part of keeping the store running well. Let your CS know you’re getting low on ingredients BEFORE they’re all gone, call ahead if you’re gonna be a little late or get stuck in traffic, be sure your bar knows if there’s any modifications the customer added after you rang them in, etc. it makes everything smoother for everyone

- Get nonslip shoes

- This is a fast food job, and sometimes people are going to be pissy about times, but… look, you can only make drinks so quickly, especially with modifications, and especially when you’re a green bean (new). I live by the motto of “it gets there when it gets there.” As long as I’m doing my best, I really don’t sweat people getting impatient. It isn’t my fault if they can’t manage their time well. I basically just keep my head down, make drinks at a steady pace, and smile when I hand them out.

- Don’t be afraid to get backup if someone’s being shitty. Again, especially when you’re new, it’s better to ask your shift supervisor or management how to handle an irate customer. On that note, also don’t be afraid to ask questions about how to make drinks, or for bar support if there’s too many orders at once.

- no really, the nonslip shoes thing is so important pls save yourself the concussion, we’re dealing with a lot of ice and a lot of drinks here, and if somebody spills heavy cream… it’s over

- Don’t forget to pick up your tips every week? I think this should be given, but I see some people leave theirs in for a whole month before grabbing them. Also! If you help at another store, don’t forget to go back and get your tips next week. It’ll only be a couple bucks, but it will be waiting for you.

- Know where the first aid kit is. Like, you never wanna need it, but it’s better to know and not need?

- Not a must, but I stg I’m the only person to read the weekly newsletter they post. Mostly it’s just nice to know what’s coming, and not be thrown off like most of the store is by changes or promotions lmao

run

Hi! Congrats on getting the job! I got hired about 1.5 months ago and I really enjoy it. Thankfully, my Starbucks does not have a drive thru and is located in a book store and due to that, I really enjoy the atmosphere of working there. Even when it’s busy, it’s not too bad at the location where I work at. Learning things such as the amount of pumps of each syrup and the amount of expresso shots that has to be put into each drink is tricky at first, but you’ll catch on soon enough. Good luck! You’ll do great.

My wife's an ASM and she loves it despite it being difficult at times. It is what you make it.

It really depends on the store tbh. My store has a great group, the shifts are all generally pretty good and the sm is distant but understanding. Other stores have drama, or rude shifts, or a rude/neglectful sm.

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