I understand how you're feeling. Unfortunately, managing 3-5 tasks at once and listening/watching for a dozen different signals, noises, or other stimuli is a huge part of this job.

I don't have much advice except to say that you're looking at Customer Support (CS) in the wrong way and adjusting your perspective might help you understand your coworkers' requests a bit better. CS is the powerhouse of the cell- I mean, the store. For better or for worse, your job is to keep the other baristas planted where they are and moving constantly. In an ideal situation, they should be able to reach for anything they need-- a sauce, a cup, a sandwich, a pair of tongs, a scoop of ice, any beverage component or tool they need-- and be able to put their fingers on it immediately. When you're on CS, you're the one who lets them do that. You keep the whole place buzzing. It's actually a very rewarding feeling when you find your groove.

So it's not that they're giving you tasks they don't want to do, it's that they're supposed to stay where they are and need someone to help them do that. If there's no dedicated CS person, then yes, sometimes it can be the window, DTO, or warming barista who helps grab lids or syrups. Whoever has a free pair of hands is the hero of many moments in this job, lol.

On that note, "on the fly" means whatever they're asking for is for the immediate customer being served-- usually at the window. It means that the stack or sequence is out of order and we can't get back in it until the need is met. The line won't move, or the customer won't stop asking, until X happens. So your coworker was right-- if you're on support or you're the free hand, you stop what you're doing and grab the thing.

I'm sorry you felt like you were being dismissed or given small jobs. From a bean who also still has a bit of green on her, I do hope things get better. ❤️

They had me on solo drive for 3 hours straight and the line was non stop, let’s just say I quit after that shift.

Damn I’m seeing a lot of these posts, I guess I was lucky enough to have really nice partners.

[deleted]

It’s them, not you. My store isn’t like that at all despite how over busy yet understaffed we are. Starbucks is full of corporate nonsense but the one thing I agree with is “Assume Best Intent” when it comes to your partner. Those people are not doing that. Plus the work place is supposed to be a “Third Place” of civility and acceptance for you too, not just customers or employees in the clique. I hope that at some point you are able to call them out on this. You sound stronger than most who report on here from a toxic store. Also if you have worked 6 months and have a good record you can transfer to another store. Good luck!

Starbucks’ official training is one-two weeks, but for most people it can take up to three months to be comfortable. Honestly as someone who trained maybe a dozen baristas during my time at Starbucks, if someone a month in did things slowly / out of priority order, but was still always busy / knew how to do them, that’s a success in my book. It takes a lot of time to learn everything, and reacting to all the stimuli is extremely hard when focusing on what you’re doing still takes so much attention.

Your coworkers might be stressed, many Starbucks’s aren’t in the best places right now. Some of it also might just be some tone mishaps- I could see the one with almond milk being that. I know I started at a high-volume DT and we said as little as possible to get the point across. Like just yelled “2%” to our CS if we needed 2% milk or something. My slower cafe store I transferred to thought I was rude AF for not saying “Please” and “Thank you” all the time, when if never even occured to me to waste someone’s time like that. I only heard when someone mentioned it months after my transfer in passing and adjusted my speaking pattern, but I still have the “it’s ruder to waste someone’s time” mentality in my heart. Kind of like saying “please pass me the ball” “thanks for the pass” in the middle of a sports game? Just felt super weird to me.

Anyhow, Starbucks can be a stressful job but your coworkers really ought to be cutting you some slack still. But also if it’s just tone difference cut them some slack too. But Starbucks is never going to be a cozy cafe job you’d expect from TV. I’ve lost a lot of greenbeans to that. It’s OK if it isn’t for you. It’s also OK if you decide your coworkers are AH’s and want out.

I know exactly what you mean. Whether or not I’m gonna have a good shift depends on who’s working the same shift with me.

Yeah, until you're actually able to do bar well you get treated like shit. Just gotta decide if it's worth it to get to that point. It takes a couple months.

Can understand the frustration with rude partners, but the CS stuff is the way it is. Stocking, refilling, doing 100 things at a time and getting things on the fly is the nature of the position.

Fortunately it will come easier the longer you do it.

I’ve noticed at my store the trainer who trained me barely trained me…I had three days of mainly computer training then I was thrown on the floor with no one to shadow. I’ve been floundering for three weeks asking people how to do new tasks when told to and literally no one will tell me or show me. They tell me to “go look it up in the book” but no one will tell me what book they’re talking about. It’s also incredibly frustrating for people to LITERALLY stand there watching you do something wrong and say NOTHING to guide you on the correct way to do a task. It’s a very petty environment in my store…