I was not prepared for the back pain, foot pain, holding back tears.

At the end of the day, it's just coffee. People are there for their caffeine fix and are usually nice. The jerks are just miserable people.

Be ready to feel like you were dropped straight into the deep end. When you first start you’ll feel really overwhelmed by the amount of stuff you need to memorise. Just know it does get easier the longer you work there.
And sometimes people just want to complain and there’s nothing you can do to make them happy. Just do your best but if they wanna stay mad, they’ll just stay mad and that isn’t really your problem.

Just be ready for brain overload, and try to focus on the task at hand when things feel chaotic. With time and repetition, the job gets easier and things will start to sink in.

Thank You Everyone For The Great Advice Even To u/SavannaHeat Don't Worry It Didn't Overwhelm Me, It's The Truth. I'll Buy Some Extra Clothing For The Spills And TBH This Post And The Comments. Just Makes Me More Exited For The Job Thank You Everyone.

The biggest thing, is feeling dehumanized. That’s what you really need to be prepared for. Utilize those headspace and Lyra benefits. I’m not even saying that as a joke. This job is brutal. You will be abused constantly by customers, your anxiety will be heightened, and you will be treated like less than a person. (I’m not trying to scare you, and I’m sorry if I am.) Invest in some earplugs (like Loops) that allow you to still hear but dampens the sounds around you because the sounds in the cafe are loud and often times painful. All the sounds around you will make things worse for you so seriously get some earplugs. Always keep hand lotion on you and perhaps some wipes. We wash our hands often and it’s so easy to become so uncomfortable that you’re distracted and miserable, all just from having dry hands. I recommend the wipes for when you go to the bathroom and there is no toilet paper. Happens all the time. Keep wipes on you every shift. Wear layers, always. Maybe even bring spare clothes. If it gets hot, you can remove your outer layer, if you’re cold, you can put it on. Keep your legs covered even if wearing a skirt/dress because of the spills and syrups that splash onto the legs. Bad spills happen, so having an extra pair of pants, shirt, or even another apron can help a TON. Nobody wants to feel soaked in oat milk for their whole shift. Running to the bathroom to wash up and change will dramatically help your mind state. Little miserable moments add up and can make you hate the job, your partners, and your customers, so do everything in your power to remedy those little things (like dry hands, wet clothes, loud noises, no toilet paper, etc.) Quickly familiarize yourself with where the first aid is. Burns happen frequently in this environment especially if you have partners who don’t announce their presence and just pump into you when you’re working with the oven or hot liquids. That’s all I can think of at the moment. This is coming from a someone who’s only been with Starbucks for 3 months.

It can be a blast if you have a good team! First day at any job can be overwhelming. My advice: make sure you introduce yourself to every coworker you meet! They are going to be your support, they will answer all your questions, and they will help you through learning the job.

Ask if you are not sure of something. Ask, and ask again and again. We dont expect anybody to be fully equipped on their first day, week, even month. You'll learn better if you ask questions.

Find out where your store keeps their recipe cards (a booklet with every drink recipe!) So that you can look through them or check a recipe when you need to. Have someone show you how to find the recipes on the ipads as well (an app called store resources)

Drink lots of water to stay hydrated for working so much. Take care of yourself!

Chaos

Get comfortable non-slip shoes and drink lots of water. If you aren’t used to working on your feet for hours on end, it may take your body a little time to adjust.

Other than that, give yourself time to be successful. You might not feel ready after your training is completed and that’s ok! It took me a couple months to actually feel like a good barista, and now I’m a barista trainer.

Also, be assertive! A lot of times the shift supervisor won’t want to put new people on bar, as the more experienced partners are usually faster. You need practice time on bar in order to get faster though, so don’t be afraid (after your training is over) to ask if you can possibly be put on bar at some point during the shift.

If you have had a job In the retail/service industry you’ll be fine. Don’t over think and don’t take anything to heart your still learning.

just be weary of holiday season, people fr suck