Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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Grande turned Venti Rant—need advice (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by cupcakegoldfish
okay, so I’ve been with the company since about august, and i loveee the job so far. but this is something that’s been kinda bothering me but i don’t know if it’s a valid complaint because i don’t think anyone else experiences it? i find myself being put on a register/cs position a majority of the time. while i’d rather bar, i really don’t mind doing register/cs. what bothers me is when i’m on cs during peak and the baristas on bar take their stress out on me. like, i’m just trying to do my job, but i’m being told to move out of their way or to go do something else SOMEWHERE else. not only that, but when i’m busy doing something, i get summoned, and am expected to be at their side almost immediately. the bar baristas scream my name until i go to them to help them with whatever they need. i don’t mind helping, i know they need milks, beans, sleeves, etc. it’s just when they have an attitude about it that bothers me. i feel SO used, but like, that’s my job?? to serve the bar baristas?? there’s this unspoken hierarchy, and i’m at the bottom of it. it sucks because i get pushed aside and treated kinda horribly for literally just doing my job and trying my best.
not to mention the register/cs combination IS THE WORST. i am in the back doing dishes/grabbing cups, whatever, and i get yelled at saying there’s a front. i have to drop my routine and immediately go help the customer. after that, i have to remember what i was doing beforehand and pick up where i left off. this is extremely inconvenient, it stresses me out, and it frustrates me. does anyone else feel this way? idk, like at the end of the day i know the baristas don’t mean it personally, but it still affects me in the moment. i’m just as stressed as they are. wish they had healthier ways of venting, that’s all. any advice of what i can/should do? i don’t want to be seen as overly sensitive, but one of the reasons i like starbucks so much is because of the positive environment. i don’t want that to change during peak, ya know?
not to mention the register/cs combination IS THE WORST. i am in the back doing dishes/grabbing cups, whatever, and i get yelled at saying there’s a front. i have to drop my routine and immediately go help the customer. after that, i have to remember what i was doing beforehand and pick up where i left off. this is extremely inconvenient, it stresses me out, and it frustrates me. does anyone else feel this way? idk, like at the end of the day i know the baristas don’t mean it personally, but it still affects me in the moment. i’m just as stressed as they are. wish they had healthier ways of venting, that’s all. any advice of what i can/should do? i don’t want to be seen as overly sensitive, but one of the reasons i like starbucks so much is because of the positive environment. i don’t want that to change during peak, ya know?
shibagurl111 9 points 1y ago
i feel like managers/shifts need to stop assigning people who are on register to also do CS....if theyre going to yell at the person doing CS that there is someone up front every 10 seconds but also need them to grab Literally every item from the back i feel like it just doesn't work the way they think it does
cupcakegoldfish [OP] 1 points 1y ago
THANK YOU! sucks that i don’t have the authority to tell them that though :,)
Few-Tax-1647 7 points 1y ago
I got hired in August too and this is my exact issue. I HATE CS for these exact reasons you listed. I ask for bar time as much as reasonably possible, but my best advice: volunteer for drive through. If your store is like mine, most people HATE working drive through, but I love it because it’s not front/CS lol.
cupcakegoldfish [OP] 1 points 1y ago
thank you for the advice! i’m glad you can relate i feel like i’m the only one who feels this way sometimes😅
lolfuckigottawork 4 points 1y ago
Omg I relate so hard. I'm a shift so typically whenever it's my shift to supervise, I'll try to put myself on cs/front/warming so that way I can bust my ass and make sure everything back up wise gets done, and it makes it easier for me to cut breaks or jump in somewhere if a barista needs help with anything.
However I do not like cs. Like I loathe it. So on the days that I'm scheduled for a barista shift, I try to do anything but that. However, my other shift coworkers all know that I am good at csing and balancing multiple tasks at once but it's getting annoying... I just want to bar :(
However I do not like cs. Like I loathe it. So on the days that I'm scheduled for a barista shift, I try to do anything but that. However, my other shift coworkers all know that I am good at csing and balancing multiple tasks at once but it's getting annoying... I just want to bar :(
cupcakegoldfish [OP] 3 points 1y ago
dude i totally get that. i appreciate that you’re willing to sacrifice yourself like that hah. my store does NOT change where they put people during peak (for the most part—all the bar people are the same) and the people on cold/hot/drive bar complain about how they’ve been there for four hours. like—shifts?? hellooooo maybe switch it up a bit?? sometimes when i get put on bar i get taken off because i’m “too slow” but it’s not fair because i haven’t been on bar long enough to get faster?? very much sucks :(
lolfuckigottawork 2 points 1y ago
Yeah I understand you completely!! From a shift pov, we are always aiming for faster drive times and such so "aces in their places" during peak makes sense to me. However there's other busier times not during peak that would be great for a slower person to practice and build up speed to eventually bar during peak. It seems like my other shifts don't like to take advantage of that. I personally would rather have a team full of baristas that are good at everything rather than a team with baristas who are great at one specific thing and only that thing.
cupcakegoldfish [OP] 1 points 1y ago
that’s a great mindset to have! we all have to start somewhere!
raindragon16 2 points 1y ago
I noticed this change about a year before I left. The CS/Register idea blows my mind, not only are you working two positions, they oppose each other. SB is just trying to work everyone twice as hard for low pay.
cupcakegoldfish [OP] 1 points 1y ago
that might be part of it. it’s not like we don’t have enough staff. to be put on register/cs really does make me want to cry. i haven’t yet somehow. i just tell myself to calm down and to take it one task/customer at a time
raindragon16 2 points 1y ago
Idk why management is deciding to combine two separate positions, like, setting yall up to fail.
C0ffeeCoffeeC0ffee 2 points 1y ago
This honestly sounds like a nightmare. I hated CS for a long time because it just felt like people endlessly yelling at me to do things while I'm still in the middle of five other things they've asked me to do.
I will say, there's a decent amount of turnover at Starbucks and you won't be pidgeon-holed into the "new guy" roles forever. Ask for bar practice time whenever it's slow at the beginning, then whenever you get the chance once you've got it down. Once everyone realizes that you're good at it, they'll want to put you on bar.
On the other hand, it does sound like there might be some unhealthy dynamics happening at your store which sucks. It might get better with time, or it might not, in which case it might be worth looking into transferring.
I will say, there's a decent amount of turnover at Starbucks and you won't be pidgeon-holed into the "new guy" roles forever. Ask for bar practice time whenever it's slow at the beginning, then whenever you get the chance once you've got it down. Once everyone realizes that you're good at it, they'll want to put you on bar.
On the other hand, it does sound like there might be some unhealthy dynamics happening at your store which sucks. It might get better with time, or it might not, in which case it might be worth looking into transferring.
cupcakegoldfish [OP] 1 points 1y ago
honestly, you’ve got some really good points here. it’s just hard for me to speak up, just because of the kind of person i am. i kinda wish i wasn’t this way but it makes me so uncomfortable to do things like this. i don’t want to kick the usual person off bar, ya know? like they probably hate cs just as much as i do. i don’t want to seem too picky or anything of the sort
dogsofwintergaming 2 points 1y ago
We do go mode for peak so we don't have a CS during peak. Everything is fully stocked before peak starts and CS turns into the food warmer who will grab cups or syrups or ice or milk if need be.
No one should be yelling at you or telling you to move :( that's not the right response. Also our store does NOT operate with a CS/front. That's a horrible combo. I have my shifts be in CS position for 80% of their shift so that they can best see bottlenecks and flex when needed. You deserve more credit than you're getting and should be put on bar more. If you were at my store I'd make sure you had bar time :(
No one should be yelling at you or telling you to move :( that's not the right response. Also our store does NOT operate with a CS/front. That's a horrible combo. I have my shifts be in CS position for 80% of their shift so that they can best see bottlenecks and flex when needed. You deserve more credit than you're getting and should be put on bar more. If you were at my store I'd make sure you had bar time :(
cupcakegoldfish [OP] 1 points 1y ago
aw🥺thank you. and to be fair, they do put me on bar. just never for peak. and i work openings 90% of the time. so like, maybe i’ll switch to evenings—the evening shift that works most of the time is SO good about giving new people a chance on other positions.
legoshis 2 points 1y ago
i’ve been here almost two months and i also HATE cs/front. you can definitely tell the difference in how you’re treated on cs than on bar! that “unspoken hierarchy” is so real! it’s lonely too. DT is hell for my ADHD but i’m happy doing even that if it means i’m not casted out to CS lol
tellovisions 3 points 1y ago
I feel like the “hierarchy” is there but I think it depends on how you look at it. If you work harder than the baristas on bar, they’ll notice. There’s nothing like having a CS that supports you during rush. I see the CS as a hero role. When I’m on CS, I try my best to support everyone and people thank me and acknowledge how hard working I am. When I’m on bar, I love having a CS that is there for me and thank them. I guess it’s all on how you see and perform in the role.
cupcakegoldfish [OP] 1 points 1y ago
my main issue is when bar baristas don’t appreciate or acknowledge all the effort i’m putting into making sure they’re taken care of. like obviously i’m not asking for 24/7 praise, but i don’t want to be pushed aside or treated worse just for the position i’m being put in. i understand what you’re saying and i try to put myself in that mindset most days, it just can be hard sometimes especially since i’m the only one that thinks i’m “heroic” i was cs for red cup day, and my shift decided to put me on cs the following week because i was doing so well. so it’s not like i’m bad at my job, ya know?
cupcakegoldfish [OP] 1 points 1y ago
i needed this validation today😭dude i’m so glad you agree. DT is rough for me too, i have a hard time with speaking, my brain thinks faster than i can talk so i find myself stuttering and making a fool out of myself. at least for cs i don’t have to talk to people as much or as often. but yeah cs is still generally worse mentally and emotionally.
[deleted] 1 points 1y ago
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AASILVERNB 1 points 1y ago
My store has basically eliminated the customer support role. If we have an extra barista we send them on a “restock” where it’s basically ONLY RESTOCKING literally nothing else. Works great for us. Not sure how you’d implement that without a shift wanting to as well
cupcakegoldfish [OP] 1 points 1y ago
that’s honestly a great idea. i don’t know about your store, but our store does cafe, drive thru, mobiles, and delivery. we’re sooo busy and are surprisingly staffed enough so that there’s an extra barista like 99% of the time. unfortunately, since we’ve been so busy, we have to restock and make back ups like crazy while on cs. and if you’re a cs/register barista that day you also have to brew coffee and help customers on top of the normal cs tasks + some. idk i can be hella dramatic sometimes, so i’m prone to meltdowns hah. how do you go about the normal cs routine (sanitizer, cafe slides, etc) minus restocking?
AASILVERNB 4 points 1y ago
I think for those types of task we have kind of a “before your break system” which is a title I just made up. It’s essentially like - “hey, I’m gonna have you take your 10, before you go plz get new sanny” Or “please pull some trashes then go on your lunch”. We also have a very busy store about where we’re doing 60 or 70 transactions every 30 min during peak. This system really works for us. Another thing is just like hey, if mobile bar has no drinks for a second, refill a ice chest.
cupcakegoldfish [OP] 2 points 1y ago
that’s fair. i’m sure every cs barista at our store would agree with you that that would be a better plan. it gets SO stressful sometimes having all that pressure on just a single person
AASILVERNB 3 points 1y ago
My advice would be to actually talk to a shift or manager about your experience. One of the interview questions at least for me is are you willing to speak up if you see a area where you can improve something, even if it’s “always” been like that. Nothings ever gonna change if you don’t give it a shot.
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