I recently got hired at a licensed store in a Target. On my first day the store director mentions that we have no team leader (Target's bullshit term for 'manager'). She mentions that a team leader has been hired but is currently training at a different store and won't start working at our store until after Black Friday. I later learn that this is because the previous team leader quit without notice. \[Voice of reason: This is not normal. Starbucks stores should not operate without a manager.\]

Next, no one seems to know when this team leader is starting work. \[Again, what the fuck.\]

The hours for our store have not been shortened. I only started work one month ago, and we have lost six baristas. Four quit, one went on maternity leave, and I'm pretty sure the last one caught COVID. (Target texted everyone to let them know an employee has COVID and which date they were last in the store. She fits the bill and has been experiencing symptoms.) Only one of the baristas who quit bothered to give notice. Two of them were trainers of mine. We are now down to four baristas to operate our store, only one being a trainer. We were visited the other day by our district manager, and she only seemed concerned about one of our espresso machines which had been acting up a little. She complained that we weren't keeping the hopper 75%-80% full at all times. Ma'am, we're so busy and short-staffed we can't go to the restroom. That hopper is not staying full. I'm sure she looked at the machine herself to save money on hiring an espresso machine repair person.

Today my coworker whom I suspect of having COVID (I went and got tested myself this morning) didn't come to work, so I had to work my closing shift by myself. I tried to close the store early so I'd be able to do the important closing tasks within the time frame of my shift. (Lord knows I wasn't going to be able to do all of them.) A psychopath customer tattled on me to some random employee and the store director came to my store to ask if I'd gotten permission from any team leader to close the store early. "No," I said, "I'm by myself because \[coworker\] didn't come to work today and if I don't close the store early I won't be able to complete the closing tasks by the end of my shift." "Do your closing tasks when you don't have any guests." \[thinks to myself\] 'This is Starbucks. We always have guests.' \[doesn't say anything, as I'm already in trouble and management here seems determined not to understand how Starbucks works\] "If I want to close the store early," she continues, "I have to make calls." \[thinks to myself\] 'THEN MAKE THE FUCKING CALLS.' "What if I go overtime completing all the closing tasks?" "That's fine."