Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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how do you overcome a really bad day? (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by certifiedsnax
i’ve been a partner for about 2 months now and have always felt really good about working mornings during peak and stuff. I feel like i’ve grasped hot bar pretty well (although my sequencing could probably be better). I’ve had stressful days where I feel behind but there’s always a light and I feel a weight off my shoulders once I get everything out and we get a little break. But today was god awful.
I kept spilling drinks and milk everywhere so then I fall behind because I have to remake them, people keep taking the wrong drinks because we have 40 different drinks on the hand-off from mobiles and then i have to remake those. I end up being like 8 minutes behind on drinks and obviously people are getting frustrated with waiting and everyone is watching me spill all of these drinks and it’s embarrassing. I hate being behind and having customers watch over me like a hawk and asking where their drinks and food are and it stresses me out even more. It also doesn’t help that I’ve been in a really depressive mood the last week so making so many mistakes just amplified the stress even more and it just makes me feel so stupid and incompetent. I just know I’m not gonna be allowed back on bar for a while because I got so stressed and it just bums me out bc I love being on bar and I normally don’t get stressed like this (mostly bc i take anxiety meds before my shift) Now I don’t know how I’m supposed to overcome this shift because I just really messed up and I feel so stupid :(
I kept spilling drinks and milk everywhere so then I fall behind because I have to remake them, people keep taking the wrong drinks because we have 40 different drinks on the hand-off from mobiles and then i have to remake those. I end up being like 8 minutes behind on drinks and obviously people are getting frustrated with waiting and everyone is watching me spill all of these drinks and it’s embarrassing. I hate being behind and having customers watch over me like a hawk and asking where their drinks and food are and it stresses me out even more. It also doesn’t help that I’ve been in a really depressive mood the last week so making so many mistakes just amplified the stress even more and it just makes me feel so stupid and incompetent. I just know I’m not gonna be allowed back on bar for a while because I got so stressed and it just bums me out bc I love being on bar and I normally don’t get stressed like this (mostly bc i take anxiety meds before my shift) Now I don’t know how I’m supposed to overcome this shift because I just really messed up and I feel so stupid :(
juskerface 3 points 1y ago
Always remember its literally just coffee.
That's something a shift said to me when I started in October. I'm a shift lead now too and I tell everyone that when they're freaking out. Obviously accuracy and speed are important, but in the grand scheme of things, its literally just coffee.
That being said I felt this way yesterday, our drive sticker printer stopped working so the drive partner was attempting to write codes (all of us struggling to remember them), so drinks were NOT going out fast, and I kept making stupid mistakes that made things go even more slowly. Same as you, lots of spills, wrong drinks going out, using the wrong milk the first time around, etc. It was awful and I feel your pain.
Truly though, everyone has shitty days where they fuck up everything (or feel like they do), which means it's bound to happen at work once in a while! Chalk it up to a bad set of circumstances, and try not to let it make you doubt yourself. You've got this!!
That's something a shift said to me when I started in October. I'm a shift lead now too and I tell everyone that when they're freaking out. Obviously accuracy and speed are important, but in the grand scheme of things, its literally just coffee.
That being said I felt this way yesterday, our drive sticker printer stopped working so the drive partner was attempting to write codes (all of us struggling to remember them), so drinks were NOT going out fast, and I kept making stupid mistakes that made things go even more slowly. Same as you, lots of spills, wrong drinks going out, using the wrong milk the first time around, etc. It was awful and I feel your pain.
Truly though, everyone has shitty days where they fuck up everything (or feel like they do), which means it's bound to happen at work once in a while! Chalk it up to a bad set of circumstances, and try not to let it make you doubt yourself. You've got this!!
trbpanda 3 points 1y ago
dont worry, it's not your fault!! everyone makes mistakes, and it's hard to get used to the fast paced environment as well as just everything else going on around you.
we've all been there spilling drinks by the way - im a 3 year partner and the other day i spilled a WHOLE ASS venti iced mocha with whipped cream because i was trying to forced the lid on. on top of that just being embarrassing, it also leaked into our ice bin which my poor shift had to empty and refill. all in the middle of peak. i had also dropped a full frap pitcher that still had the drink in it. i just elbowed the whole thing off the counter without even pouring the drink. so that was cool too.
easier said than done obviously, but just try to remind yourself that you can slow down and take a deep breath. no matter how behind you are, you can always catch up. who cares how behind you are? if the customer is fed up with waiting too long, it's on them for coming into a busy starbucks and expecting it to be fast. that's not your fault. you are one human being and can only do so much at one time
we've all been there spilling drinks by the way - im a 3 year partner and the other day i spilled a WHOLE ASS venti iced mocha with whipped cream because i was trying to forced the lid on. on top of that just being embarrassing, it also leaked into our ice bin which my poor shift had to empty and refill. all in the middle of peak. i had also dropped a full frap pitcher that still had the drink in it. i just elbowed the whole thing off the counter without even pouring the drink. so that was cool too.
easier said than done obviously, but just try to remind yourself that you can slow down and take a deep breath. no matter how behind you are, you can always catch up. who cares how behind you are? if the customer is fed up with waiting too long, it's on them for coming into a busy starbucks and expecting it to be fast. that's not your fault. you are one human being and can only do so much at one time
juskerface 1 points 1y ago
Also this!! If someone is in a rush, they should have known when they walked in and saw a crowd, or a line, or a million drinks on the counter, that they'd have to wait. I understand people get impatient, but I always just tell them (nicely, and in an apologetic tone, if i can manage that) we make the drinks in the order we get the stickers, and we're moving as quickly as we can. Stuff happens, ya know? It'll all be fine :)
Apopheniacal 3 points 1y ago
I made a playlist for SUCKY WORK DAY, which helps on the drive home at least.
It may not help too much to say but it helps to stay grounded. When one thing goes wrong and it bothers you, then everything after will compound, and if you lose your composure you lose your ability to quickly adapt to these situations anyways. I like saying 'I MADE A MESS!' to make a joke out of things, and it takes the tension out of a snag.
Another important thing to remember is I am positive other people are just as happy to help you get through peak as you are them. There shouldn't be a huge emphasis on you being perfect. People make mistakes all the time, I don't care how long you've been there. It's to be expected.
Other than that, remember you're still relatively green and you're not gonna know everything for a solid few months. Before you know it (especially with the turnover rate), you'll be the one the green beans are turning to and that'll do wonders for your confidence. The fact you're on bar already in the mornings is a testament to your skills.
It may not help too much to say but it helps to stay grounded. When one thing goes wrong and it bothers you, then everything after will compound, and if you lose your composure you lose your ability to quickly adapt to these situations anyways. I like saying 'I MADE A MESS!' to make a joke out of things, and it takes the tension out of a snag.
Another important thing to remember is I am positive other people are just as happy to help you get through peak as you are them. There shouldn't be a huge emphasis on you being perfect. People make mistakes all the time, I don't care how long you've been there. It's to be expected.
Other than that, remember you're still relatively green and you're not gonna know everything for a solid few months. Before you know it (especially with the turnover rate), you'll be the one the green beans are turning to and that'll do wonders for your confidence. The fact you're on bar already in the mornings is a testament to your skills.
noelbert73 3 points 1y ago
i just made three months and my best advice is to take a deep breath. i remember getting in my car one day after a busy peak and sobbing because i felt so stupid. i kept messing up and falling extremely behind. we all have bad days but you can’t be too hard on yourself. i normally just see what i’m messing up on and slowly working to get better at it. it take a while but once you have it down you’ll truly be ok! customer can be rude, but if you believe you’re doing your best, you’ll be great! no one expects you to be an all star barista, so if you make mistakes it’ll be okay as long as you work to fix them. believe in yourself! you got this!
Zaria_1293 1 points 1y ago
Pack a bowl or roll one out and gather your team out back
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