Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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outside hire sm (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by lanceofruin
we have someone who was recently hired as a store manager doing their training at our store. they just finished their barista training and are now starting their SSV training this week. they were on cold bar and they kept passing over finished iced green tea lattes that were so pale. like they looked like just milk. so i asked them how they were making them and they said “with the iced green tea and milk???” like it was obvious and i was being dumb for asking. bestie how are you gonna run a store when you’re doin stuff like that 😭
wavvyhag 100 points 1y ago
you know those tiny little metal espresso shot glasses? i once watched my outside hire SM attempt to steam milk in one of those.
leopardsocks 25 points 1y ago
Lmaooooooooooooooo that is absolutely something our outside hire sm would have done
lilkiosk 5 points 1y ago
Crying
sammiipiie 3 points 1y ago
Stahp omfg ☠️
Responsible_Snow7109 1 points 1y ago
Omg 👀
aint_that_right 54 points 1y ago
I mean, they only get two weeks of barista training. Nobody expects any regular green bean to know everything about the barista role in their first two weeks. Be patient with their barista skills, it takes everyone time to learn bar!
lanceofruin [OP] 50 points 1y ago
oh sure it was just a little baffling when not only was i one of the people who trained them and i definitely went over iced green tea lattes, but i explicitly remember going over them again with them just the other day. i was also just rubbed the wrong way by the attitude they gave me when i corrected them. they are not very good at taking direction or being coached. they get super defensive and annoyed when anyone has feedback for them. they’re already acting like they know everything and are trying to run the store. i guess that’s my main issue. how are you gonna be an SM when you don’t respond well to coaching and act like you know more about this job than people who have been here much longer than you?
Necessary_Low939 18 points 1y ago
It’s ok to not be good but don’t act like a know it all like what op said
computernoobe 10 points 1y ago
I think this take is a bit ignorant and lacks sympathy for the OP. They were treated in a condescending/derogatory manner by their SM. Just because a person is new does not grant them the right to act however they want.
Complex_Imagination9 20 points 1y ago
Outside hire ASM here. Who also quit after 2 months. I brought in 14 years leadership experience, and the way coffee masters belittled me will stick with me forever. I always lead with, “I don’t know what I am doing”…they would question how I didn’t know how to do all recipes. Partner, I have 2 weeks to learn barista, muscle memory takes time. I always scheduled myself 4 hours on the floor and 4 hours on admin. I know it looks like I’m playing on the MacBook for 4 hours, but staying on top of partner hours who didn’t clock in/out, forgot to write it down, partners who weren’t borrowed from other stores, order supplies, check up on current work orders takes up more than those hours. I made it a priority to do partner hours twice daily because I know how important every minute paid means. Yes I was new to the culture, but I know how to lead. I think that Starbucks is a niche group that you’re either there from the start and you belong, or you’re just a green been for your entire existence. I left because I did not agree with a decision the DM made. They preach caring for partners, but on the same sentence destroy those same partners that live, breathe, and love the culture. Make it make sense. Starbucks out sources because they fail their partners in giving them the tools to advance their skill set being leaders. They say all the resources you need are on the partner hub. How can a barista or SSV access partner hub when their entire shift is meticulously dictated? Are they supposed to grow their talents on their 10 minute break?
lanceofruin [OP] 10 points 1y ago
very true. starbucks needs to do more to support their current partners and help them advance their careers if they wish, and they need to do more to support outside hires and help them learn and succeed in their roles
Complex_Imagination9 4 points 1y ago
Yes, thank you! I understand the hate thinking that an outside hire came in and took someone’s possible job, but the fact is that person was not prepared. Before I left I talked and was pushing a SSV to polish her resume and determine what her leadership skills were to prepare her for a mock ASM interview. Her answer: silence, followed by “what are you talking about?” And she listed how she knows how to do her job and she executes it flawlessly, but if you’re applying for a step up position you need to perform for it or have the foundational skill set. That’s what a lot of baristas/SSVs lack. They know how to make a drink in 30 seconds, latte art, but don’t have an idea how to run the floor. That is not an outside hires fault, that is the poor or nonexistent investment in career progression the company is making. They are outsourcing because it’s cheaper to bring in someone who can run a store without having to set time and resources aside to train those already there.
goofball27 20 points 1y ago
We had one of those who thought he was gods gift to Starbucks and refused to listen to any female partners that tried to coach him or train him and made multiple people uncomfortable. Even though many complained he still is “running” a store in our district. Outside hires are not it
ToritoBurito 2 points 1y ago
My outside hire ASM/SM experience was similar to this. She would act like she knew everything there was to know about the job and then when she needed help with drinks would only ask certain people even though there were baristas around her who could’ve answered her.
She also made nearly every barista in the store cry at least once…I don’t miss her.
She also made nearly every barista in the store cry at least once…I don’t miss her.
booboobradley 2 points 1y ago
Screw management! Unionize
Wonderful-Put-5972 1 points 1y ago
I have only ever met one who did it and I've seen about 20 where I'm like smdh til I'm dizzy
Wonderful-Put-5972 1 points 1y ago
Oh I have storiessss
grimes-synth 1 points 1y ago
so i take it it’s very common for bux to hire outside idiots and continue to pass up shift managers.
Electrical_Metal_106 1 points 1y ago
An outside hire isn’t the worst thing. If they are a strong leader who knows their weaknesses and are not afraid to ask questions, then they are fine. I’d rather have the outside hire that can’t bar but does scheduling and payroll properly.
rudebii 41 points 1y ago
Found the outside hire.
Electrical_Metal_106 25 points 1y ago
😂 i am but not an SM. It’s just been my experience that the outside hire SM (who was good at managing) was good at taking care of the partners (extra hours, fixing things, handling rude customers) but couldn’t bar to save their life. Where as the SM I have now-who is great on bar-is really bad at managing and has cultivated the most toxic environment. I definitely wish that the company would be better at promoting from within, but I can see the benefit from hiring someone from the outside that can be better at managing.
SamusCroft 12 points 1y ago
Agree. I was an outside hire SSV and people will act like my six years of supervising skills doesn’t outweigh them being able to make drinks marginally faster. It ain’t a big deal if non-baristas can make drinks super fast. Everyone has different jobs, and frankly I’m just rarely on bar.
lanceofruin [OP] 12 points 1y ago
i don’t care about an SM being fast on bar or being the best at any particular position. i know that their job is more about, well, managing than being amazing on the floor lol. but i do care about them knowing things like recipes, standards, and having a solid understanding of what it’s like being a barista so they can manage and support us better
jessmmo14 1 points 1y ago
Well said.
SeaworthinessGold846 2 points 1y ago
An SM I’d be like ok if they have trouble on bar because it’s not their main task, but a SSV who is constantly on the floor and actively coaching? If someone who was slower than me on bar tand didn’t have the skills to hold their own tried to correct something I was doing I’d be like stfu
SamusCroft 1 points 1y ago
I wasn’t hired to be a super barista. Or an encyclopedia of standards. If that’s what the company or my manager thinks SSVs should be, then they wouldn’t hire SSVs from outside. It’s not barista skills they’re looking for.
Whether I’m great on bar or not is barely ever relevant because typically I’m not deployed there. It’s far easier to run the floor and stay flexible from R1 or CS. Also that’s just not a good outlook to have unless you’re just trying to cause problems with your shift who is just doing their job of making sure you do yours. It isn’t a competition to make the fastest drink, just have to do it right.
Whether I’m great on bar or not is barely ever relevant because typically I’m not deployed there. It’s far easier to run the floor and stay flexible from R1 or CS. Also that’s just not a good outlook to have unless you’re just trying to cause problems with your shift who is just doing their job of making sure you do yours. It isn’t a competition to make the fastest drink, just have to do it right.
grimes-synth 0 points 1y ago
if you’re a manager and you can’t do all the barista tasks well you shouldn’t be a manager lmao what
sheep_heavenly 1 points 1y ago
I'd rather have someone who can be taught how to schedule and payroll than someone who can't learn how to bar. Managers don't spend the majority of their shifts on admin if they're any good. If they can't bar or learn how to bar that just means we're having to compensate for them because they're still counted as a full person on the schedule.
Best of luck to any outside hire SM, but it's pretty well known that it doesn't work out in the vast majority of situations.
Best of luck to any outside hire SM, but it's pretty well known that it doesn't work out in the vast majority of situations.
Anon_Actual_01 1 points 1y ago
Ouch. Old thread I know but outside hire SM started SSV training last night and wow, this is intense training. I can't imagine acting like a know it all. I am STUNNED at how amazing the barristas and SSVs at this store are - they're amazing partners.
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