Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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steaming milk - annoying picky customers (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by Loose_Bumblebee
i’ve been working here since march, so i’d consider myself still fairly new to the game. when i first started i vividly remember having a customer who wanted their milk steamed to 190 degrees and of course her name was karen 😭. i didn’t know how to get the milk temp that high so i asked one of the ssvs and she said i had to manually do it. so i tried that and i handed it off and the woman touched it and was like “it’s not hot enough” and another barista re-made it for her. that was the end of it but she made me feel awful.
fast forward a couple months…
today she comes in again. i go to make the drink and i’m like hmm this seems familiar. i’m trying to steam the milk and all i feel are eyes on me and i feel my heart pacing so fast… i pour the milk into the cup and i accidentally overflowed it. then the woman asks another barista to tell me to remake it because i allegedly “spilled the majority of her drink on the counter”
so, i toss that drink and go to make it again. UGH. at this point i’m so frustrated!!!! she keeps staring at me while i’m doing it. when i go to hand it off she takes the lid off and asks for more milk. smh 🤦🏻♀️ then it’s gonna overflow again… so i pour some more milk for this karen and then she leaves and doesn’t even say thank you.
i felt like shit afterwards.
does anyone have any advice on how to get the milk to this temp? i feel like i never can and this lady made me feel awful and she made me feel like i can’t do my job 😞 i’m really trying my best but it never seems like i am enough for these customers.
fast forward a couple months…
today she comes in again. i go to make the drink and i’m like hmm this seems familiar. i’m trying to steam the milk and all i feel are eyes on me and i feel my heart pacing so fast… i pour the milk into the cup and i accidentally overflowed it. then the woman asks another barista to tell me to remake it because i allegedly “spilled the majority of her drink on the counter”
so, i toss that drink and go to make it again. UGH. at this point i’m so frustrated!!!! she keeps staring at me while i’m doing it. when i go to hand it off she takes the lid off and asks for more milk. smh 🤦🏻♀️ then it’s gonna overflow again… so i pour some more milk for this karen and then she leaves and doesn’t even say thank you.
i felt like shit afterwards.
does anyone have any advice on how to get the milk to this temp? i feel like i never can and this lady made me feel awful and she made me feel like i can’t do my job 😞 i’m really trying my best but it never seems like i am enough for these customers.
Conscious_Lab_778 10 points 1y ago
if you have the newer mastrenas you have to manually push the lever away from you so as to steam higher than norm. (makes the milk taste burnt, yuck!!)
doing this already makes it pretty foamy...but i say just expect to have to remake it when you see her around, some people arent happy in life and think you are less than youre worth!
doing this already makes it pretty foamy...but i say just expect to have to remake it when you see her around, some people arent happy in life and think you are less than youre worth!
Responsible_Snow7109 9 points 1y ago
I hate when people stare. Its like they were never taught manners. I hate being stared at when im on bar cuz if i shake the almond milk box or any others like coconut or doy or oat milk, sometimes it will splash out a little in my freakin eye or if i accidentally hit my arm against something and knock it over and spill it or drop something or fumble with an empty cup when im going to grab it, customers are always staring and seeing all that so i cant ever internally die in peace. Then wen i look up at them after any of that occurs, theyre still staring with no shame. They werent raised with being taught manners. I hate it. When i worked at a walmart pharmacy a few years back like in 2015/2016, i would sit on one of the benches outside of the store on my breaks and eat this little snack container that had little pretzels and cheese cubed and grapes or apples with it and people walking by would always stare at me and some of em would go as far as to walk past me but turn their heads to keep staring at me. Like is it fun staring at someone thats eating? I truly would love to know 🙄
Chub-boat 3 points 1y ago
My most embarrassing moment are when I inevitably accidentally hit the pitcher rinser and douse myself in water. On drive bar usually no one notices but on cafe bar I get just mortified.
Latter-Guava-4734 3 points 1y ago
I feel like that same thing happens to me at least once every shift when I get bar time. It temporarily turns my store into a rain forest.
Responsible_Snow7109 1 points 1y ago
Lmao definitely have had that happen too with water going everywhere. I think that happens at my store daily by alot of the partners 😂 lol at my store, customers are staring and can watch ur every move no matter what
KiwiBeginning4 2 points 1y ago
ive never experienced something so specific, we just have a warm button and an extra hot button. no specifics. you can always refuse to do something that makes you uncomfortable, so if she comes in again have someone else make her drink
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