New ssv here too you got this I keep a notebook on me and always get in 15 minutes early so I know what still needs to be done and who my team will be

I was primarily a mid/close SSV, and the one thing I found to be helpful was to "chunk" out your day. Obviously every day is different and some days are way crazier than others, but it helps to have a list of tasks and an approximate time that you want those tasks completed by. Doing your money, floors/breakdown/prep, the PM pull, the inventory count etc...figure out how much time each task takes for you on average, and then come up with a plan that makes sense for the business flow of your store (taking into account barista skill set, rush times etc). My best advice is to lean on your team, and be transparent with them so that they know what's going on. The rush slowed down? Let everyone know that you're going to step off the floor to do the pull. Keep your headset on, and let them know that they can come get you if they start to struggle. Try to run your breaks before your mid baristas leave so that you have enough coverage. And make sure you take all of YOUR breaks! It's tempting to skip them because you feel like you're running behind, but that's how you get burnt out. Delegate all work to your partners accordingly; only you can do the shift tasks, so you need to prioritize your time to do those rather than making whips or whatever. Because your team knows your store best, maybe ask the current mid/closing SSV if they can make you a cheat sheet. I had only opened once during my years as a barista, and my lovely opening SSV wrote me a list when I got called in to cover an open as a SSV. The main difference between opening and closing, imo, is that you don't get any additional time to catch up at close, and you have to do it all with a smaller team. So you really need to stay on top of things.

TL;DR Mid/close is neither harder nor easier than AM, it's just different. Prioritize your time and let your team help you. Communicate effectively. And don't forget to do a final walkthrough at the end of the night so that everything is off, clean, and locked up. Good luck, you got this!!

Delegate! Share your list! Let your baristas know exactly what tasks you expect them to do or make a storewide checklist for the night(but also consider what they're usually doing on a close --nothing kills efficiency like a partner who's pulling trash when they really wanted to be doing the dishes.

Build in extra time for your admin tasks if you're unsure. You can't start some of them until you lock the doors, but there's some things you can start early.

Help the baristas keep up with routines. If CS gets neglected in the last quarter of the day, you're closing from behind.

And for the love of everything good brush up on how the chemicals work and where they're used. The sheer number of times I turned on the ovens in the morning and was hit full blast with Yummy Toasty Unrinsed Oven Cleaner...

[deleted]

Take your time. And know that it’s okay to mess up and forget things at the beginning. And it’s super okay to feel anxious. I felt like that when I first started closing as a SSV and in my head I thought all of the baristas thought I was taking too long.. but it was, again, all in my head. Trust me, you’ll get it so well to the point that it’ll feel like second nature. I promise promise promise. It just takes practice. When I started closing, my big thing was the money. I thought I was never gonna get it, but now it’s my fav task cause I’m so good at it. Today was my first day opening as a SSV and it ran much more smoothly than what I had pictured in my head lol. Also, reach out and let your SM know how you feel about your progress. But I would just have more faith in myself because usually whenever we try something new we’re always gonna feel like we’re not ready, but you just have to do it by yourself to grasp *your* flow for *your* shift. Once you start owning your shifts, you’ll feel really good :) best of luck 💓