This exact thing has led to many baristas quitting in a short time in my area. Older partners (some, not all) think they are vastly superior to the new hires, which is true in a sense, but it's in no way an excuse to treat people badly. Often, these veteran baristas will drive the new hires away and then say something like, "See, they couldn't hack it!" This is a self-fulfilling prophecy as the new hires were excited about learning and wanted to get better but the presumption that they would always fail led them to feel like outcasts and eventually quit. It's incredibly sad and as a trainer, I do everything in my power to make them feel welcome. I can't protect them from the other partners though, and the negative ones always manage to win in this situation. Add in the elitist mentality that no one can understand coffee in the way they do and it's no wonder people leave. We should be taking care of our team members, not alienating them and then acting like it was just their problem.

End rant.

No for realllll! Idk if this is a Starbucks specific thing but at my store a partner has been there for 18 years and tries to run shifts/tell everyone what to do it’s so annoying. Especially when some SSV’s allow him to basically run shifts. I straight up ignore him if he tries to tell me anything lmfaoooo

update 2: I’ve appreciated everyone’s comments and kind words. However, respectfully, why do most of us have to deal with this? Maybe this is me being too unrealistic but it’s so dumb that we have to endure these kinds of things just to make a living. I shouldn’t have to dread coming to work because of others. This is just me personally tho, and to my fellow barista homies that are going thru something similar, I’m here for you! Manifesting good things for all of us

I hate when people get cliquey at work. It’s annoying af when they are chatting about stuff outside work, barely working, and I have to ask a question like “hey someone said we are dating caramels now how long should I date them for?” And they look so mad I interrupted their important conversation about bar plans next Friday. Like y’all can talk about that shit later I’m trying to not get a food inspector to get mad at me

Edit: not to mention there’s a girl at my store who has worked for the company for 5+ years but is not a ssv or a trainer… she acts like she’s the hottest and best thing to come out of the company… hmm… I wonder why she hasn’t moved up 🫣

tahts pretty much how it is for me. I really tried to be kind to everyone at the store and be friends when everyone talks over the headsets but I was met with the same responses as you.

I usually just don’t talk and try to keep myself as busy as possible. If that’s how they wanna treat me then i’m gonna let it be until someone does something worth reporting lol.

🥺 I’m so sorry. I’ve had that happen, but I just ignore them and lose myself in my work or forcibly insert myself into their convos so their fun is ruined.

My store is very cliquey. It’s absolutely maddening. Every time we get new baristas (whether they’re brand new or transfers) they will talk SO much shit about that person behind their back because they don’t want anyone else wiggling their way into the friend group. Here lately they’ve been giggling about thing while looking in my general direction, and then get pissy when I ask what’s so funny. Or just blatantly ignore me when I talk to them. I’m very tired of it lol

I take a lot of shifts at other stores in my area. At my home store, we have a ssv that gets off by talking down to other people. Let’s call her Stephanie.

What I’ve learned is that every store has a Stephanie.

Keep your head down and keep doing your work. I am also in similar situation where I am a bit older than my fellow partners but not been with bux that long. But they are not immature like your partners so that makes things much easier. Stay a bit longer and get better at all positions and try to get transferred to another store. Meanwhile pick up shifts at another stores if possible so you can kinda know what kind of environment they have . But yea no matter what kind of job you do be it minimum wage or effing corporate there are going to be a bunch of high schoolers like this . You just need to develop skills to navigate and survive in these environments.

What a weird store environment. I was a borrowed partner at a couple stores like that. Gross. If they don’t improve, I would wait until the 6 month mark and try to transfer. Because I worked 2 years at Starbucks and honestly made some of the best friends I have and even my only inside work friends/coworkers were pretty great. There were very few people I didn’t get along with and typically it was not just me who had an issue with any individual who caused problems. I was a trainer during my last 6 months and made an extra effort to try and make “my babies” feel welcome! People who don’t do that suck. Starbucks can be such a fun job if your coworkers are fun. That’s why you’ll see so many of us that stick around for so long. But cliquey stores don’t tend to maintain new hires for very long (which is why I have been borrowed by so many of those stores).

Fish rots from the head down. There are always going to be interpersonal issues and conflict among staff, but that’s where the A/SM need to step in and keep morale high.

Sadly, not all A/SMs are good at this.

This is why I quit. I’m in my 30s and after working in healthcare for 15 years I wanted an “easier” part time job for extra money. I worked with nothing but early 20s girls who treated me like shit. I’m too damn old and tired to deal with it. It’s a job, ignore them the best you can and keep getting your check. They are just not on your maturity level and still stuck in that high school mentality.

This is actually why I quit. I got tired of the bs, and the college students acting like they were better than the older employees

Its weird but in my store it’s the complete opposite. All of us older partners feel we’ve been backed into a corner. We have a handful of new green beans and they’re great, don’t get me wrong. But in my store we’ve never really had partners click up, until now. And it’s so uncomfortable to work around. Im a 260XXX and im at my wits end with it. I do exactly that, I clock in and out but I feel miserable. They’re always talking about their secret snap chat convos, talking instead of working, and trying to have their phones on the floor. It feels like it’s getting out of control quite honestly. The maturity level of some are too much. My store in the past has always been so structured, everybody did their assigned position and that was it. Now, sometimes I will find myself being the only one on the floor (aside from drive thru) while everyone else is standing in the back talking and laughing. To the point where I’m mentally and physically exhausted. I feel like I’m just getting straight walked on at this point…and to be doing this for almost 4 years and still only making .65 cents more than the person who just got hired in…smh. I’m about ready to hang up the green apron and move on.

Just clock in do your job then clock out, don’t worry too much.

Back in like 2018 when I started at Starbucks I encountered these types, and it’s not fun and really made me dislike my job. However, I wanted the free coffee so I decided just to ignore them and do my work. It was hard not to react but eventually I think they realized that I just didn’t care what they though. I ended up being one the best bar baristas and became friends with the worst one. Once I gained their trust, I started speaking up for the new people in front of them since now I was considered a veteran barista..and they all really mellowed out.


I’m not saying this happens for everyone but I guess I’m saying keep your head up, do the job as best as you can, and don’t react..even if it’s difficult..

Good luck and remember that you are always doing fine. It takes new baristas 3-6 months to be really comfortable on the tasks.

im somewhat glad the employee overturn at my work was all the god complex baristas finally leaving the job for new ones, i would rather work with a new team that works together and not condescending towards others

Do you work at my old store 😂 I dealt with this behavior for almost 3 years before transferring and it’s the best decision I ever made, I LOVE my new location and I heard recently that they STILL talk crap about me and two other partners that left around the same time 😂

Not all stores are like that. I’ve been to stores like this but now in a great store. If u want, try transferring or just stick it out or tell people

omg at the old starbucks i worked at most of the older coworkers would regularly talk about going out after work, partying etc but would get upset if you asked them do another lemonade or some whipped creams for you 😐

I do not "deal" with it. I don't engage them or even give them the satisfaction to feel like they can exude their seniority over me. I've stood my ground and put my nose to the grind stone, yes I sort of hate my work environment because they don't really accept me but the outcome for me kind of weights out more. I have a better reputation among our new hiree's (they are vocal of how I'm better than the senior barista's) and my manager speaks greatly of me and even does more for me than the senior baristas (like she mention about me becoming manager for when she leaves as she doesn't have faith in one barista who has been the longest out of everyone).

I been given more leeway and let in on a few things that not even the senior baristas know. Although unfortunately, I'm thinking of possibly leaving (the pay isn't great and I'm about to have a baby in a few months) I like that my silent hard work and my effort to not be like others has worked off.

Agreed 100%

This is my exact issue rn I've been working since early March and got hired on in February. My SM has made it clear she absolutely hates me and when she's around other older women it's worse cuz they all gang up on me.. an 18 year old dude. Like wtf. It's causing to want to transfer bc clearly I'm not appreciated and needed. Literally picked up 2 shifts at the other store I've been working at periodically and the SM there was thrilled and someone even asked me to cover their shift (which I sadly couldnt cuz I'm in Florida currently)

LMAO one of the shifts was literally mad at me because she wants me to transfer to their store so badly. It makes me feel appreciated. Cuz it seems very apparent that my store doesn't care except for a few people.

My SM literally got mad at me for working almost 36 hours the other week cuz she never schedules me and told me of info over 40 she can't pay me.

Idk I mean I even asked if anyone needed any shifts covered for the days I wasn't working and needed shifts cuz I'm getting scheduled 10 hours a week if not less😃 and no one answered lol. Usually people do. It's just becoming an insanely toxic work environment.

One of my last shifts there I cried literally 5 minutes into the shift bc of everything. And then called out for my last shift bc it gave me so much anxiety to go in. I've NEVER called out before lmao.

It’s always cliquey when you start. You’ll begin to get along with the other baristas better when you’re there longer. They just aren’t used to you yet. Of course this doesn’t excuse the behavior but that’s just how it is

Aaand this is why I quit

Sooo what happened to me was the last store I ever worked at was like this. Everyone had known each other for a while. I travel for work for my first job. Starbucks was my getting-steps-in job…. Well it turns out that the SM and I had similar background and were a month apart in age. So we clicked SUPER fast. Well some of the other baristas didn’t like that and went above SM to the DM and got me fried through E&C department. So just be careful with all that.

idk where else to put this, so imma just comment it here. i worked at starbucks and i worked at wendy’s. i don’t get why ppl say starbucks is so horrible of a place to work at. it was just as bad as wendys, except you get free food and they actually give you breaks? it was such an improvement from wendy’s. granted it still had a lot of issues but i really don’t think it’s as bad as ppl here say, at least not particularly bad compared to other fast food jobs.