I hate working on the register with a burning passion(self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by trouble-in-space
I'm very new, so today was my second day on register and fifth day working overall. I already HATE register so much and I gained such a newfound respect for the partners since now I have a tiny bit of experience with it. Today, one of my coworkers (she has another title that gives her some more authority in the store, but I can't remember what it was) actually called me in to go on register while I was in the middle of online training, and oh boy, it went a lot worse than yesterday since my trainer had been there to help me for pretty much the whole time, but today, I had to do a lot of the orders on my own. It was so difficult since I'm still trying to get used to the register and I felt like I messed something up every single time. I actually KNOW I messed up a couple orders, because there were a few times when a couple of my coworkers had to tell me what I did wrong because the customer complained to them (not that I blame them - I really wish I could apologize to anyone whose orders I got a bit wrong). Most people were very nice, of course, but a few got impatient with me very fast, and one person made a passive-aggressive comment that hurt my feelings. I felt especially bad for the customers that had to deal with me when taking in the fact that most of them didn't know I was new and probably thought I was really incompetent and awkward. I really didn't like when people were ordering a bunch of things at once but didn't really slow down so I had to ask them to repeat themselves, or when people ordered drinks with tons of specific customizations. It also sucks that it's usually pretty loud in there since that makes it hard to hear and my voice is naturally pretty soft. I also just have a bit of trouble processing things that people say to me and I have a hard time working at as fast of a speed as a Starbucks would demand, so all-in-all, not a great position for me. Being socially anxious also just makes things that much more difficult, especially because all of my coworkers don't seem to have any problems up there. The coworker who ordered me out there eventually told me to go take my break, and I was so upset with myself since it felt like I wasn't even up there for more than 45 minutes to an hour and she was probably using the break as a way of getting me off of the register. I kind of just stayed in the back room alone and teared up a little because I just felt so bad for letting down customers AND my coworkers, in addition to embarrassing myself a ton. I'm fine with all of the other tasks I've had to do so far, even handing off orders to people, but I hate register so much and I'm already dreading the fact that I'm probably going to have to do it again tomorrow and every day after that for the foreseeable future. I would genuinely prefer having to clean a clogged toilet to going on register. I just felt like ranting a bit - hopefully no one else on here can relate to this. I know it won't be as difficult if I keep on doing it and force myself through it. I'm really sorry to everyone I let down today.
Any_Truck_81157 points11m ago
Register was super confusing to me at first too because it’s so much to memorize where everything is. I’m about four months in and it has gotten so much better! You’ll quickly start to memorize it and you can always ask people for help! DTO is one of my favs now
I_like_to_know5 points11m ago
Make sure that you mention to your trainer or sm that your training was interrupted so that you could work on the floor, your training schedule will need to be adjusted. And please give yourself some grace, our pos system is way complicated, and you should have had way more practice time before you were thrown to the wolves. The bulk of my career has involved working on cash registers, I had all confidence that that would be the easiest part to learn, and boy was I wrong! It took months before I felt confident and there are still times when a partner has made and passed off the customer's drink before I've finished ringing it up. Don't be afraid to speak up and say to customers "I'm sorry, please bear with me, I'm new and still figuring out where everything is on the register" Most people will respond to that with patience and empathy, try to stay positive as well, that goes a long way with a lot of customers. Seriously, you weren't set up for success here, so go easy on yourself. And try not to let this completely sour you from register, I have so much fun with some of the regulars on there. You got this, and you'll feel more confident once you're through training and have some practice under your belt.
seacamel65 points11m ago
I hated register so much when I first started and now I’m only a month in but now it’s super easy and I’m better at talking to customers so trust me it gets better 🙌🙌
Sohotomi3 points11m ago
The best thing that worked for me is while I was trying to find the button I'd stall them by repeating back what I remembered and then ask them if I missed anything on the drink. Then they'd let me know if I did. Also, it's okay to let them know you're new!!
steadysigh3 points11m ago
I just started at sbucks this past July, I made mistakes and I’m still making mistakes but that’s part of the learning process. Here are some tips that helped me for register.
- Don’t be afraid to ask a coworker for help, they’ve been in your shoes too!
- While there are no customers, familiarize yourself with each category and all the options
- If you’re not sure if you got the drink correct, repeat what you have back to the customer
- Some hot drinks on the menu may also be made ɪᴄᴇᴅ, ask the customer if they would like it ‘hot or iced’
Hope this bit of advice helps but don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s a lot to remember but you got this!
absolutefoo3 points11m ago
What’s worked best for me (someone who’s DTO for the entirety of my shifts) is just being your own teammate. Fuck what other baristas are acting like, that’s on them how they respond to your very new experience! As long as you got your own back it all becomes easier I promise
spilt_oatmilk2 points11m ago
Register seemed super daunting to me at first too. I work in a licensed store, so this may not be as applicable to you… but when I first started someone recommended that during slower periods to flip thru the tabs on the register to get more familiar with where things are. Now, whenever someone new joins our team we always tell them to try the same thing! Once you recognize where commonly ordered items are, it will be a no-brainer. I myself was horrendous at first and now I flip thru efficiently. Never feel bad about asking someone to repeat themselves. From my experience, costumers would rather have a drink made correctly than have you punch something in confusedly without clarifying !!
lovey121202 points11m ago
i’m so sorry!! i definitely had similar experiences when i first started and used to dread register. i promise all you need is a little practice, even if it means messing up a couple times. don’t be too hard on yourself because at the end of the day, you’re still learning and customers will always be crabby for whatever reason. just take a couple breaths and you’ll be familiar with reg in no time :)
gingergal-n-dog2 points11m ago
You shouldn't have been asked to work alone while training. That was poor judgements by your shift lead. Please tell your trainer/ sm! It's ok to tell the customer (when you're confused or flustered) that you're new and "thank you for your patience". I still say thank you for your patience when I'm busy or ask then to wait a sec. It is telling them to behave in a subconscious way. Never be afraid to ask a coworker for help or clarification on a modification. If the end product is correct, it's better than if the customer complains and needs a remake. You're gonna be great!
Swimming-Fee-24452 points11m ago
I’m 4 months in and sometimes I’m still out of it with the register. I cant recall where some buttons are, or how to do custom configurations. Don’t be so hard on yourself. I was trained in a very loud food court and we all wore masks and had a plexiglass shield up so hearing the customers was a nightmare. I had to ask them to repeat themselves a lot. One thing that helped me was after taking the order I would repeat it back to them, and if it was wrong in any way I could fix it. You’ll get better at it, and sometimes the more you do it the better you will get.
turnipsarerotting2 points11m ago
Don’t worry too much about not being good at register, it really does get easier with time and you can use that as a chance to memorize the drink recipes. When I was hired the first 3 months I was mainly on DTO or register and It helped for when they finally put me on bar
FlowerCurious5812 points11m ago
I’m actually leaving Starbucks cuz I want to work the register, I got a bad back and working the bar reaching in the fridge hurts my back. The good part about register is that you can see the recipe on the screen, it can help you memorize how many shots go in the drinks.
djdementia2 points11m ago
Get a medical accommodation, I did for my back injury and work the registers pretty much exclusively.
GayCrimeDuck1 points10m ago
I started on 8/1, when I’m on register my brain shuts down, I start sweating, the letters on the screen jumble together and blur, I can only hear my coworkers yelling and not the customers, customers I’ve never met chastise me for not knowing their names or orders, etc
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