Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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Can't Be Third Place if there is no First Place. (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by Empty_Engineering642
I'm a little outraged at Starbucks Corporate response (or lack thereof) to the drug/homeless/psychologic epidemic that burns hotter by the minute. This issue directly affects the safety, focus + quality of barista service and likely will (or already has) affected sales.
People don't want to patron, study, relax or meetup for coffee in a cafe that doesn't feel safe.
Let me preface by saying: baristas helping out when they can is one thing.
However, baristas are becoming ill-equipped babysitters, nurses, and biohazard custodians.
The third place cannot exist if someone doesnt have a second or a first place.
How many times a week do you see someone nodding off, throwing things, spewing profanities, screaming and bothering customers? How many times have these incidents been reported and handled properly?
(starbucks secret menu hack! if an incident wasn't reported, did it even happen?)
If you're new to this: when the Racism Bathroom debacle occurred, Starbucks shifted policy so that Baristas must allow everyone to sit in cafe, no matter if they're a paying customer or not.
Baristas are only allowed to remove individuals from the premises if they're breaking a handful of rules.
Even then, the risk of retaliation is so high that many refuse to acknowledge the problems occuring in their own cafe.
Baristas are often uninformed of policies protecting them from biohazards and, in turn, expose themselve to the threats that linger in our trashcans and bathrooms.
Installing sharps boxes may curb anxieties, but who knows if a user will make use of the resource?
I'm not paid enough to risk long term illness.
I'm not paid enough to power through peak while being yelled at by someone who has mentally checked out.
I'm not paid enough to sit front row and witness the decline of modern society.
... In the meantime, partners, protect yourselves.
Hold bin bags carefully away from your body to avoid pokes.
NEVER clean up a biohazard, Starbucks corporate WILL let you close the cafe temporarily while bringing in biohazard specialists.
Cheers and stay safe.
People don't want to patron, study, relax or meetup for coffee in a cafe that doesn't feel safe.
Let me preface by saying: baristas helping out when they can is one thing.
However, baristas are becoming ill-equipped babysitters, nurses, and biohazard custodians.
The third place cannot exist if someone doesnt have a second or a first place.
How many times a week do you see someone nodding off, throwing things, spewing profanities, screaming and bothering customers? How many times have these incidents been reported and handled properly?
(starbucks secret menu hack! if an incident wasn't reported, did it even happen?)
If you're new to this: when the Racism Bathroom debacle occurred, Starbucks shifted policy so that Baristas must allow everyone to sit in cafe, no matter if they're a paying customer or not.
Baristas are only allowed to remove individuals from the premises if they're breaking a handful of rules.
Even then, the risk of retaliation is so high that many refuse to acknowledge the problems occuring in their own cafe.
Baristas are often uninformed of policies protecting them from biohazards and, in turn, expose themselve to the threats that linger in our trashcans and bathrooms.
Installing sharps boxes may curb anxieties, but who knows if a user will make use of the resource?
I'm not paid enough to risk long term illness.
I'm not paid enough to power through peak while being yelled at by someone who has mentally checked out.
I'm not paid enough to sit front row and witness the decline of modern society.
... In the meantime, partners, protect yourselves.
Hold bin bags carefully away from your body to avoid pokes.
NEVER clean up a biohazard, Starbucks corporate WILL let you close the cafe temporarily while bringing in biohazard specialists.
Cheers and stay safe.
chipqueen2532 98 points 10m ago
I got downvoted to hell in the regular Starbucks sub for basically saying this same thing. obviously we can have compassion and understand WHY someone does these things and how their situation impacts their words and actions, but that doesn’t mean we should be the ones dealing with it. I’m not a mental health professional, nor am I trained to deal w biohazards, and I am sick of being screamed at all the time by customers regardless of why they may be acting that way. I feel threatened a lot at work and have called the cops many times in the past month and there’s literally nothing they can do Bc it’s just a shitty area lol
Lightheaded_gamer 42 points 10m ago
I think some of the downvotes are customers who are oblivious to the matter and don’t want to acknowledge it.
Which is why I like this sub because 9/10 , we know the actual struggle.
Which is why I like this sub because 9/10 , we know the actual struggle.
chipqueen2532 16 points 10m ago
maybe, but a lot of the responses were other baristas telling me I was an awful person lol. I’m like, I understand mental illness and having hard days. Been there done that too and it’s a struggle. But I have never nor will I ever take my anger out on a customer service worker who’s just trying to do their job lol. If someone is screaming at me over coffee or a burrito (previous Starbucks barista, current chipotle mgr) then bye bye because I won’t take abuse from people I don’t know over sub-$10 food and drink🫣
uwumoment 10 points 10m ago
mental illness doesn’t excuse shitty actions and behavior!!!
chipqueen2532 6 points 10m ago
yeah it definitely doesn’t excuse it. they just ripped into me saying that I was ableist for not being ok with being screamed at while at work lmao as if I’m not disabled myself😭😂
Lightheaded_gamer 6 points 10m ago
From experience these baristas probably started before mobile order was a thing; everyone who worked since then came in when Starbucks was for the most part a calm and great place to work at (the reason why I fought tooth and nail to be hired). However, times changed and regulations has made it difficult for baristas overall. Nothing is safe.
A lot of baristas from all walks of life are seeing and understanding this ,now. However you are going to have a few that are trying to save face for the company and make you seem like the problem.
A lot of baristas from all walks of life are seeing and understanding this ,now. However you are going to have a few that are trying to save face for the company and make you seem like the problem.
uwumoment 7 points 10m ago
makes sense bc it’s a bunch of customers who are in denial about their shitty attitude towards baristas.
capsule_of_anxiety1 4 points 10m ago
I’d love to give those customers on that sub a piece of my mind lol
_lanalana_ 27 points 10m ago
We had a homeless man who would come in and sit for HOURS and would harrass and make kissy faces at all the female employees. Our sm wouldn’t let us ban him bc he “never really did anything except stare and make faces” even though he literally would whistle at us and shout things when he came in
We also once had a homeless man standing by the front door with his hands down his pants touching himself. My sm told him he needed to either sit down somewhere or buy a drink. No cops were called, and he wasnt asked to leave, nothing.
Starbucks absolutely does not care about the third place. They dont care about the safety of employees. They just want to save face and pretend everything is fine. Its insane
We also once had a homeless man standing by the front door with his hands down his pants touching himself. My sm told him he needed to either sit down somewhere or buy a drink. No cops were called, and he wasnt asked to leave, nothing.
Starbucks absolutely does not care about the third place. They dont care about the safety of employees. They just want to save face and pretend everything is fine. Its insane
RubySapphireSage 24 points 10m ago
A lot of homeless cause a lot of issues , especially bathing in our bathroom I. Which the shifts clean up .. I personally am not touching the bathroom if they look chaotic , they broke out pipes recently .
Druggies/ homeless people coming in and deterring us daily . A few weeks ago I was the person who was violently barraged by a racist woman . I wanted to fight her so bad . I was already stressed . But was the incident considered big ? Nope .
Druggies/ homeless people coming in and deterring us daily . A few weeks ago I was the person who was violently barraged by a racist woman . I wanted to fight her so bad . I was already stressed . But was the incident considered big ? Nope .
Empty_Engineering642 [OP] 17 points 10m ago
it's terrifying to not know the next move of the seemingly unstable person camping at a cafe bar.
those of us with trauma + histories corresponding to the behaviors of these erratic individuals know how bad it can get.
those of us with trauma + histories corresponding to the behaviors of these erratic individuals know how bad it can get.
RubySapphireSage 12 points 10m ago
And it’s so upsetting , I constantly mark out food for these people just for the next day when they have an unstable breakdown I’m the first person they come for . I especially feel bad since some have no family / are military vets . But it makes me not want to keep trying if all I’m going to do is be attack you know ? And funny how it takes INCIDENTS for these people to be banned so upsetting .
Lightheaded_gamer 14 points 10m ago
I remembered how one of my old SMs mentioned that there needs to be a history of incidences to finally do something. I am sorry but I think verbally threatening customers and partners, destroying bathrooms, and even chasing customers out the store should be good indicators to start banning.
Empty_Engineering642 [OP] 7 points 10m ago
It would be an excellent indicator, but stores are incentivized to push these incidents under the rug.
High-incident stores risk shut down and permanent closure.
See LA, for example https://www.kron4.com/news/starbucks-to-close-6-high-incident-locations-in-los-angeles/amp/
High-incident stores risk shut down and permanent closure.
See LA, for example https://www.kron4.com/news/starbucks-to-close-6-high-incident-locations-in-los-angeles/amp/
Mindless_Ad2721 10 points 10m ago
Oh god. Some of my coworkers had to deal with a homeless man starting at them (all women staff) and had to force him out at closing. When it was brought up to the manager, they were told to “try to be nice to him and ask if he needs anything” 🤢
Empty_Engineering642 [OP] 11 points 10m ago
This is a true story across the board.
Baristas are told to go out of their way to be kind to ALL people, patrons or not.
The bad behavior of these individuals is reinforced every time baristas are forced to act performatively kind.
Baristas are told to go out of their way to be kind to ALL people, patrons or not.
The bad behavior of these individuals is reinforced every time baristas are forced to act performatively kind.
elementaltruth 9 points 10m ago
starbucks does not care about us partners! they just want us to not unionize, shut up, pretend everything is always fine, and keep the money coming in. if there is a problem corporate simply waits for time to pass and the problem to be forgotten about/disappear. they make the process of dealing with compliance a headache. if you do complain you are targeted by management. we are simply numbers there to be shouted at and treated “less than.” howard does not care no argument there.
Empty_Engineering642 [OP] 4 points 10m ago
Yup!
The moment baristas were forced to sit down and watch an hour long speech from Sir Howard Schultz where it was implied that foam was the main issue, I knew that corporate had lost their grip on reality.
Foam wasn't and has never been a problem. The problem is that corporate lacks the knowledge and understanding of coffee craft and store design/engineering.
Foam isn't the problem.
Honestly, I would love a corporate tour so that I could speak with the engineers and designers who seem to fail at every level.
I assume that corporate employees get their daily dose of caffeine elsewhere. If these people regularly visited Starbucks stores in plain clothes, they would see the chaos that lies behind the counter.
The moment baristas were forced to sit down and watch an hour long speech from Sir Howard Schultz where it was implied that foam was the main issue, I knew that corporate had lost their grip on reality.
Foam wasn't and has never been a problem. The problem is that corporate lacks the knowledge and understanding of coffee craft and store design/engineering.
Foam isn't the problem.
Honestly, I would love a corporate tour so that I could speak with the engineers and designers who seem to fail at every level.
I assume that corporate employees get their daily dose of caffeine elsewhere. If these people regularly visited Starbucks stores in plain clothes, they would see the chaos that lies behind the counter.
elementaltruth 6 points 10m ago
yeah the ceo will not touch a frappuccino because in their own words “the chemicals involved in the base(s) are concerning,” and none of these corporate peeps have never even been on the floor to understand what the reality of the situation is nor do they care. furthermore you have the “think tank” getting paid ungodly amounts of money to come up with drinks that mostly suck. let us never forget the “summer in a cup” funnel cake frappuccino that failed so bad, they changed it to “fall in a cup.” someone got paid for that idea. we threw away cases of that shiz at my store…
_go_gu_rt_ 8 points 10m ago
I posted something about this a couple months ago and got ripped a new asshole. I'm glad responses seem to be nice here.
Empty_Engineering642 [OP] 6 points 10m ago
I was expecting more backlash and downvotes.
Librarians are dealing with the same issues. Many librarians are leaving their jobs and finding alternative sources of revenue because they feel unsafe or ill-equipped to deal with the individuals who enter their libraries.
Libraries were never made to handle the economic and psychologic distress of modern society.
see here: https://californiahealthline.org/news/article/librarians-workplace-changing-social-work/amp/
Librarians are dealing with the same issues. Many librarians are leaving their jobs and finding alternative sources of revenue because they feel unsafe or ill-equipped to deal with the individuals who enter their libraries.
Libraries were never made to handle the economic and psychologic distress of modern society.
see here: https://californiahealthline.org/news/article/librarians-workplace-changing-social-work/amp/
Necessary_Low939 6 points 10m ago
What u are describing sounds like Astor place nyc Starbucks that was recently on the news.
Edit: this biohazard law thing must be recently because back in the day, u would need to clean it. Luckily I’m not working at a Starbucks that has a bathroom anymore.
Edit: this biohazard law thing must be recently because back in the day, u would need to clean it. Luckily I’m not working at a Starbucks that has a bathroom anymore.
uwumoment 6 points 10m ago
my starbucks is on a highway so people use the shit (no pun intended) out of our bathrooms all the time and break them! it’s so unfair to us because we use those too! so one week we had an out of order sign on the bathroom bc we couldn’t fix it for a couple days. then we got a review on google bitching about this bathroom like it’s not a massive inconvenience to us too. we are humans, and they treat us like robots who don’t need to eat or poop. that’s my place to poo too!!! we need portapotties.
Necessary_Low939 2 points 10m ago
Wow damn. U guys need to close the bathrooms. This is crazy.
AliCandyBar 5 points 10m ago
I always have compassion for the house-less people coming in, but there’s a line. Most are polite and friendly and I have no problems. But the other day, a regular that had come in and screamed at customers dyed their hair in our bathroom(leaving a huge mess) and got banned from Starbucks for it. It sucks, but you’re right. There has to be a line somewhere.
Empty_Engineering642 [OP] 4 points 10m ago
Thank you for this comment, it's exactly how I feel.
I will always bend over backwards to help people who ask for help. I give markouts to young babysitter-less kids because I know that they may not have it so great at home. I'm happy to give out water and the occasional tea, drip coffee, and sandwich. I'm happy to keep the bathroom clean and stocked.
However, once some people are given an inch, they take a mile.
It's why I'm strengthening my boundaries. I refuse to let someone take advantage of my kindness + generosity.
I refuse to allow Starbucks and their patrons to take my pep away.
I will always bend over backwards to help people who ask for help. I give markouts to young babysitter-less kids because I know that they may not have it so great at home. I'm happy to give out water and the occasional tea, drip coffee, and sandwich. I'm happy to keep the bathroom clean and stocked.
However, once some people are given an inch, they take a mile.
It's why I'm strengthening my boundaries. I refuse to let someone take advantage of my kindness + generosity.
I refuse to allow Starbucks and their patrons to take my pep away.
AliCandyBar 2 points 10m ago
I completely agree. Sometimes at the end of the night, if someone comes in just asking for a grande pike, I’ll just give it to em. When it’s that late, not many people are coming in for coffee anyways, and it’s better than it going down the drain. I know one time a dude came in and leveled with me, saying he didn’t have cash but he was wondering if I’d be able to make him something. He seemed genuine and contrite, so I made him a frappe and made sure he knew this wasn’t gonna be a regular thing, and that I hope he has a good night. I’m only a shift, but I try to make customers feel valued and appreciated when I can. It’s really sad when customers take that and demand the world.
rudebii 2 points 10m ago
Starbucks is eventually going to just close stores with high numbers of incidents, since the business becomes untenable at that location.
We’ve already seen that the siren is slowly getting rid of cage stores. I think all the issues surrounding safety, maintenance, customer experience are factors. Eventually the bux will be all drive-thru or walk up, it’s just easier than try and fight foundational issues causing it.
We’ve already seen that the siren is slowly getting rid of cage stores. I think all the issues surrounding safety, maintenance, customer experience are factors. Eventually the bux will be all drive-thru or walk up, it’s just easier than try and fight foundational issues causing it.
Empty_Engineering642 [OP] 2 points 10m ago
It's incredibly disheartening, and it sucks that stores are closing and jobs are lost.
The cafe experience is lost on stores lacking sitdown areas. However, Starbucks will continue to rake in record profits despite how orders are taken. It sucks that Starbucks has chosen the easy way out.
Cage stores (which, i assume, are stores with sit-down cafes but lacking DT's) have incredible energy and customer connection seems to be higher in these particular storefronts. However, these builds are typically located in areas with heavy foot-traffic which leaves them more susceptible to the occasional odd passerby.
Starbucks has incredible power. They could challenge the culture, if they were smart.
Partners understand that corporate prefers to workaround problems instead of tackling them face-on. So, stores will be closed and jobs will be lost.
If corporate is looking for someone to problem solve, ask a partner. Partners are smarter than corporate gives them credit for. Instead, corporate seems to prefer nepotism and outside hires.
The cafe experience is lost on stores lacking sitdown areas. However, Starbucks will continue to rake in record profits despite how orders are taken. It sucks that Starbucks has chosen the easy way out.
Cage stores (which, i assume, are stores with sit-down cafes but lacking DT's) have incredible energy and customer connection seems to be higher in these particular storefronts. However, these builds are typically located in areas with heavy foot-traffic which leaves them more susceptible to the occasional odd passerby.
Starbucks has incredible power. They could challenge the culture, if they were smart.
Partners understand that corporate prefers to workaround problems instead of tackling them face-on. So, stores will be closed and jobs will be lost.
If corporate is looking for someone to problem solve, ask a partner. Partners are smarter than corporate gives them credit for. Instead, corporate seems to prefer nepotism and outside hires.
rudebii 1 points 10m ago
Cage was a typo, but it made me chuckle so I left it.
And yes, Starbucks could lead the way as a member of the community to work towards some progress on the issues surrounding homelessness, but they don’t care.
From a profitability standpoint, cafes don’t make sense for the business anyway, and certainly the costs and liabilities of being an open space to all to hang out don’t help.
My town’s cities, for example, have become encampments and unusable for the families here sadly. We also have scant resources for the unhoused here.
And yes, Starbucks could lead the way as a member of the community to work towards some progress on the issues surrounding homelessness, but they don’t care.
From a profitability standpoint, cafes don’t make sense for the business anyway, and certainly the costs and liabilities of being an open space to all to hang out don’t help.
My town’s cities, for example, have become encampments and unusable for the families here sadly. We also have scant resources for the unhoused here.
GayCrimeDuck 2 points 10m ago
Starbucks and other Walmart and Amazon etc. still existing is part of what’s exacerbating this income gap epidemic, too. I don’t make enough to cover rent at my minimum wage job making orders that cost as much as I make in a day
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Veloci-Tractor 0 points 10m ago
this feels so classist
Empty_Engineering642 [OP] 4 points 10m ago
And you're entitled to your opinion!
However, my safety and happiness is my priority. And your safety and happiness should be your priority. And a homeless person's safety and happiness should be their own priority.
A barista's responsibility is to make a beverage, greet people coming in, clean & stock.
Call me classist. Call me racist. Call me ageist. I do not care. Call me any name in the book.
I am not responsible to babysit. I am not responsible to deal with biohazards. I refuse to put myself in harms way to coddle grown adults. And if that makes me classist, call me classist.
However, my safety and happiness is my priority. And your safety and happiness should be your priority. And a homeless person's safety and happiness should be their own priority.
A barista's responsibility is to make a beverage, greet people coming in, clean & stock.
Call me classist. Call me racist. Call me ageist. I do not care. Call me any name in the book.
I am not responsible to babysit. I am not responsible to deal with biohazards. I refuse to put myself in harms way to coddle grown adults. And if that makes me classist, call me classist.
KeyCranberry 3 points 10m ago
It's really hard. But baristas aren't social workers or nurses, they're food service professionals (and often minors!) and not equipped to take on this kind of stuff. It's unfair to ask *coffee shop employees* to step up where all social services have failed.
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