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Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind

Full History - 2022 - 09 - 14 - ID#xeaanq
205
Please SHAKE THE ALMOND MILK (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by AuntieRia1128
I have been a partner 2.5 years, but today I am nannying. I mobile ordered for myself and the mom I nanny for, she picked them up. We both always order the same thing so I just clicked add twice and then put the order through. When she picked them up she noticed that they looked different, so she asked the barista behind the counter if maybe there was a reason for it, not in a rude way. She is seriously the nicest person ever, and because we are friends she knows how horrible customers can be so she tries to be above and beyond that.
She just said “I hate to be a bother, but do these look different from each other… because they are the same thing,” and she showed him the sticker.”
The barista said “yeah they do look different…”
She asked “what could be a reason for that? (Thinking maybe one of them got the bottom of the almond milk or something). The barista replied, “yeah, but I didn’t make them so I don’t know what it could be.” And then her walked away!!
Needless to say as soon as she walked in, before I even said hi, I said “oh no did I order one of those wrong?! They look totally different from each other!” (One was significantly darker, less creamy looking and more watery looking)
She said “oh good, I thought I was crazy!”

Anyway, I was a little annoyed, because at my Starbucks even if One of us hadn’t “made the drinks” we would have been like “ oh, that does look different, it looks kind of watery, let me remake it for you.”

She didn’t want to be a bother so she just left… and now she has a watery almond water drink because most likely someone didn’t shake the almond milk before using it
🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️

Ps. One of our best bar partners who has worked at my store for 2.5 years, doesn’t drink almond milk- I saw him make a drink without shaking it once and told him he had to shake it or else it would be totally watery and he was like- “what?!! No way?” I think had him look at the difference and he was like, “I didn’t know that!” To me it seems like common sense, but I have only drink almond milk for the past 10+ years, if I didn’t, I might not know…
Anyway, It’s okay to coach each other guys and also to take coaching, regardless of how confident you are or how long you’ve worked at the siren.
sashiyaki 232 points 10m ago
No, the correct phrase is, PLEASE SHAKE ALL ALTERNATIVE MILKS. Most all of them separate over time. If you don’t shake it, you could either get a super watery drink or a super thick drink depending on how far you are into the carton.
thebestdaysofmyflerm 23 points 10m ago
I’ve never had that problem with oat milk. But it’s definitely important for soy to dissolve sediment, and almond so someone doesn’t get a water latte.
Vallion04 16 points 10m ago
We don’t usually have the oat milk carton for long before it’s gone so shaking those isn’t a huge thing for us. But yeah the others I try to shake every time even if I just used it
sashiyaki 6 points 10m ago
Oat doesn’t give me much issue, but I have noticed if I shake it, the drinks I make have a difference! I especially shake almond, coconut, and soy though.
RyusuiJL 3 points 10m ago
Oh I've had that happen with the oat milk. On my SM'S drink. 😅
[deleted] 2 points 10m ago
[deleted]
HiiAlberta 1 points 10m ago
Tbf I would argue Oat and Coconut dont require the shakes after opening. Almond milk is the major offender
tevansalim -2 points 10m ago
coconut milk and oatmilk dont need to be shaken, and neither does soy because the little white pieces are the protein from it and cant really be shaken back in. the only one is almond milk 😐
dankmobile -1 points 10m ago
i don’t shake soy because it disturbs all the sediment at the bottom of the carton
vegan-trash 63 points 10m ago
I always pour a little bit out for maximum shaking bc otherwise I shake and it’s still almond cum
Praxlyn 25 points 10m ago
almond WHAT 😭
jams1015 27 points 10m ago
**C-U-M**
MessatineSnows 12 points 10m ago
AUGH that’s what i think of every time i forget to shake. almond nut precum
croissantboyy 3 points 10m ago
i just pull off the tab and reclose it before shaking bc it gives enough air inside to be able to shake it without wasting any.
especially since almond milk is actually awful for the environment bc of the amount of almonds needed for it and the process of farming almonds. 😭😭
gingergal-n-dog 3 points 10m ago
agreed. I do find it mixes better when I take the tab off before shaking.
badatlife15 2 points 10m ago
Omg that’s a great idea, I always hate it because I will shake it before I open the new one but it pretty much always is watery so I have to shake it more. Seems like opening and pouring a little out first makes more sense.
Chromosomes23 1 points 10m ago
No need to pour anything out but the tab needs to be pulled for it to shake well.
Tabbystripes102 20 points 10m ago
No one wants a latte made with hot dog water looking milk
snowflakenecklace 17 points 10m ago
i am a certified almond milk hater, but i feel like one pour will let you know you need to shake it? it’s been a WHILE but i remember i’d sometimes pour without thinking and like. it would clearly be watered down. it just looks bad!
OMGitsJewelz 4 points 10m ago
I seen baristas steam the straight up water 🤦‍♀️ they said they just thought how almond milk was
snowflakenecklace 1 points 10m ago
i mean i GUESS if you’re new too it but surely you’d recognize something isn’t right??? eventually???
borrowedurmumsvcard 15 points 10m ago
we call it the almond precum. it’s really disgusting looking
lemonzestconfetti 4 points 10m ago
YES THIS!!!! I’ve always noticed that if I pour the almond milk without shaking it (or even just turning it upside down once or twice), the liquid that comes out is kinda watery and translucent. But once you shake it, it comes out opaque and much creamier - milkier, if you will.
burntsriracha 3 points 10m ago
it’s literally starbucks standard to shake all alt. milks 🤦‍♀️ like yeah i spilled soy all down inside my bra this morning but guess what our store will always provide the creamiest looking milks i would literally fight someone over that😂
CompassesByNorthWest 2 points 10m ago
I always shake the shit out of alternative milks, and I’ve grown to hate the sorry excuse for a lid they have. I swear everytime I shake the fucking coconut/almond milk I get a fuckkng facial
Fresh-Brilliant-439 2 points 10m ago
Thank you for lmk i didnt know not shaking it could make jt watery! Ty!!!
agigante02 2 points 10m ago
this is why i dont get almond milk in my drinks... its never shaken when i order it
trousersquid 2 points 10m ago
Sadly it's the only milk Starbys offers that I'm not allergic to 😭 it's my least favorite but I'm glad it's an option
[deleted] 1 points 10m ago
[deleted]
grumpysnail755 1 points 10m ago
Thank you!!!! I felt like the only partner who would shake the nondairy milks. Now when I pickup a drink as a customer (I usually get oat milk) and I can tell right away it was shaken, I hand it right back. No way I’m laying $6 to drink some chemical tasting bullshit.
JustATrailsFan -33 points 10m ago
Greetings,

>To me it seems like common sense, but I have only drink almond milk for the past 10+ years, if I didn’t, I might not know… Anyway, It’s okay to coach each other guys and also to take coaching, regardless of how confident you are or how long you’ve worked at the siren.

I get your frustration here, but I would to point out something I think is important to consider:

While you are certainly entitled to your discontent, I think that a lot of or all your dismay came from unwarranted expectations/assumptions. It may very well be common sense to you, but as you sort of pointed out yourself, that is just to you (at least, in your mind). What is obvious to you may not be obvious to others, and when it comes to food making practice, unless it is said specifically in policy, manual, or on-hand training to do something, then you likely would be better not assuming/expecting anything. Plainly put, I think the whole shaking milks thing is something you might be taking for granted, and you would have better peace of mind not expecting that from people.

The same idea applies to the barista not offering to remake the drink. Now, I am not going to defend or oppose his/her decision, but what I *will* say is that there are at least two sides to everything. The café may have been badly clogged up, the barista may have been new and uncertain what to do, or it may be that said barista simply does not have that same value as you. Basically, there could be any number of factors to the situation that made it so offering a remake, in the barista's mind, would be counterproductive.

TL;DR: Common sense should almost never be assumed to be common. As someone WELL acquainted with the capacity of customers' sensitivity levels, I am confident you get what I mean.

Edit: This is not me trying to get onto you or say you are wrong in any way. I am simply trying to encourage you to think about things from a different perspective with the hopes that you will have better peace of mind in the future about things like this.

Cheers,
co is
meegy123 24 points 10m ago
It literally says to shake it on the carton….. it’s very obvious when you start pouring it if it’s separated or not. Sure it may not be “intuitive” if you’ve been living pretty sheltered and only drinking homogenized dairy milk all your life, but MOST people are acquainted with the fact that certain beverages separate and need to be shaken, I think you could safely say the vast majority of people have drank some kind of juice at least that needs to be shaken.

Again, maybe for some very very rare instances one may not be acquainted with the idea that non homogenized drinks separate. But it’s certainly not enough people to assume that it’s not a standard. It’s part of standard. If taking 2 seconds to shake the carton before you pour it is just too much to bear, you need to speak with your manager about either what issues are happening in your work environment that would prevent you from doing so, or about not being well equipped for this line of work.
ghostymost2 17 points 10m ago
I don’t even drink almond milk but every time I open a new carton if It’s not shaken enough it comes out watery, so I stop pouring and shake more. I wouldn’t want to drink watery milk and can totally understand why others wouldn’t either. Plus it says to shake it on the box. You wrote a lot of words attempting to be condescending and aren’t even correct. Gross!
JustATrailsFan -16 points 10m ago
Greetings,

>You wrote a lot of words attempting to be condescending

You very much missed the point of my comment, and I can explain it to you if you so choose...but calling me condescending and slandering me when I said nothing even close to insulting or a personal attack because you disagree with my point (which, again you missed the ball on) is going much too far. In fact, it is sort of akward to be calling me gross while simultaneously assuming my intent with no evidence. Did I not say in my original comment that I am not trying to get on to the original poster or make any attack on him or his points?

Cheers,
co is
giftedburn0ut 5 points 10m ago
I mean you are being condescending tho?
tevansalim 3 points 10m ago
im convinced yall use words without knowing what they mean.
JustATrailsFan 2 points 10m ago
Greetings,

Siiiigh...I am probably beating a dead horse here, but I will try anyway: you guys keep saying I am being condescending, but you are not explaining how. That is like constantly attacking someone with a conclusion, but you are not giving any premises...which is a shame because I keep pointing out the part everyone seems to selectively ignore. You know, the part where I said that *none of what I said in my original comment is an attack on the user or an act of disrespect to rhe original poster, nor was it intended to be*?

Would *anyone* care to explain themselves with an actual argument to help make sense of anything, or are you just committed to just attacking me?

Cheers,
co is
rusted17 10 points 10m ago
My partners who don’t even drink alt milks will remake a drink if the milk is separating and/or wasn’t shaken or kept right. Stfu
JustATrailsFan -6 points 10m ago
Greetings,

You wildly missed the point of my comment (which contained no disrespect or attack on the original poster at all), and I can explain myself another way if you want...but judging from the end of your reply, I suspect it is a lost cause.

Cheers,
co is
grumpysnail755 3 points 10m ago
Greetings,

Being backed up and “not having the same values” aren’t excuses to hand out an improperly made drink. Do your job. If the customer expresses dissatisfaction, remake the drink. It’s not a hard concept that non dairy milks separate and need shaken.
JustATrailsFan 1 points 10m ago
Greetings,

I never said they were excuses (let alone legitimate ones), nor did I say it was a hard concept. The point of my comment is that regardless of how obvious something is or regardless of whatever reason it may be (excusable or not), there are people who are going to still miss it or mess it up or just not know. I think the annoyance here is at least slightly misguided.

>Do your job. If the customer expresses dissatisfaction, remake the drink.

Firstly, it is kind of easy to ignore everything else and say "just do it." Secondly, I did not say it in my original comment (and I regret it), but you actually bring up a critical factor that everyone seems to be ignoring: *the customer did not express dissatisfaction*. The barista's not remaking her drink is only part of the reason she walked away with a subpar drink; the customer is also halfway responsible because she walked away without asking for or requesting a remake. The barista(s) may not have offered to remake the drink (please pay attention to the fact that I had no interest in arguing whether anything the baristas did or did not do was okay or not), but of I understood the original poster right, the customer was trying not to be bother and let it go. She was okay with getting that drink, so it is not just on the barista(s) anymore at that point.

When I gave the possible scenarios of why a remake might not have been offered (and a LOT of others who reacted to my comment), your takeaway was faulty. The point is that there is always two sides to everything, so as someone who was not there or knows the circumstances to the utmost degree, I am mot about to cast personal judgment to the baristas in play or be annoyed/mad for the sake of the customer, ESPECIALLY if said customer did not even ask for a remake and was ultimately okay with it all. I understand well that in all likelihood, the barista probably did not have a passable reason for not noticing the the drink was wrong or not offering a remake, but maybe there is a factor on their side that I could not forsee or did not consider that *might actually* be a legitimate reason (or at least reason enough not to get mad or annoyed with them). We can never know because we were not there, so getting annoyed and frustrated at the situation when the customer, the most important part of the work scenario, let it go peacefully, is, in my eyes, kind of pointless.

I think people who read my comment run away with the idea that I am not hopping on the annoyance bandwagon and take my words as being on the side of the workers, when the reality is that I am on no one's side here. I just think people who have expectations and assume everything are guaranteed to be disappointed and annoyed.

Cheers,
co is
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