Starbucks Baristas: The daily grind
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How to address safety concerns regarding opening way too early in a bad neighborhood? (self.starbucksbaristas)
submitted by FancyAustin
I’m not a partner but, my girlfriend is. She recently became an opening shift. For whatever reason, Starbucks decided opening at 3:30am was a good idea, so now the openers have to get there by 3:00am. The store is not in a good neighborhood at all. About 2-3 weeks before switching from 4:30 to 3:30 opening, somebody had smashed the front door open and ransacked the office trying to get into the safe in the middle of the night. Even more recently, somebody was ACTIVELY breaking into the restaurant next door between the time the openers got there at 3:00 and the time they unlocked the front doors to open at 3:30. There are usually 2 or 3 partners there to open that early, most of which are small young women, no guys.
Corporate is aware of both incidents and stated that they will not be changing the opening time back to 4:30 and that the partners need to just keep reporting incidents. What is it going to take for them to care that they are putting people’s lives in danger by opening that early? Are they waiting for a partner to get attacked, killed, assaulted, whatever? Possibly a little dramatic (but no… probably isn’t) but I’ve been contacting the non emergency police every morning she has to be there at 3:00am to request an officer drives by every now and then so she/they feel a little bit safer being there basically in the middle of the night. Sometimes an officer swings by, sometimes they don’t. The DM supposedly said his hands are tied and he can’t do anything about it. Has anybody ever run into this? Is there anything that can possibly be done? Partners should not be scared to go into work to serve one or two potential (rude) customers that early in the morning. Thank you all in advance!
Corporate is aware of both incidents and stated that they will not be changing the opening time back to 4:30 and that the partners need to just keep reporting incidents. What is it going to take for them to care that they are putting people’s lives in danger by opening that early? Are they waiting for a partner to get attacked, killed, assaulted, whatever? Possibly a little dramatic (but no… probably isn’t) but I’ve been contacting the non emergency police every morning she has to be there at 3:00am to request an officer drives by every now and then so she/they feel a little bit safer being there basically in the middle of the night. Sometimes an officer swings by, sometimes they don’t. The DM supposedly said his hands are tied and he can’t do anything about it. Has anybody ever run into this? Is there anything that can possibly be done? Partners should not be scared to go into work to serve one or two potential (rude) customers that early in the morning. Thank you all in advance!
lilmissambersue 126 points 9m ago
That's really awesome you call the cops to come check in.
I was actually attacked at work in the early morning. Not while opening, it was at like 730am. But the man who attacked me was sleeping behind the store when I arrived at 4am. He also came back about 2 weeks ago clearly looking for me.
I'm gonna tell you this now, Starbucks doesn't care. The only solution was for me to either transfer or switch to closing. I chose to switch to closing because we close while it's still light put.
My manager cares, the DM cares, but the company doesn't care.
I had my partner take me to work because I was opening with another small woman and was terrified for us.
I was actually attacked at work in the early morning. Not while opening, it was at like 730am. But the man who attacked me was sleeping behind the store when I arrived at 4am. He also came back about 2 weeks ago clearly looking for me.
I'm gonna tell you this now, Starbucks doesn't care. The only solution was for me to either transfer or switch to closing. I chose to switch to closing because we close while it's still light put.
My manager cares, the DM cares, but the company doesn't care.
I had my partner take me to work because I was opening with another small woman and was terrified for us.
FancyAustin [OP] 32 points 9m ago
The world can be a scary place. You never know what somebody is capable of. I’d much rather be safe than sorry. That’s what the police are there for. They know it’s not an emergency so, if they’ve got the resources to drive by or stop in to get a coffee, they do. There are a decent amount of homeless people around and just all around shady characters. Dealing with dispatch and the officers has been nothing but a good experience so far. It does seem like the general consensus though is that corporate doesn’t care and my girlfriend will have to do one of the two things you’ve suggested if nothing changes. And it does seem like nothing will change. I’m sorry you had to go through that at work. Never thought I’d have to say “be safe” to anybody leaving home to start their shift at Starbucks.
testingaurora 15 points 9m ago
Until the cops start driving by or hanging out , you may want to start driving her to work and keep an eye on her and the openers yourself. Make sure they at least get in the door safely and no one shady is in the parking lot.
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w0lvesteeth 117 points 9m ago
I love everything you do for me and my coworkers <3
Appropriate_Ad2862 46 points 9m ago
It sucks but you could have the starbucks workers get buddy buddy with cops. My store did it as to give them free coffee and you get cops hanging around your building. Starbucks does not allow you to give free stuff out so it would have to be under the table
FancyAustin [OP] 27 points 9m ago
I make sure every time I talk to dispatch to relay the message that a coffee would be on the house if the officer felt like stopping in. With the amount of times I call non emergency, I feel like it’s only a matter of time before the cops start hanging around the store when they’ve got down time. Thank you!
TRoseee -62 points 9m ago
Your calling the cops for them? Honestly this seems like a major overreach as someone not even partner. F my spouse started doing this I’d feel very controlled. I understand you are trying to watch out for your girlfriend but she needs to be the one to speak up about her safety. You can’t offer free coffee to anyone because you’re not even a partner. It’s a situation a lot of baristas are in currently but the actual worker has to be the one to complain.
FancyAustin [OP] 39 points 9m ago
I guess I wasn’t super clear in the post. She is the one who initially asked if I could do that for her. And I am happy to do that for her. Not entirely sure how helping your SO feel safe would make you feel controlled but, hey, we’re different people and that’s okay. Multiple partners have spoken up about their safety concerns but it’s all fallen on deaf ears. Corporate does not care. Store manager cares but, can’t do anything about it. I’m not offering free coffee to anybody… I don’t work there. The few openers have all agreed giving out a free coffee to a cop for taking the time to drive by or stop in to help them feel safer and more comfortable at work was a no brainer.
MakatoKun 31 points 9m ago
W boyfriend for going the extra mile for your partner when asked ‼️
Epona_02 14 points 9m ago
i would be pleased and delighted if i was an opening partner at that store and i knew there was an outside presence notifying police and watching out for us
FancyAustin [OP] 6 points 9m ago
Nobody should feel like their safety is at risk to serve customers their morning coffee. I just wish the company would care for their safety as much as the SO’s, families, and other partners. I can’t say I enjoy getting up at 2:45am waiting for the text that everyone is inside safe and didn’t walk into an active robbery
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watched17 15 points 9m ago
Store hours can be decided by the district or regional manager. So they definitely can do something unless their boss said not to most likely, they want stores to have the same hours. We started opening an hour earlier, even though we get no business so that the stores in our area all have the same hours. My suggestion, if they’re serious safety concerns that aren’t being addressed, then unionize.
QuinnMcL28 8 points 9m ago
I'm really sorry you're dealing with this. Put bluntly: Corporate doesn't give a shit about the partners, our safety, or our well being. As others have said, try and make friends with the officers who partol locally. We've done this at our SM's encouragement and it has helped.
Necessary_Low939 8 points 9m ago
I don’t know any Starbucks that open this early wtf. Her dm has got to go! And no the dm can make the decision, at least in nyc.
WAtransplant2021 4 points 9m ago
My old store, North of Seattle does.
Necessary_Low939 2 points 9m ago
Wow
cons_uc 8 points 9m ago
The store manager should be able to discuss with the district manager, but that requires partners to openly voice their concerns for their safety and the manager to agree that its dangerous. If the manager refuses then probably calling the DM directly or reaching out to partner resources to discuss safety concerns. I’ll let you know that I greatly respect my DM and think he’s been the most oriented to what we as workers want, yet there’s a store in my district that has the same 5-9 hours as my store and they have weekly issues with shootings and constantly call the police. The hours I think is more reasonable but some stores just shouldn’t be open at all and that’s an issue that is MUCH higher up the food chain.
Lravs 4 points 9m ago
Call the police every single morning to sit in that parking lot to make sure you and the other partners make it in safety. They would much rather do that, then have to come for something traumatic and tragic.
Enkeria92 4 points 9m ago
I honestly think your gf should go to the PRC and tell them that if they don’t fix it soon, she’ll get an attorney and go to the labor board. Which state do you work in? I can look up labor laws.
kennybunbun 3 points 9m ago
Managers and corporate wouldn’t do much. We had repeat problem folks at our store that we couldn’t do anything about. In my opinion, the only solid option if they want to keep working there would be changing shift times, and even better, if other baristas refused to pick up that time. No employees for 3:30 means store can’t open at 3:30. But honestly… working at Starbucks is never worth putting your safety at risk, and the company has historically never put their baristas safety in any regard. We had 18 year olds working as quasi security guards, to have the “tough” conversations with customers/visitors to leave the store. With no de-escalation training. And management was the one that put them there. I recommend getting a different job if it’s an option, at a different coffee spot… because it really is not a good place to work, unless you happen to be in a great area.
samballs95 2 points 9m ago
I appreciate your concern, but Starbucks usually doesn't care about these types of things. They'll give the whole speal of how there will always be at least 2 people there and there has to be at least one other person there to open/close the store. If the manager cares you could mention that there should probably be at least 1 partner that's a little more intimidating there to open but they don't have to do that. I used to open with myself and a couple other girls and no one else coming in until after sunrise. I regularly walked into the store carrying pepper spray and would never let a person wait outside alone if we were closing. I also had to transfer stores once because a regular was stalking me, only to have my manager and other partners tell him where I transferred. Luckily it was far enough away and he didn't have a means of transportation to follow me but still!
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