It depends on what day part you primarily operate in.

For all day parts, knowing when your peak will be and being able to anticipate and plan breaks and tasks around it. 7 hour shifts getting breaks every 1.75 hours, 6 and 8 hour shifts getting breaks every two hours, shifted to the left or right a little as needed. To me, breaks are more important than the store running perfectly, I will gladly sacrifice dt times and handoff times for breaks.

Knowing what to pull from the freezers for each pull based on the trends in your store, for example on a school day next to an elementary school you might pull more cake pops, next to a hospital more egg bites and ham and cheese croissants, or more of everything for the weekend, based on how your store runs.

Don't worry about taking a long time to do the pulls, they just take a while, especially the pastry pull. I've been a shift a while, and it still usually takes me 45 minutes to an hour each time.

Remember to lean on your crew, ask them if you have missed anything. Your coworkers have likely worked the day part you are running and know what tasks there are and when they should approximately have their breaks, so don't be afraid to ask.

When starting as a ssv, don't be afraid to assign people to the position they are best at for a while so you get maximum support to make your first shift you run as smooth as possible.

your back will hurt more than when you were just coverage

ask your SM for a pdp (personal development plan) meeting to get the ball rolling.

As a SSV i work all day parts, being able to multi task makes it easier to support your floor.

Be realistic about what the job entails. Much of your job is going to be coaching, confronting, and diffusing situations. You have to be able to put yourself into uncomfortable situations constantly and not be phased by it.

Angry customer at the window? That’s your problem now. Baristas fighting at work? That’s your problem now. Delivery guys blocking the door? That’s your problem now. Cash drawer is short? Someone slipped and fell? Kids prank calling the store? Customers being disruptive in the café? The nitro fridge is broken again? You get my drift.

I’m not saying this to scare you, but to make a point about the wide variety of issues that you’ll have to be equipped to handle. You never know what is going to be thrown at you, and most of the time, as shift on duty, you’re going to have to be the one in charge, the one making executive decisions, the one executing plans. A lot of people seem to think that being a shift is all about being paid more and that it’s somehow cushier than being a barista.

You get paid extra but it’s largely *because* you have to be able to really jump into any situation and figure it out. You have to take accountability when you mess up, and also hold others accountable when they aren’t doing what they’re supposed to. Imo, most of what you have to learn as a shift is the kind of “soft skills” that can only be learned the hard way.