I'm definitely coming full circle because my first article was about Starbucks, but this is the real tea. Of course, I'm keeping it classy because I love my job more than I hate it. Each macchiato, latte, and customer who makes me want to rip my hair out makes the job so much worth it. Sound weird to you? Well, I'll explain why.
I'll probably be called crazy by other baristas but I LOVE bar (a.k.a. making drinks). Even when it gets crazy and you think you're going to die from exhaustion, I still love it. Yesterday during Happy Hour... GIRL!!! But, I still loved it. I felt like I was going crazy and I'm still surprised I remembered all the recipes but that's adrenaline for ya.
1. You might not be scheduled as many hours as you would like
There's only so much labor to go around. I used to grovel to my old manager to get more hours and she never gave me any, but that's a different story. Now that I'm at a lower volume (fewer customers) store, Starbucks distributes labor based on sales so it's tough for managers to give you 15+ hours a week. I'm usually scheduled between 11-15 a week, which makes for an OK paycheck, but it's definitely not enough if you're trying to save up for spring break.
Start at a drive-thru store so you can decide if you like it.
Trust me, it's a LOT easier to just start at a drive-thru store than to test-run working in one later. In my past experience, transferring to another store within the same district can be difficult but shouldn't be. It's absolutely terrifying at first because you're almost always thrown onto DTO (drive-thru order) right after you (barely) learn to ring up drinks but it all becomes muscle memory. The hardest part is listening to someone while typing in the order, or if you work nights it's even harder to listen, type in the order, AND make the drink before the customer is at the window. If you decide drive-thru isn't for you (like I finally did), then cafe-only stores are pretty great! Unless it's Happy Hour, it's pretty chill and we're able to get so much done outside of customer service (if you read my first Starbucks article, I briefly mention how much cleaning we do).
You WILL deal with customers in ALL kinds of ways FYI.
If you're gunning for a job and you don't already know, be prepared. Baristas do SO MUCH more than take your order and try to connect with you. We clean the bathrooms, remake your drinks when you SEE us make the opposite of what you ordered (i.e. you ordered iced and wanted hot or vice versa), etc. Of course, we do what customers ask because it's our job but sometimes it becomes a bit much when someone orders a venti frappuccino and won't take the grande one while I make a venti. Our policy is to throw away drinks that customers won't take if it's a mess up (don't ask me why I wish I knew).
Despite all the above reasons, I still love my job. The pros outweigh the cons in so many ways in this case. For example, my manager is letting me use my paid sick hours during my time off for my wisdom teeth surgery! In other words, I'm getting paid to be in bed for a whole weekend after the surgery. You also get 30% off EVERYTHING when you're off the clock and free food and drinks when you're on the clock. Did I mention FREE drinks??
