For most of us, the fall season can bring new beginnings, exciting jobs, or another semester filled with opportunities. Fall season also means spooky decorations, sweaters, and lots and lots of pumpkin spice. The infamous Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks is loved by many people, however, some baristas have their own opinions. It isn't so much the drink I dislike, I mean I'm not a huge pumpkin spice fan in general. What really gets me about this time of year is the amount of people that constantly flood the store to get their Instagram-able drink. I work at a Starbuck on my college's campus, and the steady flow of people rarely slows down, especially as the outside temperatures drop and the desire for sweet coffee rises. Work can be overwhelming sometimes, which is never fun. I think what makes this part time job most overwhelming is the amount of demands I deal with every shift from customers, mostly students, who don't know how to be properly polite to us struggling baristas. Coming from someone who is on the other end of the PSL extravaganza, I can say the dislike for the drink stems more from knowing how busy my work place is going to be for the next few months. Whoo!
I personally love fall. I think there's so many foods and drinks from this season that I always look forward to enjoying. Now that I am a Starbucks barista, I can appreciate the struggle of having to make the same latte over and over again. Aside from just the Pumpkin Spice Latte, Starbucks has a variety of holiday drinks throughout the fall and winter seasons and now that I'm a barista I have done a more in-depth taste test to decide what drinks I like best. If I am ever feeling like something sweet to try, my go to is definitely a Peppermint Hot Chocolate with coconut milk; I think the coconut milk adds to the sweet taste, but that's just me. One definite perk to the job is having the ability to make different drink creations and adding my own specializations to standard drinks.
This fall, while the large amount of crowded customers will be inevitable, I hope that the crazed drink cravings don't heavily disrupt my work flow, and that everyone has a smooth transition into their fall schedules, whatever that may be!
Sheetal Tadiparty
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