Working for Starbucks is an experience like none else. There\u2019s a lot to remember, the shifts can start incredibly early or end painfully late, and it\u2019s not easy, no matter what the customers say (sorry we got your drink wrong, but please don\u2019t say you could do it better yourself). Here\u2019s what it\u2019s really like to work for one of the largest coffee chains in the world:<\/p>\n
When you start working for Starbucks and are assigned to work on the bar, i.e. making the drinks, you\u2019ll learn a thing called \u2018bev routine\u2019. It\u2019s basically the correct process for how to make each signature beverage to a high standard. It\u2019s fine if you have a ton of time to make a single drink but when you have a line of cups forming and grumpy businessmen waiting, trying to follow this is so difficult and so messy.<\/p>\n
Frappuccinos are delicious, there\u2019s no denying it. They come in all different flavours and they\u2019re great on hot days. However, they are an absolute pain to make! They have up to seven components while a hot drink has at most three or four, so they completely mess up any flow you have, and they take so much time. Teenage girls as a group fill Starbucks baristas with fear because we know what\u2019s coming next.<\/p>\n
One of the best parts of the job are the regulars who come in. We remember the nice customers and we make a point of remembering their orders too, so if you come in frequently and you\u2019re one of the nice ones, you\u2019ll make the barista\u2019s day a little bit brighter.<\/p>\n
There are hazards and risks of working for Starbucks. While the steam wand can be brutal, the burns don\u2019t last too long. It\u2019s the burns from the cheese in toasties that are lethal. You\u2019re trying to hurriedly bag a customer\u2019s toastie after it\u2019s been warmed up, but a tendril of cheese can whip out at any moment and stick to your hand or arm if you\u2019re not careful. It\u2019s like being hit with lava.<\/p>\n
The bond you form with other baristas on shift is pretty much unbreakable. The work you do is gruelling and there\u2019s downsides to the job but you\u2019re all suffering together. It\u2019s a suffering you share together, and it makes working at Starbucks a little bit easier on the busier days.<\/p>\n
You will only know this if you\u2019ve worked for Starbucks. When clearing tables and loading the dishwasher, you have to get rid of anything left in the mugs and on the plates. Customers, for some reason, see the iconic ceramic mugs as places to put all their rubbish, and some of the things baristas need to get out of them are grim. It can range from coffee stirrers to napkins which are soggy from the leftover coffee to cigarette butts. It\u2019s grim.<\/p>\n
You may have the idea that working as a barista is going to be all to do with food and drinks but there\u2019s so much cleaning needing to be done, especially at the end of your shift. The worst part of the job is cleaning the toilets. The sights you\u2019ll see are enough to never want to use a caf\u00e9 toilet again.<\/p>\n
The opportunity to sit down on the job is very rare; you get a half-hour break at most. You need to wear clothes that won\u2019t restrict you and you need shoes comfy and sturdy enough to cushion your aching feet. Seriously, your body needs something to help it through the shifts because you are going to be on your feet almost constantly.<\/p>\n
As a customer, don\u2019t ask for a \u2018regular coffee\u2019. At Starbucks, there\u2019s a variety of sizes, \u2018short\u2019 being the smallest, and \u2018venti\u2019 being the biggest. Asking for a regular anything doesn\u2019t give the baristas any indication of the size you want. Also, customers who just ask for a coffee then get frustrated when we ask \u2018what kind\u2019 are the ones who make the shifts so much more difficult. We\u2019re not mind readers.<\/p>\n
This can be a good or a bad thing, it depends on how much you enjoy the smell of coffee. Smelling like espresso can be really comforting and warm, and usually you get covered in syrup so you\u2019ll probably smell like vanilla and caramel too. When you\u2019re sick of being around all things coffee as you continue working for Starbucks, all you want to do is wash your clothes. However, it\u2019s something your friends will appreciate.<\/p>\n
Working for Starbucks is an experience like none else. There\u2019s a lot to remember, the shifts can start incredibly early or end painfully late, and it\u2019s not easy, no matter what the customers say (sorry we got your drink wrong, but please don\u2019t say you could do it better yourself). Here\u2019s what it\u2019s really like…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24766,"featured_media":137627,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":true},"categories":[1801],"tags":[15851,15852,15853,15854,8860],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-137625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-in-real-world","tag-barista","tag-frab","tag-frappucinno","tag-starbucks","tag-working"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n