The Barista Diaries

If you think a vanilla bean has coffee in it, leave.

[thestarbucksdiaries]

i absolutely hate being a shift. i had to wait 3 months to get "promoted" and all it is is counting deposits and telling people when to go on their break. and at our store, we can only open or close. there's no mid shift. it sucks so much. i hate it. i hate it. i hate it!!!! basically i hate starbucks and it makes me want to cry all the time now lol.

Through licensed stores we don’t really have shifts but as a trainer and one of the baristas that have been there the longest I thought and was lead on to believe I was going to be moving up to management. We hired a new barista 1 ½ months ago and now they are training to be a manager. Let me clarify I love this person to death and have nothing but enjoyment when I am around them. I truly care about this person and hope to remain friends even after our Starbucks days have ended. This person is so sweet and genuine that it is unbelievable. But they know how much I wanted to be in their position right now and how hard I worked towards it but basically was shit on by my manager. This manager is always telling me I have the potential to move up but they never give me advice or pointers. There is only so much I can do as a trainer and I don’t have the authority to discipline besides speaking with them about the situation. With how things are, I really don’t want the position they are actually getting but I want the temporary position they will hold. It’s just going to be weird how someone I trained and went above and beyond more than anyone to train, can now tell me what to do. So trust me I understand, I’ve cried a lot. It makes me want to go to corporate.

[thestarbucksdiaries]

I was scrolling through these old post and I love how highly I talked of this fellow barista. SHE WAS FUCKING HORRIBLE. She would call out when she was my fellow opener, knowing I would be alone until 11am, when our shifts started at 5am. My favorite time was when she could not come in because she was under the weather & two people quit that day. I worked from 5am - 11pm that night with only a 30 minute break that was mainly spent doing work off the clock. Then the next day, I opened again and she didn’t show up until 9am, clocked in, then took a phone call and left the store until 4pm. She had to drive another town over to speak with her friend because he was sleeping with one of our other baristas behind her back. I want to write a book on this girl one day.

[thestarbucksdiaries]

7/26/18: Abandonment

I started this blog about 3 years ago to vent my frustrations while being slaved to the mermaid. I didn’t expect 10 followers let alone 1400. I feel like I’ve abandoned my children.

So here’s what we are going to do, this blog is going to be not only about Starbucks but any retail job. Anything with customer service.

The stories I could tell y’all now. I thought being a barista was rough.

So how about a rename? I’m up for ideas

[thestarbucksdiaries]

Like not anymore

So I havent been a barista in about a year and a half. But I’ve realized, the barista will never leave you. It is a literal coffee stain.

[thestarbucksdiaries]

Calling all Starbucks Baristas

When is the PSL coming out? I'm desperate for it in my americanos but everyone I knew at my old front has finally left and the new baristas are not budging. Help a girl out.

[thestarbucksdiaries]

[thestarbucksdiaries]

I don't know if I ever shared my usual drinks... probably no one cares but I like hearing about other orders so I can try them. Mine are : Trenta Iced Coffee with a shot, 3 pumps of vanilla and just a dash more half and half than normal. Grande espresso frappuccino with caramel drizzle in the cup. Grande Americano, extra shot, no water, extra ice, splash of cream and 2 pumps of classic Caramel macchiato iced and hot.

[thestarbucksdiaries]

Every time I find a new Starbucks blog, I'm amazed at how we all have the same universal problems (even in licensed stores). And maybe a little happy (because misery loves company? Lol). I'm so glad you're making a space for people to vent and ask questions, even if you're not a barista anymore :)

Once a Barista, always a barista. I know it's weird but it just kinda changes you. I started my job and I was a completely different person. The crazy thing is I still look at my aprons that hang in my office and I wouldn't have traded it for the world. It sucks now I have to actually pay for Starbucks. 😂 any chance I get I stop by Starbucks and I miss the morning rushes. If you worked in a small Starbucks you now rushes were like a well oiled machine. I can watch a rush all day long with like violin music playing in the back ground.

[thestarbucksdiaries]

Finally left starbucks. I never thought how much I hated working there, but all I feel is a massive weight gone. I'm gald I worked there but not for how long. I'll miss the customers who were lovely and some coworkers but I couldn't be happier now.

I truly only miss about 5 of my co-workers. Everyone else made me angry too many times to care. The regulars though are one reason I wanted to maybe go back for a part time job. I go back in thinking "they will give me my job back, I was too bad ass for them not too." The General Manager refuses to let anyone come back after they left because of the stunt one of my former co workers did. (Thank you B. 😒) I am so much more free without that job financially and I have a desk job now so I won't have to deal with my feet hurting at the end of a shift.😂

[bitchbarista]

“One day I was working drive and a woman came through and her order was a venti iced Vanilla latte…with no espresso. So I continue to just pause and recollect myself while everyone around me is losing their shit. She paid $5 for a fucking cup of milk.”

-submitted by that-psycho-soprano

[bitchbarista]

I want to start drinking caramel apple spices again but I feel like it’s not Time yet and it needs to not be 80 degrees outside

[batmanisagatewaydrug-deactivate]

reblog if you’ve ever been horrified by your own Customer Service voice

[bitchbarista]

did anyone else have to make this stupid fucking sign??? I was SO EXCITED to get to make my first sign, and then I find out not only is it pumpkin spice garbage, but I have to copy this dumb ass design from the siren overlords??? like why you gotta stifle my creativity bro

[thestarbucksdiaries]

I did all the signs at my front. Whenever someone would attempt a sign they would just give up and leave it for me to do when I came in. When I first started the signs were so bad they just kept the posters on them but slowly I started to take over an our customers noticed. They liked the ones we could have fun with. The Halloween one for the frapula was probably my best because I drew a bat that became a little mascot for us.

Going back in there after being gone two months, they took down all the signs with cute pictures or designs I had my crew help with. It's just boring text and another sign the old crew is completely gone.

[iamlikeadogchasingcars]

at this point I’m just running off of caffeine and spite

[buttercup89]

Someone just ordered a vanilla bean frappuccino with no water and i felt my soul leave my mortal body 💀

[thestarbucksdiaries]

I'm sorry for the lack of posts in the past month. I have been going through training for my new job and I officially got hired on today! :) I still work in customer service, as a tech support call center agent. Side note: customers are still assholes in the tech support world.

[thestarbucksdiaries]

The dress code.

Starbucks blesses baristas with a new dress code right after I leave. Working for a licensed store, I had to adhere to the Starbucks dress code. The store I worked for had a very loose dress code, just wear your store polo and black or tan bottoms, no crops or shorts. A lot of people who worked around the store did not follow that and someone was always putting a random color in their hair. Us Starbucks people were very disciplined in the dress code and we all looked appropriate at all times, even down to our footwear. Now y'all can do whatever?!

I walked into a corporate Starbucks for the first time and honestly was so taken at seeing partners in such regular clothes it was shocking. It was nice seeing the multiple different outfits these baristas had on. I remember the time I became a rebel and put a Star Wars pin on my apron because the new movie was coming out. It was small and not really noticeable but I was chewed out and written up by my DM because it was “disgusting of me to promote child like movies.” I got the pin from one of my regulars autistic child because he had a whole pack and was giving them to all his friends so they can match him. My DM threw the pin away after I took it off, I’ve never stuck my hand in a trash can like that before.

You go Starbucks, you show them people who’s baristas have originality.

[bitchbarista]

Why do y'all hate making frapps so much? I normally just order a Grand Caramel, tip if not at a licensed store, and try not to bother anyone. Does this make up for ordering one to begin with?

ok I’m gonna lay some truth on youthere are very few things about this job that I truly hate.being abused by arrogant asshole customers is just about the only thing that will make me truly mad or upset. but you don’t sound like an asshole. we certainly appreciate tips. one grande frapp isn’t gonna throw me off or make my cry.but when I make 20 in a row with a ton of customizations and secret menu nonsense? it’s mildy irritating, at most. it’s extra time and brain power, but it isn’t gonna kill me, and I’ll get it done and hand it off with a smile.but here’s the thingI, like a lot of baristas, really like to complain. and it is warranted sometimes. this job can be hard and frustrating and degrading and make me lose faith in humanity when I have to deal with assholes. but really?I love my jobI feel fortunate to have itwhen I complain about certain aspects, it’s nothing personal. it’s just my venting the built up tension I have from both at work and in life. I feel like I don’t even have a right to complain because I’ve been there less than a year, not counting my time at a licensed store. baristas are people, and we have feelings and bad days and sometimes we just need to bitch. but I think most partners would say they genuinely enjoy their jobs and though it’s not perfect, no job ever is.