Confessions of a New Starbucks Barista

I started working for Starbucks about a month ago. I have made so many observations as a barista. There are multiple things that annoy us baristas. There are some things that bring a smile to our faces.

 Here are the ones that annoy us…

1. Talking on the phone while ordering.This annoys us to no end. If you are on a phone call you need to do one of two things, either hang up or tell the person you are talking to to hold on for a minute while you order and pay. It’s called respect!

2. When you approach us at the register and we ask how your day is going and you don’t respond and just say what your order is.  I mean this one is self explanatory…it’s just plain rude!!

3. Giving an attitude to the baristas if you’re having a bad day. Are we the reason you’re having a bad day? No, probably not…so you have no reason to give us an attitude.

4. Watching us make drinks. This one irritates the living crap out of me. I can feel you staring at me. You make us feel pressured. When it’s really busy and you’re standing there staring, we have a greater chance of messing up. 

5. Changing your order while we make it. Please don’t ask us to make your hot caramel macchiato iced right after we start making it. This is a for sure way that we will purposely mess up your drink. 

Some things that make us smile are….

1. Paying for someone else’s order. This has happened only a few times since I started working there. I have seen this generosity make someone's day much brighter. One customer came in and bought a $50 gift card and told us to pay for everyone getting a regular coffee that morning until the gift card ran out. It made everyone smile and we even had a customer say that next time he comes in he’s going to do the same thing. 

2. Tipping us. No matter how much you tip us, 3 pennies or 3 dollars, it all helps us out. Personally for me, i use my weekly tip money for anything extra during the week. I only use my paycheck for bills and things that are needed. 

3. Giving us gifts. This doesn’t happen all that often but it’s really nice when it does. One of my regulars came in to get his cup of coffee and handed us a box of Russel Stover chocolates and was told to share them between everyone. That brought a smile to all of our faces.