This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Montclair chapter.
I’ve been working as a Starbucks Barista for four-and-a-half years now, and I’m always met with an array of questions about my job: What’s it really like to be a barista? Is it hard learning to make all the drinks? Do you get free coffee? Is it a stressful job? What’s the weirdest thing someone has ever ordered? Like any part-time retail job, being a barista has its ups and its downs. Here are the pros and cons of the day in the life of a barista.
Here are some of the cons:
- Rude customers: Like any customer service job out there, you’re going to have to put up with rude and demanding customers. I’ve had many people scream at me, give me attitude, curse at me, and even throw money at me, and all I can do is stand there and bite my tongue. Some people are very serious when it comes to their coffee apparently. The worst is when people get upset with you over things you can’t control like price changes or the computer system not allowing you to give them a promotion that has already passed. And people will yell at you for things as dumb as putting too much or too little foam in their latte, not giving them exactly 4 cubes of ice in their drink (yes, you read that right), or not adding whipped cream on their drink even though they didn’t ask for it when they ordered.
- Working early and late hours: Hours at every store location varies, but my store operates from 5 a.m. to 11p.m., and 5:30 a.m. to 12 a.m. on weekends. If you’re an opener you start half an hour before open (4:30 a.m. on weekdays), and if you’re closing you have to stay at least a half-hour after close (so that means 12:30 a.m. on weekends). In my four years, I’ve had to work some really early shifts, and some really late ones.
- Starbucks is open for most holidays and doesn’t close for anything: Starbucks is open for most holidays, Christmas included at some locations. The only nice thing about working holidays is that you get paid time and a half, but I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve been late to Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve dinner because I had to work, or had to come in early on New Year’s Day after partying and staying up late the night before. Sometimes it feels like Starbucks never closes if you ask me. There have been times where my coworkers and I had to stay at work during snow storms, or when the power had gone out because our district manager refused to close. There was even one summer where the air conditioning broke for a day and we were still forced to work until a customer threatened to call the health department.
- There’s A LOT of cleaning to do: When you’re not making drinks or helping customers you’re expected to clean. And trust me there is a lot of cleaning to be done, and a good amount of it can be very gross.
- Training is one of the hardest parts of the job: Training to be a barista can be very difficult and overwhelming because there’s a lot of information to learn and memorize in a short amount of time. Barista’s are only given a week of training, which is not enough time if you ask me. Barista’s need a lot of practice, and I’ve seen many people crack under the pressure of being thrown into the high-stress and fast-paced environment that is Starbucks because they weren’t ready.
- You’re not allowed to paint your nails: This has to be one of the worst parts of the job. For dress code and health reasons, baristas are not allowed to have acrylic nails, or paint their nails. Starbucks employees have been trying to fight the company on this policy for years, but to no avail. My poor nails have been absolutely naked for the past four years now. Whenever I’m off from work for a long period of time, I take full advantage and paint my nails even if it’s only for a few days.
- It’s a very stressful job: Being a barista is a very stressful job. There’s a lot of things that baristas have to do and remember and it can get overwhelming at times. Barista’s are on their feet all day and must move quickly in order to keep customers happy. If someone calls out or slacks off, the whole team will feel the difference and can suffer.
Here are some of the pros:
- Free food, drinks, and coffee products: As a barista you get a ton of free coffee. During your shift you get one free food item, and as many drinks as you want throughout, as well as half an hour before and after your shift. Not only does Starbucks feed you during your shift, but you also get an endless amount of iced coffee to keep you going through the day. In addition to free drinks and coffee, Starbucks partners also get a free weekly markout on any retail product from bags of coffee beans, K-Cup packs, Via Instant packs, and more!
- Free Premium Spotify Account: Now don’t get me wrong, free food and coffee is great, but this has to be my most favorite perk of the job. Spotfiy has a partnership with Starbucks, so all Starbucks partners get a FREE premium account. As a music junkie who is constantly making playlists and listening to music all day everyday, it’s a huge relief to not have to pay for music. It’s going to be really hard to give that up whenever I decide to leave the company.
- 30% off Discount and 40% off during select weeks during the holidays: I get a 30% discount anytime I make a purchase at any Starbucks location. Sometimes I pay next to nothing if I’m making a small purchase like a medium iced coffee or iced tea. During the holiday season, Starbucks has two select weeks during November and December where partners get 40% off. During this week I take full advantage and get my Christmas shopping done and buy cute mugs, tumblers, and bags of holiday coffee for all my friends and relatives.
- Paid vacation and sick time: After you’ve worked for the company for a full year, you begin to accumulate paid vacation and sick time. I let mine accumulate for almost a year and a half, and this summer I had 38 hours of sick time and 45 hours of vacation time! That’s almost two and a half weeks of paid time off! The paid time off comes in handy over the summer, and especially during the semester when my schedule gets super busy and I’m not able to work as much.
- You get free stocks every year: After your first year, Starbucks gives you stocks or shares of the company every November, and the longer you work there the more stocks you receive each year. I didn’t even know about this until my third year with the company, and had no idea that there was a large amount of money that belonged to me just sitting in an account. This past summer I had 8 shares, and sold them all for around $95, and was deposited a large sum of money in my account about a week later. This month I’ll be given 12 shares, and depending on the value of the stock market I can receive up to $800! Just in time for holiday shopping!
- Access to great healthcare: Starbucks offers its employees multiple coverage levels for medical, dental, and vision plans, life insurance, and 401k plans. Part-time employees can also qualify for some of these plans.
- High pay: When I got hired at Starbucks I was genuinely surprised to find that they had a high starting pay rate. I was only 17 and it was my first job, so I was expecting to make minimum wage. A couple times a year Starbucks gives its employees small pay rises.
- Free online college courses through Arizona State University: Starbucks offers a free online college achievement program through Arizona State. I know many of my coworkers have taken advantage of this opportunity and gotten their bachelor’s degree while also working full time.
Being a barista is not as glamorous as it may seem. It’s a very stressful and tiring position, but what job isn’t? There’s a lot of stressful stuff that we have to deal with as Baristas, but the job comes with so many benefits that you probably won’t find anywhere else. Starbucks is a great company to work for, and they do a lot for their partners. I’ve had some pretty interesting experiences as a Barista, but I’m grateful for this flexible job that has helped me get through college.