I've worked at Starbucks for over two years now, and I think it would be fair to call me a reasonably good employee. Not the best, but good. I'm courteous, competent, reasonably knowledgeable, and do my best to do things well. However, in my time working for the company, I have a number of serious gripes...

Although certainly not unique to Starbucks as a company, employees are expected to care far more than they are paid. I believe in working hard and doing your job right, but I don't believe in putting work before personal health or personal interests. That is to say, I believe it is wrong for a company to hold it against me if they need a shift covered in an emergency, and I say no, I can't due to previous engagements. I believe it is wrong for a company (keeping in mind the close-to-minimum wages) to threaten an employee with being fired because they are often sick due to medical reasons, or have limited availability.

I understand very well how things like this can be inconvenient to management, and to the company. However, this is partly why management and the company earn a lot more money than minimum wage - they are paid to handle inevitable inconveniences in running business. I am paid simply to do the grunt work - complete the transactions, keep the store clean, make drinks, and handle minor customer problems. It's all good and fine to go above and beyond - it's very nice to try to do so - but it should not be expected of an employee to work harder than the money they earn for it.

It is a JOB, not volunteer work.

What makes it worse is the hypocrisy of Starbucks. It's one thing to expect your grunts to work harder for less (lots of companies do this), but it's another thing to then say it's because we care about being genuine, about the employee, and about the customer. Starbucks gets to take pride in how well they treat their employees, but then threaten them because they aren't putting Starbucks first in their lives, for a dollar above minimum wage. "Be genuine" and "Be caring" are two of a handful of core Starbucks principles drilled into baristas' heads. Oh, but they fail to mention that being genuine doesn't include being yourself - being genuine is caring about a company that doesn't pay you for it. Being genuine is smiling at a customer who has mouthed you off and taking it in the ass, every time. Caring is getting to know the team well... so that management can play favourites. Caring is pretending to be interested in each other's lives just so you have dirt on the other employees. Caring is always being nice, even if you're being treated like shit.

Starbucks brags that it cares, that is encourages social responsibility in employees and works hard to better the community. It is in my personal opinion that rewarding the behaviour of customers who come in intent on abusing the system for free drinks or who mouth of employees because they won't do something dishonest for them is NOT encouraging social responsibility or building a better community. If a customer comes in with a holier-than-thou attitude (renowned among Starbucks patrons) and is rude to me when I have done nothing wrong, I should be allowed to say, "No, I'm sorry you feel that way, but you do not have the right to yell at me when I have done nothing wrong. Here's your drink, made to order - if you don't like it, you can have a refund."

* * *

A woman was busy laughing and talking with another lady about designer handbags while she waited for me to make her grande caramel frappuccino. It was very busy. While pouring the frappuccino out, some spilled and got on the cup. I hastily wiped it off with a damp cloth, and handed the drink off with a straw, saying my usual, "I have a grande caramel frappuccino blended coffee ready at the bar!" and turned away to make the next drinks in line. The woman says, "Would you mind wiping it off first?" I say something like "Sure" or "Okay" or "Yep," wipe it off again, and return to what I was doing before, saying, "If you're needing anything else, there are also napkins at the condiment stand."

The woman snaps and says, "Napkins! Hey! You! Come here! Look at me!" I stop what I'm doing, and turn to face her - she looks extraordinarily angry. "Yes?"

The woman continues, "I paid SIX dollars for this coffee. It's a very expensive coffee, understand? I paid six dollars for this drink, you give it to me soaking wet, and you expect me to wipe it off myself?? I have never been treating so rudely!" ((Note: A grande caramel frappuccino comes to around $4.50CAD with tax.))

I look a little surprised, as I have said nothing rude, and I did wipe off her cup, twice. "I'm sorry, but I just meant to inform you where the napkins were if you needed them, as some people don't know where to find them. I meant no offense and didn't mean to be rude."

The woman scowls and says, "No, you are RUDE. You're the rudest person in this establishment. I can't believe it! You did this to me before, too!"

I'm getting annoyed. I say, sarcastically now, "I'm SORRY you feel that way." I believe at this point the woman says something dismissive, and I go back to making drinks.

A few days later, I hear from management. The woman had come in and complained specifically about me, saying I was the rudest person she's ever met, and that I had treated her that way four or five times now. I honestly have no recollection (and it struck me as odd, as the customer implied she had only encountered me once before), as I did not treat her any differently from anyone else - if someone asks for a straw, or something to be wiped off, I give them what they need, and say, "There's also more straws/napkins at the condiment stand for your convenience." She says she felt so offended, and so threatened, she won't come in anymore.

Management scolded me, saying that drink presentation should be absolutely perfect (I agree, to an extent - it shouldn't be dripping, which is why I wiped it off first, and wiped it off again when she asked). I was then told that Starbucks has a ZERO TOLERANCE for ANY attitude given to a customer, regardless of whether or not they deserve it.

Not only did I give the customer little or no attitude - I did as she asked, apologised at least once (before starting to get sarcastic), and was never once outrightly rude or impolite to her, nor did I ever raise my voice - but I was threatened because the customer decided to take my words with offense and yell at me for no good reason, and got a little annoyed with her.

I was told, BE GENUINE, BE CARING, and DEDICATE MYSELF TO GIVING LEGENDARY SERVICE.

Excuse me, but being genuine and caring does not mean taking shit from customers when I have done nothing wrong. I understand that what I said may have been mistaken for, "There are napkins - do it yourself," but it is no reason to be rude at an employee after they explain the misunderstanding. Also, I am not paid to kiss the shoes of ingrates - I am happy to do my best for customers who aren't rude to me, or are being reasonable. But rewarding the behaviour of someone who's mouthy and rude and haughty with free drinks and ass-kissing is NOT promoting social responsibility or a better community.

Fuck Starbucks. I'm quitting as soon as a job at Niagara opens up.'

Don't ever join Starbucks if you have problems with people giving you attitude. At least half of all customers and employees you deal with, if you stay long enough, will buy into the McDonalds of coffee, simply because they're associated with Starbucks (which is obviously such a highly sophisticated and classy establishment), they are somehow better than you, and that's fucking retarded.

I thought it was just a stereotype, but it's really, really not. Fuck Starbucks.














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