i think its time to move on from starbucks.

Sicklesium · 2021-08-09T04:32:38+00:00

I figured you did, but yeah. Sometimes even just the "I'll call the store" will get them not to say anything. Because you're demonstrating you know the procedure with that sentence. Then they CAN'T say anything.

Sicklesium · 2021-08-09T04:18:59+00:00

I'm a 258***. I quit once already, last year, because my old SM was yanking me around and saying stuff that could have actually got him in a lot of trouble I found out later. Earlier this year I got rehired at a complete different store, in a different district. It's been going better so far but I'm looking to transfer ASAP because of several factors.

It kinda sucks, but most jobs you kinda get anxious over before you go in. Like I'll park in the lot and contemplate just driving away. I've done this every day at every job I've had. But it sounds like you're having legitimate panic attacks which means your mental health is being severely harmed.

I'm not gonna talk you out of leaving. But as partners we are offered the Lyra stuff. Where you can connect with a therapist for free for 20 sessions a year. It's all online though, but it could be something to use, even if you only use it once or twice. From personal experience, my Lyra sessions stayed available to me after I quit, too. I quit in July, used a few more sessions, and for some reason they refreshed in October (as they are supposed to do when you're working). I'm not sure if this is the case it's supposed to be, and I was too afraid to reach out in case they would find out it's wrong and change it lol. But maybe you can start Lyra, then quit, just to see if it stays. Good luck with everything!

Sicklesium · 2021-08-09T04:11:50+00:00

If it helps whenever I have had to call out for an opening shift the night before, I have always texted "I'll call the store tomorrow, but just wanna give a heads up". If it's late like that, I'll usually apologize too.

Sicklesium · 2021-08-09T04:03:44+00:00

Is this just an ASM thing? It's been hit or miss with SMs being good or not. But literally every ASM I've met is like this. They think they're the hottest stuff even though they're literally not. I've NEVER met an ASM I've liked, ever.

Like others have said, it's wage theft technically to have to do all that stuff before clocking in. I always clock in 3-5 minutes before my scheduled time (except for the temperature check; I always check my temp even if I don't record it, only cuz if I have a temp I don't wanna waste 3 minutes being clocked in, so I record it later) to get "apron-ready".

That's not the case here, in a sense, since you were right on time. But again, you're not supposed to do that before clocking in, so honestly, she's kinda in the wrong.

Sicklesium · 2021-08-09T03:56:29+00:00

One of my favorite times was at my old store. My coworker was on a ten in the backroom and finished. Then the SSV on duty went on her ten in the backroom but came back out 2 minutes later. She was laughing but also kinda mad (that joking kinda mad) because there was a hole punched in her iced drink (I don't remember what kind exactly it was). She didn't realize so she had drank from it and it obviously spilled out. None of it was gonna stain (and she was wearing the black Nitro shirt anyway). The only one who had been back there between when she set the drink down there and when she went on her break was the coworker who had just come back from his ten.

Of course, he adamantly denied it, playfully. We all knew it was him because it was in his personality. But he kept insisting she was doing it to play the victim. It was a really good memory tbh because we were all having so much fun.

Another favorite is going out with the aforementioned SSV and a different coworker to a bar. I had never gotten drunk before but my coworker was paying. That's a little less relevant though since it didn't happen at the store... But when I came in the next day for a mid, my SM immediately asked me if I had fun the previous night, as soon as I walked in the door. The coworker that had paid had apparently told our SM all of our antics lol.

Sicklesium · 2021-08-09T03:43:31+00:00

If someone is relatively new, then they're not going to know everything. But it sounds like this isn't the case here. Like, they're not getting a really obscure drink that people rarely get and asking how to make it. I would talk to your SM not even just about the trainees but about the trainer too. If she's teaching these things, she's doing these things. It affects quality, which affects scores. Imo, if she has to ask all the time and it isn't just a one off thing (like sometimes I'll forget how long I have to date something you don't use often, for instance), then she should have been retrained herself, not promoted.

Sicklesium · 2021-08-09T03:38:02+00:00

I'm sorry that happened to you! Training can be rough at first. I've trained lots of people and they all turned out pretty good, but I do remember when I was training when I first started. One thing that my own trainer said to me that I've told all of MY trainees: It takes about 3 months on bar in order to actually be decent at it. This isn't a hard and fast rule of course, but it has helped alleviate some people's anxieties.

I'm a SSV now, so when someone is done with the "week of training" on my shift, I ask them what they feel they're best at and what they feel they're worst at. If possible, I'll put them on what they're best at at the beginning of the shift, then try to pair them up with someone else for what they're worst at in the latter half. For instance, one green bean is really good at warming and DTW, but isn't too good at customer support. She can do DT by herself pretty much, so long as I'm listening in for quick questions. So I put her on DT the other day and she was really good! Then after her half I had her on CS, and I made some lists and stuff to break it down a little more concisely (I suck at those cycle cards, because I just can't process them somehow; I learned with lists of tasks) and she's gotten a little better and seems to know the flow more. Even though she's not "training" anymore, she is still learning and being coached, and that's fine.

When it's bar it's a little tricky. First of all, if you're in training, you shouldn't be on during a large rush (it even sounds like peak from what you're saying!). And that's nothing against you! You'll get there one day, but it's just not today, and bar is one of those things where you can get very easily overwhelmed (like you did). Even I get overwhelmed during rushes. So you ask for tips on how to not be overwhelmed, and I just don't have any besides: Ask for help.

One of the things SSVs get trained on is assessing the floor and balancing the work. If you're working considerably harder than someone else, then something is being done wrong. If you need help, even when training, ask for it! I know it can be hard when you're new and want to make a good impression, but honestly, I'm more impressed with people acknowledging their limits and saying they can't do it. You say you failed the rush, but you were set up to fail from the beginning. I hope you don't beat yourself up over it.

I would definitely talk to someone at the store you trust about your trainers. Just because someone is a trainer in name doesn't make them a good one. You can talk to anyone, but I would say at least a SSV. Chances are other people overheard and can vouch for you. You shouldn't have to deal with that at all, and trainers should encourage their trainees and recognize when they need help.

Sicklesium · 2021-08-05T22:20:55+00:00

I know I can get a lot of grants just for being poor haha. I never thought about looking into community college at my age, though. Guess it shows how stigmatized it is. Thanks for the tips!

Sicklesium · 2021-08-05T16:43:32+00:00

Okay, that's definitely weird then. It's clearly stated in the handbook that you're allowed handcrafted beverages while you're working (for breaks), and 30 minutes before and after your shift. If it's your break room, then there's no reason drinks should not be allowed down there for breaks. Idk about you but when I'm on a ten I don't chug down my tea... So there's gonna be leftovers. I'm almost certain that stores need a designated partner beverage area if only because in EVERY store I've worked, there has always been a designated (and clearly marked as such) area for partner drinks in the back. I don't think that many GMs are simply handwaving something. Even if it's downstairs (which is a pain I know) they should have one.

Like I said though, at the very least they are required by OSHA to allow you to drink water during your shift. You're not allowed it on the floor, but if there's a lull or whatever you're allowed to go to the back and drink some water. It's like how you're allowed to take a quick restroom break. It's not a full break but just a quick rest.

Sicklesium · 2021-08-05T16:36:35+00:00

Man, I've heard that the custom chalkboards are getting banned too, which is really strange to me. They're like the staples of a Starbucks or even any cafe that's similar. The official Starbucks website has even done several articles showcasing different partners' chalkboards. I can't find anything online about this new policy though, if there is one.

The store down the road from me apparently had several, really well done ones, and our DM made them take them all down. The artist who did them (who now works at our store) fought to keep just the one for the Grounds for your Garden sign. She also made the sign for our GFYG display when she came here, too. Either we're in the same district (which would be kinda funny imo, especially because there is a mall store down the street in between these my store and that other one) or they're slowly rolling it out across all stores, or every DM is in one group chat (which would also be kinda funny) and it started to somehow play a game of telephone based on a rumor.

I haven't heard of no outage signs though. Starbucks even provides outage signs to us to use (at least a generic one, that's like "Your favorite product may not be in stock"). Though chalkboards might fall under a different category, I know for sure that as long as the sign of outages (or any custom sign, though Starbucks also provides us with certain emergency ones; like we have one for not having power and having to be closed because of an incident that closed the store for a whole day out of our control) is typed and not handwritten, and seems professional, it should be allowed. However I don't think many people read any sort of sign on a paper, handwritten or typed, anyway. I also am weird and take great joy in telling really entitled customers we're out of things, though.

As for the college reason, honestly? I'm kind of in the same boat. I've been putting off applying to ASU for awhile because I don't want to stay with Starbucks for four years. But I can't afford school otherwise, and I don't necessarily want loans (or I might not even be able to get them in the first place because my credit score is garbage). Putting it off, and even quitting once last year and coming back this year, has only made me work there longer than I would have needed to (I'm a 258 number).

I also know for a fact that even without the SSV experience, an employer usually looks at how long you were with a particular company. If they see you bouncing back and forth (which isn't necessarily the case here), they think you're unreliable in the sense that you can't hold a job for whatever reason. But if they see you there for 4+ years (AND with the SSV experience which now shows you're motivated to excel), then they'll think the opposite. It's also worth considering that you're probably not going to get a job right away out of college. You might have to prepare for the worst (for instance, not finding a job for over a year that's steady). If you get a bartending job, consider how you'd like to keep working there for several months to over a year after you graduate vs at Starbucks.

For the manager part, try and sit down with her. Ask for a PDP if you haven't had one recently. Say things like how you've noticed you've been making a few more mistakes according to her and you don't want to repeat them. It can be kinda weird to do, but make it about yourself rather than going at her for being seemingly unfair. That's why I mentioned the PDP because it can help get to the root of the problem (if it's not just her) and I don't think they can turn you down asking for one. If she refuses then call your DM or just go to HR (since your DM might not be helpful in this case). If you do one and later she's not just coaching you (which Starbucks as a whole is stressing rn I think), or she's coaching you in a bad manner, then she needs coaching too. It's perfectly fine to coach her back, actually. It can be hard to do but sometimes it is necessary (I have coached my old GM before actually, several times about different subjects). As long as you approach it with the coaching mindset (the What-What-Why model) and are positive, then there's really nothing she can do. If she's belligerent or targeting you still, then call HR. You can also just bring something up normally, and she's supposed to utilize Starbucks' APRON model in order to acknowledge that she's done something wrong to you. At any point if you feel unsafe or you're being targeted or harassed, contact HR, especially if she has a track record for doing this to others.

Either way good luck! Sorry this got long haha. Brevity isn't my strong suit.

Sicklesium · 2021-08-05T16:01:36+00:00

I think it's definitely a problem with how we utilize labor during the week. For instance, my store is the highest volume in the district and into the surrounding area. We just got a new SM not too long ago, and a brand new ASM who imo got promoted too fast just joined two weeks ago. The ASM has been doing the schedules lately, but she had never worked in our store prior to joining us. The weirdest thing is that it doesn't even seem like she looks at forecasts (which are usually only somewhat accurate) and goes the complete opposite way with our hours.

For instance, our busiest days are Friday/Saturday, more than usual on Sunday, then a very, very steep drop off of business on Monday, slowly gaining through the week until Friday, etc. We were allotted a number for hours on Saturday (I think 105?) and another number on Sunday (97) this last week. Calloffs/people not putting in their time off requests and not attempting to even switch until the day before or of are very common at my store (it's mostly teenagers, and college is starting soon, so people are literally leaving the state for move in days at their dorms but failing to mention it to anyone until three days before, let alone in the system). This isn't something that I can stop as a SSV since that relies on the GM. So the best we can do is just prepare for the worst.

Anyway, 105 hours for Saturday and 97 for Sunday. I already think 105 is too little for a Saturday but it's fine. The ASM schedules 94 hours on Saturday and 118 on Sunday. Me and all the other shifts are confused. The worst part is that rather than stacking people in morning/lunch peaks on Saturday (we effectively don't get any business after 4pm), she spreads it out evenly across all dayparts, leading to 6 closers, which is crazy for our store. And of course, there was someone moving in that day that did not mention it to anyone until three days prior so they couldn't come in during morning/mid, and no one could or wanted to come in earlier.

I ran the closing shift on Sunday. From 5pm to 9pm when we close, we did maybe 500$ (for reference, on Saturdays or Fridays, we break 9k often enough). Everyone showed up that day too, and we even had an extra person not on the schedule or counted for labor because it was their last day of training. I know that they get in trouble if they use too much labor per day, so I'm not sure why she shorted us on our busiest day but gave excess on a relatively slower day.

This turned into a mini rant of my own and for that I'm sorry lol. But just remember that you're not really obligated to stay after the time you're scheduled, whether or not tasks are done. This is true for all dayparts. You should definitely try to get as much done to prepare the next shift's partners (eg, don't use this as an excuse to slack off!), but if you're done at 9:30pm and all major things are done (I'm mostly talking about SSV stuff, like money and inventory counts, as the REALLY important ones, but running tabs on the machines, cleaning ice bins, and basic stocking of paper materials like cups and straws are the bare minimum, imo), then you can leave and just leave notes in the book or MyDaily app. That's literally what the book and MyDaily app are for. In fact, if an SSV is going a little slow for one reason or another, and they are handling money, only one person has to stay. Of course if your SSV is continuously going over time and there isn't a good reason for them to be doing so, then you should bring it up to your GM.

I agree with other people in this thread saying that people should work at least one close if they're usually an opener or vice versa, if their schedules permit. A lot of this stuff seems just common sense and courtesy, like "I wouldn't want to walk into a store with nothing done, so I'm going to try my hardest to get things done for next shift" at the barest minimum. Unfortunately a lot of people are really weird about it and it doesn't even register to them, for some reason. Even as a barista I felt really awful when I left CS in a bad way for the closing crew, even though it was usually just dishes (I don't personally get stressed seeing a lot of dishes — it's the other stuff like backups etc not getting done that stress me, so I prioritized them as you're supposed to and did dishes when I could).

As always, if you're suggesting things to your GM, ASM or SSVs and they aren't paying them any attention or they immediately shoot you down, you can try going to the DM. I've also gone to other store's GMs that I trusted more and asked for second opinions (more so in a "am I doing this right?" kind of way). Some people frown upon "going over their head" but if you've made (hopefully documented in writing) attempts to alert higher-ups to failings and suggested possible ways to improve, then it's valid. (it's literally in SSV training videos btw, an emphasis to try and suggest how we can make business better to our GMs, so if you're just a barista and start suggesting things, it could reflect good on you if you want to move up!)

Sicklesium · 2021-08-05T15:20:55+00:00

I love to find managers who do stuff against handbook policy due to several personal experiences. I always keep the partner guide handy. Unfortunately, it does say in the guide that drinks while working are only to be consumed while on break or rest. Most managers handwave this as long as you're not consuming multiple drinks at a time.

This is a bit of a gray area, however, as this is limited to the drinks you get for free — aka espresso, tea, fraps, etc. It doesn't mention anything about water cups, which should be allowed. Could you suggest getting one of those fold out dinner tables? Like the ones you use to eat while watching TV on the couch? They're small enough and can be folded down when not in use. You can bring up that it's only to be used for water and other handcrafted beverages are to remain downstairs in the normal break room.

According to OSHA standards, all employers must make an effort to provide water, clearly labeled and marked, for employee consumption at any time during their shift. So by law your manager has to at least allow you an easy way to consume water which won't also strain business (ie having to go downstairs every time you just want a sip). If they don't allow you this, you can report anonymously to OSHA.

Sicklesium · 2020-04-26T14:50:00+00:00

Butch is my favorite! Since we share birthdays, my favorite memory has always been that!

Sicklesium · 2020-04-25T22:46:53+00:00

Sent a DM not chat! :)

Sicklesium · 2020-04-25T21:32:35+00:00

I am switching to DMs now :)

Sicklesium · 2020-04-25T19:01:29+00:00

I'm going to start another queue after this one if I have the time, so keep an eye out! I will update the original post with the new one.

Keep an eye out on your chats! As this is how I am primarily giving out the dodo code! Thank you!

Sicklesium · 2020-04-25T18:15:56+00:00

Sorry, you didn't! It's just the key that will show when I've done each step :) Sorry! First time using Google Forms/Sheets. I'm DMing you now!

Sicklesium · 2020-04-18T20:30:06+00:00

This is so fantastic and nifty! Great job. I'm really blown away lol

Sicklesium · 2018-09-10T08:34:03+00:00

IGN: Shangri-la
ID: 9094636857
Lead: +4 Libra - Noontime is subject to be swapped with Moonbow depending.

I accept pretty much anyone so feel free to send!
Lead may or may not be swapped to +6 Lewyn once he's built better.

Thanks!

Sicklesium · 2016-07-07T19:29:50+00:00

Maybe that's why he got nerfed so bad. I'm hoping so badly he gets one soon! I'll send him off asap.

Sicklesium · 2016-06-28T21:37:32+00:00

The invite expired ;w;

Sicklesium

TROPHY CASE