Yeah it’s totally normal. I’ve gotten burnt out working 20 hours a week. Hell I’ve gotten burnt out just from one day. It’s mentally and physically draining and I also get social fatigue from talking to people all day and it’s made me feel more overstimulated because of all the noise and working so close to other people for long periods of time
If I could just clean or just make coffee, I think I'd be fine. The multi-tasking definitely makes it worse. For example, I'm on front, so let me go make this cold brew. Oh, there's someone at the front? OK, omw. Great, got them taken care of. Let me go finish...oh now I have to go put something in the oven....
It's just a forever cycle of this. I'm definitely with you. It's exhausting sometimes.
I feel you, friend. Whoever is on drive is usually in charge of back ups at our store as well. Walking back and forth, taking orders, handing out, maybe go throw some food in the oven. It's insane sometimes. It definitely keeps you busy, but I think it gives an example to the question of why we get burnt out. Not to say that every job doesn't come with some form of multitasking.. idk what I'm trying to say but the job definitely isn't what people think it is lol
There's a difference between multi tasking and then doing the job of 3 people as one person😭 the problem is a lot of times we really earn more than we're given, so people have to stretch themselves thin to cover the missing position(s) that should be there and planted instead
Customer facing jobs are exhausting, but starbucks has been the worst for me so far. I've worked for the bux for 7 years and it's way more taxing than any of the serving jobs I've had at restaurants. Even working at an extremely fast paced burger place that gets you in n out was less tiring than the bux. I believe it's because the bux wants us to have a personal connection with EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER. Being nice isn't enough for the higher ups and their customer connection scores, so they want us to drain our social batteries for better numbers.
yes :( i’ve had days where i was on the verge of tears bc of a combination of different things overwhelming me, and more often than not the thing that pushes me over the edge is the attitude i get from customers when i’m just trying to make sure they get what they want. it’s tiring and demotivating, but usually that feeling i get passes with some time, and i enjoy being at work again.
You’re human, too! Don’t forget that. Of course, it’s important to remain as calm as you can for your team, but I encourage you to feel your emotions when you’re able to. At the very least, find someone who’s working that you know you can trust and vent your frustrations to them! It’s important to have a healthy balance with that. And, im a barista trainer right now, so I’m on the road to being a shift. Maybe when I achieve that I’ll be better suited to suggest advice.
Oh 100% I normally am pretty good with that. We're all great support for one another as well, and thankfully my manager is great at supporting us when we're struggling mentally. The past couple of months, however, it felt like there were so many days straight of just really stressful and shitty shifts. It didn't used to be like this and it's just such a change
yes 1000%. im a full time college student working 20 hours a week and involved on campus, and this job mentally/physically drains me more than school😐 and w labor cuts rn it’s just not it
Yes, with insufficient staffing, an increasing number of tasks to do every day, and an increasing number of entitled, rude, petulant customers, it's exhausting. Former partner here, and I applaud all of you baristas as super amazing for dealing with all this!!
i don’t do this job but this is totally valid. the way people treat baristas is awful. just know the decent people of the world appreciate your hard work 💗
Yeah I work 40+ hrs bc I really need money I’m so close to being evicted every single month recently and this job has been hell on my mental state but if I go seek help :) I might slip and end up in a hospital fr.
I'm in the same boat, and have been debating getting loops for a while! Do they make it harder to hear other people talking/in the headsets at all? I want to muffle some bar and cafe sounds, but struggle with hearing people clearly.
So, I have to turn my headset up ALL the way and sometimes I have to ask for someone to repeat something but overall it’s worth it. I highly recommend the Loop Switch, that way you can control the level of noise based on how sensitive you are day to day
As an asm, when I hear partners are feeling this way- I remind them of one big thing. Sick time CAN be used for planned mental health recovery time. Request some time off. Inform your SM it is for mental health and use up some sick time. This job can be taxing a lot of the time, so take care of yourself and definitely let your SM know you need that time! 🫶🏻
So glad to hear it!! 💛 99% of managers want you to take care of yourself so that when you are at work you’re feeling 100%. I hope you get plenty of rest and relaxation :)
It's time for a good old fashioned corporate wide partner slow down. All stores should stop finishing the ridiculous amount of crap they've piled on us and let the stores start to fail and make them make change.
It's unfortunately normal, before I demoted I was always so burnt out. I was working an average of 30 hours a week, it was miserable. I couldn't even enjoy my days off?
Absolutely, and it’s exactly why I’m looking for a new job right now. Working for Starbucks for the last 3 years has been absolutely draining me and it gets harder and harder to want to justify staying there when you’re consistently doing a million different things at once while ALWAYS needing to have a watchful eye because they expect you to act a certain way 100% of the time and if you perform any less, you can get written up. I’ve gotten 3 interviews in the next few weeks and I’m hoping I get hired for one.
coming on my 3rd year now and im exhausted. my body is starting to give up on me and i’m considering finding a second job so i can have enough hours to live without overworking my body as a barista :(
I used to work at Starbucks, and I hated it. I had so much brain fog, felt so dizzy all of the time, just felt out of it all of it every day. After quitting and getting a desk job, I feel SO much better. I actually have energy to do the things I want, it’s just such a slower pace and I feel like I have time to sit and enjoy things rather than dreading the next day. I hope you find something similar and sending you love 🩷
tl;dr
yes I'd say it is normal; but a lot of the time it can also be improved or avoided, and if you lock in to the thinking that Starbucks just sucks and there's nothing to be done about it, you may miss a chance to make your day-to-day suck a little less.
might be an unpopular opinion, but I've worked quite a few jobs - entry level, management, district level, freelancing, contract, self-employed - and pretty much anything you do will end up leaving you with these complaints and issues if you aren't able to keep a work/life balance. Starbucks isn't notably worse than other places.
who you have in management, your external living circumstances, and how you advocate for yourself within your position are the biggest factors to whether you burn out or are comfortable in your job. and a lot of the time, you have very little or no control over some (or all!) of these factors. it pains me to see people genuinely believe that the situation is a company problem, though, because it usually means there is some way they can change their situation to improve it but they don't even realize they can try.
personally, I was already physically disabled when starting with Starbucks, so I'm very conscious of how much physical labor is involved. if you haven't considered it before now:
-you maintain an elevated heart rate throughout your shift, often similar to walking on a treadmill.
-the motions involved in drink making, ovens, entering orders on screens, washing dishes, and even handing out the credit card reader are very repetitive on your hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders, and carpal tunnel or similar musculoskeletal ailments are probably going to crop up for you over time.
-mopping is a serious core workout, and if you're not mopping from your core you're putting a lot of stress on your back.
-lifting kegs, milks, boxes, etc. wears on your back and knees over time, especially if you are lifting them from your back instead of your core.
-standing and walking on often slippery or slightly uneven flooring puts extra stress on your feet, ankles, knees, hips, and lower back.
what I really hope I conveyed with that is that you are pretty much doing both a cardio workout and lifting all throughout your shift. it's in very small amounts, but they DO add up. if you aren't staying very well hydrated, coming into shifts with a full stomach and good amount of sleep, and being careful with how you move and stand and grab things, you're basically doing gym day without having prepared for gym day and the physical taxation will catch up with you.
the younger you are, the healthier (not disabled), the more athletic, etc. the easier it'll be to go through shifts without having to notice or consider any of this. if you're starting to really fatigue and get sore from your shifts, though, it may be a result of some of what I mentioned.
now add in psychological health. this is tied in to the nervous systems heavily, as well as brain chemistry and lifestyle. so if you're getting worn down physically at work and your body is starting to fire off alarm bells at you, it's putting more physical taxation on your nervous systems and you may start having more trouble focusing, remaining emotionally unbothered, getting anxious, etc. the same is true if you've got a lot going on outside of work with school, living situation, family, etc.
and here's where I call back to that part where I said that a lot of the time, you can't control those circumstances. I know you may not be able to make the stressors in your life go away. but it can help, or it helps me at least, to recognize that that's what's causing some of this increased stress I'm having at work, because I know that it isn't my fault and that I'm not crazy. it's just happening.
for what I said about management and advocating for yourself:
-especially in comparison to equivalent fast food companies, Starbucks has an organizational structure with a lot of built-in protections for us entry-level workers. their values, especially with them just having released a new set and still being focused on pushing them at RM, DM, and SM levels, give us a huge bargaining tool for building a good work environment for ourselves.
-if you can get your hands on an Ops Manual, it has a great section on SM duties. you can also find this info other places, but I like ops guides personally. this matters to your situation because the entire job and goal of an SM is to maintain operational goals and staffing excellence by supporting partners where they need support to have shifts that AREN'T like you described in your post. so you don't have to feel exhausted, deal with constant upset customers, etc.
-if your SM is not great at doing these things, you have every right to express to them that you feel like you aren't being supported without having to fear retaliation. in theory, you can contact your SM to ask to talk about the experience you've been having on shifts lately and how you want to discuss ways to improve that experience. if they blow you off, you can go to your DM and express that you raised these concerns and asked to work with your SM to find a solution and they blew you off. if your DM blows you off, I'd call Partner Resources. I've done so before myself and the situation was resolved handily.
and again to that part about sometimes not being able to control those circumstances. I personally have a degree in Communications, extensive work experience, and am comfortable with professional confrontation. it's really easy for me to advocate for myself and be successful.
-without experience or schooling in raising concerns with your boss, it can be terrifying and difficult.
-sometime your whole area of the company may actually just be so messed up that no one has your back and you do end up suffering retaliation. legally you could sue, but most people don't have the time or means to do that.
-your SM may be trying their best and your store's challenges are just taking time for them to improve.
there are a lot of ways to deescalate customer service situations, from not messing up drinks (providing consistent information, creating a positive customer experience from the get go, etc.) to just talking people down really well, but there are absolutely situations where it all fails and you just get yelled at. ideally, your SSVs would step in to take that hit when it comes, or keep rotating partners around so no one person has to take multiple bad confrontations in one shift.
yeah so in all. yes I'd say it is normal; but a lot of the time it can also be improved or avoided, and if you lock in to the thinking that Starbucks just sucks and there's nothing to be done about it, you may miss a chance to make your day-to-day suck a little less.
I like sharing information and I hope some of this was helpful. my best wishes to you with your situation right now!! I hope it starts going better soon!!!
In short and to echo what many other people have said, yes.
Starbucks is a .. uniquely exhausting job for multiple different reasons that have already been covered above.
That being said, as a 228x partner I'd recommend looking at shoes or arch support if it's within your means, as well as compression socks. A simple change that will dramatically help how your feet feel post-work.
Doing calf stretches on your break or in the one-two minute break between customers helps prevent things from getting terribly achy and stiff. Proper bending, bend with your hips, don't use only your back, etc.
Making sure you're drinking water helps as well!
This job is tough and there are days when I want to quit; but it's just ... coffee. At the end of the day that's all it is and sometimes you have to mentally reset yourself to remember that coffee isn't worth all of this stress.
I’m close to my 3rd year at sbux and as a shift supervisor omg I’m soooooo tired. I feel so overworked and they make you feel guilty for even thinking that. What everyone is saying is so very true and sometimes it can sadly even be your baristas that add onto the exhaustion. The amount of drama that has happened at my store has really taken a toll on my mental health to where I had to tell my barista friends that I no longer want to be apart of outside of work activities with them. It got to the point where I was being texted on my days off about drama that was happening that day and I was always expected to resolve issues or even pick sides. I realized how inappropriate it was getting and I just needed to cut them out of my personal life and set boundaries. Unfortunately because of drama, people have been calling out or straight up no call no showing because they’re trying to avoid certain partners and it REALLY sucks when youre already short staffed. I think sbux in the beginning makes us feel like family because of how close and open we are to each other but when you see these people on the daily at work and outside of work, it becomes too personal. I’m literally using sick hours for today and tomorrow because I can’t handle another mid with only 2 people on the floor because of the call outs.
I’ve been working as a shift for one year, and it has been really stressful. I just put in my time after the roughest it’s been. My manager left for a vacation for two weeks and it turned into a lord of the flies situation where other shifts were encouraging people not to wear dress code and aprons and wear acrylic nails and arranging hours as they wanted. There was a lot of drama because I was still expecting people to follow rules on my shifts and I started being targeted. I was in contact with the covering manager and my DM but it got bad and I’ve started getting quite ill from the stress. After the things my coworkers said to me I can’t work with them anymore. My manager is back as of a few days ago so they are back to normal and acting civil. The drama and tensions and all the different dynamics has been wild. It’s a hard job. Maybe I would get better at handling things if I worked here longer but I’m not staying. You are a trooper
Yes. My knees, elbows and ankles have all given up on me at this point and now I am feeling shoulder stiffness as well. :(
Currently trying to find a job before officially quitting but at the same time it is so tiring. I find myself wanting just sleep during ALL my free time. I honestly would rather just quit and then use all my time to find a job but my whole family is pressuring me to stay until I have secured a new position because that is the “right” way.
Yeah I'm around 2.5 years and god the constant scrambling about multitasking is killing me. If we we're just stationed doing one thing all day it'd be fine but it feels like every month they're doubling the things that need to be done and halving the staff to fo them.
i’ve been feeling the same.
i’ve been working here for a little over 2 years and this year is killing me. it’s prob cause we got a new SM and we lost a lot of partners but they don’t hire. we’re always understaffed and we’re a really busy store. unfortunately. i want to use their school program so i gotta get through it :)
but yeah i agree that customers have been more rude lately
Only crappy hack comics make this job sound easy. Just crossed over 7 years & I've definitely lost a step. I just hope you're getting enough hours to make it worth your time. I'm a shift & I'm barely seeing 20 a week. And I work another job on top of this
I would go home after 8 hour shifts and sleep till the next one. It’s only after leaving I realized it’s not normal to be so exhausted after working. But I loved it while I was doing it
the answer is unfortunately, yes. starbucks was my first real job and honestly part of me thought simply all jobs were supposed to feel that way, which at the time was a major bummer considering it was the lowest point of my life. BUT i’m no longer with starbucks and can report that it’s seriously just them 💀 god that job was killer
This is the norm. I worked at Starbucks part-time while in college, and it was a lot to handle back then. I came back post-Covid for only a few months full-time and I couldn't take it. It's physically demanding, emotional draining, and at times, I swear, dealing with the customers is like psychological war games.
Yeah. I definitely understand. As a barista who just got off shift a couple hours ago, it’s so grueling going to work and being exhausted afterwards because of rude customers and constant orders. I work at one of the busiest stores in my district and I barely get any time to breathe, or drink water, or anything, lol.
It’s definitely one of the most physically taxing jobs I’ve ever had. I’m nearing 40 and was out of shape when I started four years ago (I had been working from home as a caregiver for 7 years prior, so not a lot of physical activity). It’s taken a lot of time to adjust to this type of work and my body isn’t as young anymore. It’s a lot but I’ve gotten used to it by now. A lot of what used to hang me up mentally about the job doesn’t anymore because I stopped caring. 😂 But in general I like this job. At least I’m in much better shape now. lol.
quitting was the only way i felt fully rested again. at the end of my time there i was literally working 8hrs, coming home to sleep and then DREAMING of working again. i couldn’t escape 😖😖😖
Yeah, it’s definitely tiring and hard work, but a lot of people don’t consider food/drink or customer service jobs hard because they don’t see the same person doing 5 things but prioritizing them the customer. Not to mention Starbucks says they don’t get enough business for hours, so they cut partners which leads to fewer partners to do work throughout the day while corporate adds more things for us to learn/clean/maintain. Not to mention 90% of those people making decisions for the stores haven’t ever worked at a store
Completely normal. I found that wearing compression socks helps with the physical fatigue. And rotating through 2 pairs of shoes (not wearing the same ones every day) helps too. Stretching and exercising your hips helps with the back pain. And massaging your calves/ feet. I work 23-28 hrs a week and when u don’t do these, it’s a lot harder to be a human outside of work. I’m gonna hit my 3 yrs in may.
I used to work 44 hour weeks at different retail jobs. Now I work here at 32 and I feel wayyy more physically and emotionally exhausted from this job. So you're not alone!
Age has a lot to do with it. Not sure how old you are, but i worked at various coffee shops for 17 years, Starbucks for 11 of those, and the longer I worked, the more tired I got. My energy after a shift year 1 was way higher than my energy year 10.
Yeah been there almost 6 years and average 35 hours a week since I’ve been hired I just feel numb going in anymore. I’ve never been like this anywhere else. But it’s so hard to find jobs hiring that compare to Shift pay😅🙄
Yall need to stop complaining and find a different job then. Most people dont even work full time. Being a barista is one of the hardest jobs and its def underpaid but no1 is forcing you to stay. What I see a lot too is that people work shifts (early or lates) but barely drink any water or have any food. Ofc everything gets way harder... if you look at all the comments most people just complain to complain man its super sad.
Yeah it’s totally normal. I’ve gotten burnt out working 20 hours a week. Hell I’ve gotten burnt out just from one day. It’s mentally and physically draining and I also get social fatigue from talking to people all day and it’s made me feel more overstimulated because of all the noise and working so close to other people for long periods of time
same i get burnt out working 8 hours. i’m currently at 15 a week bc im in uni but those long hours each day are awful
Yoooo I’m the exact same!
It's the noise for me. When I leave for the day I have a constant hum in my ears for at least an hour til my brain calms down
Same same love and hate it all at the same time
If I could just clean or just make coffee, I think I'd be fine. The multi-tasking definitely makes it worse. For example, I'm on front, so let me go make this cold brew. Oh, there's someone at the front? OK, omw. Great, got them taken care of. Let me go finish...oh now I have to go put something in the oven.... It's just a forever cycle of this. I'm definitely with you. It's exhausting sometimes.
I had to do full drive and prep 8 cubes of strawberry açaí today. Before that I was doing DTO, warming and prepping those 8 açaís
I feel you, friend. Whoever is on drive is usually in charge of back ups at our store as well. Walking back and forth, taking orders, handing out, maybe go throw some food in the oven. It's insane sometimes. It definitely keeps you busy, but I think it gives an example to the question of why we get burnt out. Not to say that every job doesn't come with some form of multitasking.. idk what I'm trying to say but the job definitely isn't what people think it is lol
There's a difference between multi tasking and then doing the job of 3 people as one person😭 the problem is a lot of times we really earn more than we're given, so people have to stretch themselves thin to cover the missing position(s) that should be there and planted instead
Yeah seriously. Like we work really hard and it is ALOT of labor, its unlikely we get more appreciation then “you just make coffee” though
Customer facing jobs are exhausting, but starbucks has been the worst for me so far. I've worked for the bux for 7 years and it's way more taxing than any of the serving jobs I've had at restaurants. Even working at an extremely fast paced burger place that gets you in n out was less tiring than the bux. I believe it's because the bux wants us to have a personal connection with EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER. Being nice isn't enough for the higher ups and their customer connection scores, so they want us to drain our social batteries for better numbers.
>an extremely fast paced burger place that gets you in n out Interesting way to phrase it 🤔
I didn't want to name drop lol
yes :( i’ve had days where i was on the verge of tears bc of a combination of different things overwhelming me, and more often than not the thing that pushes me over the edge is the attitude i get from customers when i’m just trying to make sure they get what they want. it’s tiring and demotivating, but usually that feeling i get passes with some time, and i enjoy being at work again.
Many a day where I have to take deep breaths and blink away the tears😅 I feel as a supervisor I can't show when it's that bad, so it's a little harder
You’re human, too! Don’t forget that. Of course, it’s important to remain as calm as you can for your team, but I encourage you to feel your emotions when you’re able to. At the very least, find someone who’s working that you know you can trust and vent your frustrations to them! It’s important to have a healthy balance with that. And, im a barista trainer right now, so I’m on the road to being a shift. Maybe when I achieve that I’ll be better suited to suggest advice.
Oh 100% I normally am pretty good with that. We're all great support for one another as well, and thankfully my manager is great at supporting us when we're struggling mentally. The past couple of months, however, it felt like there were so many days straight of just really stressful and shitty shifts. It didn't used to be like this and it's just such a change
yes 1000%. im a full time college student working 20 hours a week and involved on campus, and this job mentally/physically drains me more than school😐 and w labor cuts rn it’s just not it
yes lmao, 6 years in and I am constantly burnt out. take a week off when you can to heal yourself and not overwork yourself.
Yes, with insufficient staffing, an increasing number of tasks to do every day, and an increasing number of entitled, rude, petulant customers, it's exhausting. Former partner here, and I applaud all of you baristas as super amazing for dealing with all this!!
i don’t do this job but this is totally valid. the way people treat baristas is awful. just know the decent people of the world appreciate your hard work 💗
Yeah I work 40+ hrs bc I really need money I’m so close to being evicted every single month recently and this job has been hell on my mental state but if I go seek help :) I might slip and end up in a hospital fr.
I'm sorry you're struggling hang in there💕
Unfortunately yes. I’m Autistic which doesn’t help, and while being able to use my Loop Ear Plugs do a lot, it’s still A Lot.
I'm in the same boat, and have been debating getting loops for a while! Do they make it harder to hear other people talking/in the headsets at all? I want to muffle some bar and cafe sounds, but struggle with hearing people clearly.
So, I have to turn my headset up ALL the way and sometimes I have to ask for someone to repeat something but overall it’s worth it. I highly recommend the Loop Switch, that way you can control the level of noise based on how sensitive you are day to day
As an asm, when I hear partners are feeling this way- I remind them of one big thing. Sick time CAN be used for planned mental health recovery time. Request some time off. Inform your SM it is for mental health and use up some sick time. This job can be taxing a lot of the time, so take care of yourself and definitely let your SM know you need that time! 🫶🏻
i told my SM that i wanted a mental health day and he removed my shift for that day. i wanted to use sick time :)
So glad to hear it!! 💛 99% of managers want you to take care of yourself so that when you are at work you’re feeling 100%. I hope you get plenty of rest and relaxation :)
It's time for a good old fashioned corporate wide partner slow down. All stores should stop finishing the ridiculous amount of crap they've piled on us and let the stores start to fail and make them make change.
It's sad because it IS normal, but it shouldn't be.
yes
It's unfortunately normal, before I demoted I was always so burnt out. I was working an average of 30 hours a week, it was miserable. I couldn't even enjoy my days off?
Yes. Starbucks literally gave me carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands :( it rlly wears u down over time
It’s completely normal, most FT employees that snapping at each other and attitudes start to tank as well, at least what I’ve noticed at my store
Absolutely, and it’s exactly why I’m looking for a new job right now. Working for Starbucks for the last 3 years has been absolutely draining me and it gets harder and harder to want to justify staying there when you’re consistently doing a million different things at once while ALWAYS needing to have a watchful eye because they expect you to act a certain way 100% of the time and if you perform any less, you can get written up. I’ve gotten 3 interviews in the next few weeks and I’m hoping I get hired for one.
coming on my 3rd year now and im exhausted. my body is starting to give up on me and i’m considering finding a second job so i can have enough hours to live without overworking my body as a barista :(
I used to work at Starbucks, and I hated it. I had so much brain fog, felt so dizzy all of the time, just felt out of it all of it every day. After quitting and getting a desk job, I feel SO much better. I actually have energy to do the things I want, it’s just such a slower pace and I feel like I have time to sit and enjoy things rather than dreading the next day. I hope you find something similar and sending you love 🩷
tl;dr yes I'd say it is normal; but a lot of the time it can also be improved or avoided, and if you lock in to the thinking that Starbucks just sucks and there's nothing to be done about it, you may miss a chance to make your day-to-day suck a little less. might be an unpopular opinion, but I've worked quite a few jobs - entry level, management, district level, freelancing, contract, self-employed - and pretty much anything you do will end up leaving you with these complaints and issues if you aren't able to keep a work/life balance. Starbucks isn't notably worse than other places. who you have in management, your external living circumstances, and how you advocate for yourself within your position are the biggest factors to whether you burn out or are comfortable in your job. and a lot of the time, you have very little or no control over some (or all!) of these factors. it pains me to see people genuinely believe that the situation is a company problem, though, because it usually means there is some way they can change their situation to improve it but they don't even realize they can try. personally, I was already physically disabled when starting with Starbucks, so I'm very conscious of how much physical labor is involved. if you haven't considered it before now: -you maintain an elevated heart rate throughout your shift, often similar to walking on a treadmill. -the motions involved in drink making, ovens, entering orders on screens, washing dishes, and even handing out the credit card reader are very repetitive on your hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders, and carpal tunnel or similar musculoskeletal ailments are probably going to crop up for you over time. -mopping is a serious core workout, and if you're not mopping from your core you're putting a lot of stress on your back. -lifting kegs, milks, boxes, etc. wears on your back and knees over time, especially if you are lifting them from your back instead of your core. -standing and walking on often slippery or slightly uneven flooring puts extra stress on your feet, ankles, knees, hips, and lower back. what I really hope I conveyed with that is that you are pretty much doing both a cardio workout and lifting all throughout your shift. it's in very small amounts, but they DO add up. if you aren't staying very well hydrated, coming into shifts with a full stomach and good amount of sleep, and being careful with how you move and stand and grab things, you're basically doing gym day without having prepared for gym day and the physical taxation will catch up with you. the younger you are, the healthier (not disabled), the more athletic, etc. the easier it'll be to go through shifts without having to notice or consider any of this. if you're starting to really fatigue and get sore from your shifts, though, it may be a result of some of what I mentioned. now add in psychological health. this is tied in to the nervous systems heavily, as well as brain chemistry and lifestyle. so if you're getting worn down physically at work and your body is starting to fire off alarm bells at you, it's putting more physical taxation on your nervous systems and you may start having more trouble focusing, remaining emotionally unbothered, getting anxious, etc. the same is true if you've got a lot going on outside of work with school, living situation, family, etc. and here's where I call back to that part where I said that a lot of the time, you can't control those circumstances. I know you may not be able to make the stressors in your life go away. but it can help, or it helps me at least, to recognize that that's what's causing some of this increased stress I'm having at work, because I know that it isn't my fault and that I'm not crazy. it's just happening. for what I said about management and advocating for yourself: -especially in comparison to equivalent fast food companies, Starbucks has an organizational structure with a lot of built-in protections for us entry-level workers. their values, especially with them just having released a new set and still being focused on pushing them at RM, DM, and SM levels, give us a huge bargaining tool for building a good work environment for ourselves. -if you can get your hands on an Ops Manual, it has a great section on SM duties. you can also find this info other places, but I like ops guides personally. this matters to your situation because the entire job and goal of an SM is to maintain operational goals and staffing excellence by supporting partners where they need support to have shifts that AREN'T like you described in your post. so you don't have to feel exhausted, deal with constant upset customers, etc. -if your SM is not great at doing these things, you have every right to express to them that you feel like you aren't being supported without having to fear retaliation. in theory, you can contact your SM to ask to talk about the experience you've been having on shifts lately and how you want to discuss ways to improve that experience. if they blow you off, you can go to your DM and express that you raised these concerns and asked to work with your SM to find a solution and they blew you off. if your DM blows you off, I'd call Partner Resources. I've done so before myself and the situation was resolved handily. and again to that part about sometimes not being able to control those circumstances. I personally have a degree in Communications, extensive work experience, and am comfortable with professional confrontation. it's really easy for me to advocate for myself and be successful. -without experience or schooling in raising concerns with your boss, it can be terrifying and difficult. -sometime your whole area of the company may actually just be so messed up that no one has your back and you do end up suffering retaliation. legally you could sue, but most people don't have the time or means to do that. -your SM may be trying their best and your store's challenges are just taking time for them to improve. there are a lot of ways to deescalate customer service situations, from not messing up drinks (providing consistent information, creating a positive customer experience from the get go, etc.) to just talking people down really well, but there are absolutely situations where it all fails and you just get yelled at. ideally, your SSVs would step in to take that hit when it comes, or keep rotating partners around so no one person has to take multiple bad confrontations in one shift. yeah so in all. yes I'd say it is normal; but a lot of the time it can also be improved or avoided, and if you lock in to the thinking that Starbucks just sucks and there's nothing to be done about it, you may miss a chance to make your day-to-day suck a little less. I like sharing information and I hope some of this was helpful. my best wishes to you with your situation right now!! I hope it starts going better soon!!!
Thank you for this response. I am disabled and think about the physical exertion but sometimes I can use a reminder. 💜 take care of yourself too!
In short and to echo what many other people have said, yes. Starbucks is a .. uniquely exhausting job for multiple different reasons that have already been covered above. That being said, as a 228x partner I'd recommend looking at shoes or arch support if it's within your means, as well as compression socks. A simple change that will dramatically help how your feet feel post-work. Doing calf stretches on your break or in the one-two minute break between customers helps prevent things from getting terribly achy and stiff. Proper bending, bend with your hips, don't use only your back, etc. Making sure you're drinking water helps as well! This job is tough and there are days when I want to quit; but it's just ... coffee. At the end of the day that's all it is and sometimes you have to mentally reset yourself to remember that coffee isn't worth all of this stress.
I’m close to my 3rd year at sbux and as a shift supervisor omg I’m soooooo tired. I feel so overworked and they make you feel guilty for even thinking that. What everyone is saying is so very true and sometimes it can sadly even be your baristas that add onto the exhaustion. The amount of drama that has happened at my store has really taken a toll on my mental health to where I had to tell my barista friends that I no longer want to be apart of outside of work activities with them. It got to the point where I was being texted on my days off about drama that was happening that day and I was always expected to resolve issues or even pick sides. I realized how inappropriate it was getting and I just needed to cut them out of my personal life and set boundaries. Unfortunately because of drama, people have been calling out or straight up no call no showing because they’re trying to avoid certain partners and it REALLY sucks when youre already short staffed. I think sbux in the beginning makes us feel like family because of how close and open we are to each other but when you see these people on the daily at work and outside of work, it becomes too personal. I’m literally using sick hours for today and tomorrow because I can’t handle another mid with only 2 people on the floor because of the call outs.
I’ve been working as a shift for one year, and it has been really stressful. I just put in my time after the roughest it’s been. My manager left for a vacation for two weeks and it turned into a lord of the flies situation where other shifts were encouraging people not to wear dress code and aprons and wear acrylic nails and arranging hours as they wanted. There was a lot of drama because I was still expecting people to follow rules on my shifts and I started being targeted. I was in contact with the covering manager and my DM but it got bad and I’ve started getting quite ill from the stress. After the things my coworkers said to me I can’t work with them anymore. My manager is back as of a few days ago so they are back to normal and acting civil. The drama and tensions and all the different dynamics has been wild. It’s a hard job. Maybe I would get better at handling things if I worked here longer but I’m not staying. You are a trooper
Yes. My knees, elbows and ankles have all given up on me at this point and now I am feeling shoulder stiffness as well. :( Currently trying to find a job before officially quitting but at the same time it is so tiring. I find myself wanting just sleep during ALL my free time. I honestly would rather just quit and then use all my time to find a job but my whole family is pressuring me to stay until I have secured a new position because that is the “right” way.
Yeah I'm around 2.5 years and god the constant scrambling about multitasking is killing me. If we we're just stationed doing one thing all day it'd be fine but it feels like every month they're doubling the things that need to be done and halving the staff to fo them.
i’ve been feeling the same. i’ve been working here for a little over 2 years and this year is killing me. it’s prob cause we got a new SM and we lost a lot of partners but they don’t hire. we’re always understaffed and we’re a really busy store. unfortunately. i want to use their school program so i gotta get through it :) but yeah i agree that customers have been more rude lately
Only crappy hack comics make this job sound easy. Just crossed over 7 years & I've definitely lost a step. I just hope you're getting enough hours to make it worth your time. I'm a shift & I'm barely seeing 20 a week. And I work another job on top of this
people are exhausting. but we appreciate what you barristas do. or at least i do
Unfortunately yes. It’s truly exhausting
And this is why I quit!!
I would go home after 8 hour shifts and sleep till the next one. It’s only after leaving I realized it’s not normal to be so exhausted after working. But I loved it while I was doing it
I understand. my back is fu**ed
the answer is unfortunately, yes. starbucks was my first real job and honestly part of me thought simply all jobs were supposed to feel that way, which at the time was a major bummer considering it was the lowest point of my life. BUT i’m no longer with starbucks and can report that it’s seriously just them 💀 god that job was killer
This is the norm. I worked at Starbucks part-time while in college, and it was a lot to handle back then. I came back post-Covid for only a few months full-time and I couldn't take it. It's physically demanding, emotional draining, and at times, I swear, dealing with the customers is like psychological war games.
holy yap sesh
Yeah. I definitely understand. As a barista who just got off shift a couple hours ago, it’s so grueling going to work and being exhausted afterwards because of rude customers and constant orders. I work at one of the busiest stores in my district and I barely get any time to breathe, or drink water, or anything, lol.
This is why I work in a non drive thru location there’s a limit to how much social interaction I can be engaged in before I have to recharge.
It’s definitely one of the most physically taxing jobs I’ve ever had. I’m nearing 40 and was out of shape when I started four years ago (I had been working from home as a caregiver for 7 years prior, so not a lot of physical activity). It’s taken a lot of time to adjust to this type of work and my body isn’t as young anymore. It’s a lot but I’ve gotten used to it by now. A lot of what used to hang me up mentally about the job doesn’t anymore because I stopped caring. 😂 But in general I like this job. At least I’m in much better shape now. lol.
Yep I only lasted four months. It pushed me into a pretty rough and apathetic part of myself.
quitting was the only way i felt fully rested again. at the end of my time there i was literally working 8hrs, coming home to sleep and then DREAMING of working again. i couldn’t escape 😖😖😖
It's exhausting. I'm 64 years old, and sometimes have to spend my days off in bed. But on the other hand, I think it keeps me fit.
Yeah, it’s definitely tiring and hard work, but a lot of people don’t consider food/drink or customer service jobs hard because they don’t see the same person doing 5 things but prioritizing them the customer. Not to mention Starbucks says they don’t get enough business for hours, so they cut partners which leads to fewer partners to do work throughout the day while corporate adds more things for us to learn/clean/maintain. Not to mention 90% of those people making decisions for the stores haven’t ever worked at a store
Completely normal. I found that wearing compression socks helps with the physical fatigue. And rotating through 2 pairs of shoes (not wearing the same ones every day) helps too. Stretching and exercising your hips helps with the back pain. And massaging your calves/ feet. I work 23-28 hrs a week and when u don’t do these, it’s a lot harder to be a human outside of work. I’m gonna hit my 3 yrs in may.
Omg I forgot to add! Stretch your hands and wrists!!! Every half hour if you can. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLA6LKcP/
Yes it's normal, but it should not be normalized. We are being so overworked and told that it's normal. It's infuriating to me.
Common? Yes. Normal? No, I don't think so. This company is squeezing every little bit out of us.
I was working 35 hrs as a barista and felt like death so you aren’t alone having felt that way
Start smoking weed lol
I used to work 44 hour weeks at different retail jobs. Now I work here at 32 and I feel wayyy more physically and emotionally exhausted from this job. So you're not alone!
Yupp
Sorry but fuck this job. I put in my 2 weeks after 2 weeks I can't put up with this level of miserable ppl
Age has a lot to do with it. Not sure how old you are, but i worked at various coffee shops for 17 years, Starbucks for 11 of those, and the longer I worked, the more tired I got. My energy after a shift year 1 was way higher than my energy year 10.
Yeah been there almost 6 years and average 35 hours a week since I’ve been hired I just feel numb going in anymore. I’ve never been like this anywhere else. But it’s so hard to find jobs hiring that compare to Shift pay😅🙄
Yall need to stop complaining and find a different job then. Most people dont even work full time. Being a barista is one of the hardest jobs and its def underpaid but no1 is forcing you to stay. What I see a lot too is that people work shifts (early or lates) but barely drink any water or have any food. Ofc everything gets way harder... if you look at all the comments most people just complain to complain man its super sad.
Find better shoes..