No matter the store, it can get pretty stressful because people will always be nitpicky about their coffee. But I like it when we’re not terribly busy. You have to push a lot of items like whole bean coffee and pastry items and be knowledgeable about the brewed coffees and the beverages you make. But you go through about two weeks of training where you’ll be shown the basics of making drinks and how to properly taste brewed coffee and how to do other things in the store. It’s a lot harder than it looks, though, and you really don’t realize how stressful of a job it can be until you’re behind the counter. It looks easy but some people have said that Starbucks is the hardest job they’ve ever had. 

Starbucks was my second job interview ever, and as long as one focuses on what Starbucks represents and does their research (like Shared Planet, for one- Starbucks is considered a very ethical company and I focused on that a lot for my interview), they should do well. Starbucks gets a lot of applications, though. You MUST make sure to find a way to stand out and the best way is to know what the company as a whole represents and express that in your interview and why that representation has sparked an interest in working for them.

As far as pay goes, everyone starts out at minimum wage (hourly, I get paid $7.67 here in Florida) and as with most places, you wait 6 months for a review and it’s possible to get a raise after that (I don’t expect one, I’m up for review these next two weeks but the minimum wage went up). You generally get paid more if you’re a shift supervisor, which most people don’t get asked to become one until at least 6 months after you start working there (and that’s only if you’re really good at what you do). And of course, you get a salary, rather than an hourly rate, if you’re in management (if they’re looking to stay for the very long run). You get paid every other Friday. Plus, you get paid tips every Monday, which depending on your store can be extremely good (my store is high volume, so I’ve gone home with almost $100 in tips before, but some stores you could get $25 for working a 40 hour week, it depends on how busy the store is).

And hi, dear! :D Haha<3