TPN File Photo. Working as a Starbucks barista was my first job at a large company, and while that may sound trivial, it prepared me for the harsh realities of the adult work environment. I was lucky β most people my age were waitressing or working elsewhere in the food industry for below minimum wage, and in most cases, their bosses kept the tips. Despite my long commute and early shift hours, Starbucks was flexible with school, and I got paid the correct amount on time.
I learned the ups and downs of the corporate world. This environment was much different from working at a small business β like the small businesses that many of my peers worked at. My experience working at a small business was excellent. People gain a lot of skills and know-how working in a corporate setting. There is almost always a strict set of rules concerning how things are run, and Starbucks is no exception. I still have my guidebooks that detail how the store works β all the little moving parts of the coffee shop and how to ensure these parts keep moving.
The first and most notable rule at Starbucks was customer service. I feel like working at Starbucks comes with a sort of stigma β that the people who go there are rich, stuck up and tend to step all over customer service workers. It only gets worse if you have a bad relationship with your boss and coworkers.
I was lucky enough to love mine like a family. There will always be people that treat you horribly. Instead of being miserable throughout the day because of one bad interaction, Starbucks taught me ways to be genuinely happy during work. It changed my outlook on handling interpersonal relations at jobs going forward. The protocol was simple β genuinely take an interest.
Make a game of remembering their drink orders or ask how their day is going. After all, what is the point of seeing a person every day and not knowing a thing about them? Some people talked more than others. But regardless, when one regular customer β an old man that always used to stick around to talk to me about when he was young and traveled the world β brought me a chocolate cake when I graduated high school, it meant something. I formed a real connection with my customers β making both of us feel good.
