The coffee grinder, whirring and grinding, spitting out aromatic coffee grounds to be later turned into piping hot coffee. The steam wand, screeching and bubbling the milk to frothy perfection. The cash drawer pinging open as the barista completes another transaction, adding a smile to their customer’s face. The loud chatter of friends laughing and catching up, of a business meeting taking place in the corner. These are the sounds of my job. These are the sounds of Starbucks.
I started working at Starbucks when I was 18, I had just started college and I needed a job quickly so that I could start helping my parents pay for me to go to college. I applied to a bunch of places around the downtown area and none were hiring, so it felt like the luckiest day ever when one of my new friends told me she worked at Starbucks and that she could get me in touch with her boss. Two weeks later I was an official barista and the rest is history.
My job is so much more than steaming milk and pouring coffee; it’s about turning the scowl that the businessman is wearing into a smile that goes all the way to his eyes. It’s about making a person’s day when I tell them the drink is on me; it’s about being the person who genuinely wants to know how their day is going.
People often ask me if I like being a barista, and I tell them honestly, it has its ups and downs. When rude customers come in and demand things and treat you like you’re not a human, it’s hard to stay positive about things. But when someone comes in and makes you laugh, or when you get to work an entire shift with one of your favorite coworkers, it makes the job a little easier. The people who work at Starbucks have truly become my family. They are the people who I enjoy spending my days off with, the people who I go to any time I need something, they are the people who know me best. But I mean, when you spend 7 hours around a person several times a week, how can you not get to know them?
When there has been a line out the door for four hours and everything has been crazy. When there is a puddle of milk on the floor that has been there for an hour because no one has had a second to clean it up. When two baristas look at each other and shake their heads with a smile on their face because they haven’t had a second to breathe, that’s my favorite time of the time. I love it when everyone is working as hard as they can as one unit. Everyone knows what they need to be doing, and we do it well. Every time we hire something new, I’m so excited for them to start so that they can experience the craziness and wonderfulness that comes with being a Starbucks barista.
