Lessons I learned working at Starbucks
Starbuck is known as the 'third place'. It is a business that wants you to come inside and stay a while. At least that was the strategy at the time I was working there. They are creating more and more stores that 'To Go' stores, where you just pick up your coffee and leave.
It was a tough job. I had to wake up at 3:30 to be ready to open the store at 4:30. There were times when there were a line of cars down the highway and there were only 2 employees working. One barista and one cashier.
It paid less than $10/hr. plus tips.
Starbucks has done something that few other brands have done, they created their own culture. People around the world love it and have adopted it.
It was a tough job. I had to wake up at 3:30 to be ready to open the store at 4:30. There were times when there were a line of cars down the highway and there were only 2 employees working. One barista and one cashier.
It paid less than $10/hr. plus tips.
Starbucks has done something that few other brands have done, they created their own culture. People around the world love it and have adopted it.
1. Anything can be 'Premium'.
Their drinks are expensive. Their food is expensive. Their stores are beautiful. But Starbucks is also a fast food restaurant.
Starbucks is luxury brand. And because of that brand they can charge higher prices. You can get a cheap cup of drip coffee. But if you want espresso or food or a cold beverage you are going to have to pay up for it.
And people are happy to do.
2. Barista Repeatable Routine
Drinks are no different than building a car. There are inputs, there is an assembly line and then there is the presentation.
What other things in your life can you create a repeatable routine for?
3. There are a lot more types of coffee than you realize
Coffee is only grown in a few places around the world. But those places matter. Each location tastes a little bit different. Ethiopia. Indonesia. Guatemala.
Starbucks has mastered the art of the Blend. This is how they roast the beans. Blonde. Pike. Dark. Winter. Summer.
You could easily travel the world tasting different types of coffee.
4. Always be multitasking
Things you need to accomplish:
- Take orders and cash
- Mak drinks
- Get food
- Heat up food in the oven
- Clean tables
- Mop floors
- Stock shelves
At any one time you will be asked to switch between roles.
You need to be able to learn tasks quickly, handle high pressure, provide friendly customer service and create high quality beverages.
5. A person has the ability to create the world that they want to live in
Just like London, Paris and NYC all have their own vibe.
As business Starbucks has carved out their own culture of style, ambiance and quality.
Just as a business can do that, so can us as individuals. How we look, our clothes, our job, our house.
Try and make the world around you match what you see in your head.
6. If you give someone the smallest amount of power they can abuse that power
I do not even remember his name. But I remember the way he made me feel. Sad, angry and mad we have a broken work system that keeps people from advancing.
At the time, 33 hours was considered full time employment. 40 hours was the max you were supposed to work. I was paid hourly. 33 hours was just enough to pay for my rent, food, gas and internet bill. But I wanted to make more money.
So I figured out that if you were under the 40 hours, you could call other stores and pick up shifts if they had openings or needed people. So I started doing that as much as possible.
But I then one day I made the ultimate sin of going above 40 hours for the week. This triggered payment of time and half. So about $12/hr. Unacceptable.
That was when my boss started yelling at me. If you are an hourly employee, it is better to have multiple part time jobs than one full time. You have more negotiating power.
More than anything the lessons are these: People can and do abuse any level of power they have. And people remember they way that you treat them so try and treat everyone well, even if they have done wrong.
7. It is better to Choose Yourself
During my time as an employee I learned a lot of different skills. The business provides a lot of benefits. Tuition, stock participation.
But you are still an employee. Have limited say in your future. And do not have ownership.
It is better to Choose Yourself. Try and create different forms of passive income that come to you. Do something that you love. Try and create the world that you see in your mind a reality.
8. Good customer service, creates repeat customers
When I worked in the evenings an eastern European family, maybe Russian, would come in and order a warm box of apple juice and a dry Cappuccino. I would often have to remade the Cappuccino to meet the gentlemen's needs. But they appreciated it. And they would keep coming back because I knew exactly what they wanted.
Learn people's name and order and you can serve them quickly, successfully and repeatedly.
9. Sometimes milk happens...
Milk is the dirtiest part of Starbucks. It gets everywhere and dries quickly. Employees have to constantly clean their area to make sure it stay sanitary.
One day I was making drinks holding a large plastic cup of milk and it squeeze it too hard crushing the drink. Milk went everywhere. I had to remake the drink and there were a line of people waiting. I had to stay calm and work through the problem. But inside I wanted to scream.
10. You do not have to like the people you work with
He was older with jet black hair. He looked like he would be in a punk rock band.
We never got along, but we worked together just fine. Some people you just do not click with.
11. Make progress everyday
Keep your eyes and ears open and keep trying to be helpful.
Try and make 1% progress each day. - James A principle
12. Business creates a lot of waste
The operations of business creates a lot of waste.
At Starbucks, the barista is supposed to brew new coffee every 10 minutes in the morning hours. Sometimes people would not even order drip coffee. All those beans went into the trash.
People would not order some of the food, and because of the expiration date that would go into the trash.
Customers would come in from outside just to throw stuff in the Starbucks trash.
There was a lot of unnecessary waste. But I suppose that is just the price of doing business.
13. You will know when it is time to move on
Find something that you are interested in doing, even if you are not good at it.
14. Technology trumps the customer in front of you
It was a difficult transition for employees. Customers could order in the store, through the drive-thru or through the app. No one was quite certain which order the customers should be prioritized.
It quickly became clear that the app was the most important. Those customers first, then drive-thru, then in-store. May not be right, but that is how it was.
The app is the future of the business, tech get priority.
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