Attn: Starbucks employees

I've worked at starbucks for about 2 months and so far it's not that bad.

The work isn't bad, a lot depends on your manager though, and you're going to have to be ready to multi-task like a madman.

They treat you fantastically though with the benifits. The free pound of coffee for a week and the 30% discount is real nice. The work is corporate, but they encourage you to talk with the customers and make it fun for yourself, so that helps a lot.

And as for the interview. It's a basic psychology test. Or at least mine was. Be prepared to talk situations where you had to deal with stress/working with others/confrontations with people when they go bad. They're going to ask you what attracted you to starbucks, and basically if you can mention things that you're interested in starbucks that works out well.

kinda OT

Dear Starbucks employees,

I love you. I kiss the ground you walk on. But could you please blend my frappccinos a little bit more so I don't have to battle ice chunks?

Lots o' love,
Feb

/OT

Well, if you needed it to live, the heart transplant would probably be free. However, prescription drugs are certainly not free. I also wear glasses and need some work done on my teeth, and those ain't free either. Anyway, I have no idea what the Canadian benefits package looks like... hopefully I'll find out tomorrow.

Minimum wage here is $6.10 or $6.20. That works out to less than $5 in American money.

I have an old pair of Doc Martins I was gonna wear. I'll probably need to get some of those jelly-type insoles for them though, since they're so old. Oh, and as far as the free drinks go, I'm probalby gonna try to stick to decaf. I usually get really nautious if I drink more than one cup of regular coffee. Thanks you guys.

Im paid 8 bucks an hour to work at my starbucks (42nd and 8th, times square NYC)

I love it. time flies. I have full health benefits and plus my money in starbucks stock... since its doing awsome... is real kick ass!

no horror stories. just lots o good times

I actually overlooked that you were in Canada....so the general health benefits probably wouldn't be as big a selling point for you.

Currently the Federal minimum wage in the U.S. is $5.15 per hour according to the Dept of Labor Website. That's $6.70 Canadian

If your minimum wage is $6.20...that translates into $4.75 U.S.

That's a difference of 40 cents an hour. Translated into a 40 hour work week.....that's $16.00 US ($20.86 Canadian) less per week you're making in Canada. $20 is nothing to sneeze at...but it's not a world of difference.

Based on this, I'd have to say that, on the average, you're making out better in Canada.

You know what DOES suck though? At minumim wage, if you work 40 hours it adds up to $206 per week. That's $10,712 per year. That's BEFORE taxes!!

I do, however, wish you the best of luck at your job.

In the UK minimum wage is:
Main (adult) rate for workers aged 22 and over
£4.85 per hour from 1 October 2004

Development rate for workers aged 18-21 inclusive
£4.10 per hour from 1 October 2004

A new rate for 16 and 17 year olds
The Government has accepted the Low Pay Commission's recommendations for a new rate for 16 and 17 year olds (above compulsory school leaving age).
£3.00 per hour from 1 October 2004

4.85 gbp = 8.79957 USD = 11.4963 CAD
4.10 gbp = 7.43867 USD = 9.71916 CAD

you guys are so punk rock

No, health benefits are still a huge selling point. The Canadian medicare system covers only very basic stuff. So since I don't have any insurance right now, if I got diagnosed with cancer or something, I'd be fucked. The government would probably pay for my hospital visits and most basic treatments, but if I needed any prescription drugs or anything, I'd have to pay for those on my own. There's talk of bringing in a national prescription drug plan, but even though the provinces are pushing for it the feds are still saying it's too expensive. < /rant >

also O/T

Dear Starbucks employees:

Please blend my Frappacinos LESS. I hate when they get all melty too soon.

Thanks

Kayla

I've never seen you before...so I don't know if you're joking or being serious. So, I'll offer two retorts.

If you're joking: ha-ha, I get the joke.

If you're not joking: It's called adult life when you have to put aside some of your principles and take jobs you really don't want...but have to take. Unless you're extremely lucky or independently wealthy...you can't live in the tour van and eating dumpster finds forever, my Uber-Punk friend.

Starbucks is one of the few consistent retail operations left in the country.....where you go in...people are polite and I'm sorry (I'll be plastered I'm sure here) speak clear english...so that you're in and out in no time and when they screw up....which everyone understandably does...they hand you a free drink coupon.....

I love their customer service and don't mind spending the extra $ ....(and I live in Boston...the home of Dunkin' Donuts where I swear to god they must train everyone at the counter to ask " what else?"..."what else?"...

not do you want anything else...but "what else?"...as if they are going to exercise a teetering compulsion to eat one of their crappy donuts (or donut cookies...donut muffins...everything there tastes like a donut...they just mold the same stuff into different shapes)....and I can never understand them.....except for the "what else?".....

and don't blast me...my two best friends growing up were Puerto Rican and black as black gets and I'm a white male.........I'm not the least bit racist but is it too much to ask for a retail clerk I can understand.....? I don't think so....god bless Starbucks...(or as we say in Beantown....Stahhhbucks)....good luck, seems like a fine company to me........and it's one of the sure signs that a neighborhood is a good place to buy a house...they do a ton of market research and add value to everyplace they open.....

people who are ballsy enough to move to a foreign country and learn a new language impress me more than some xenophobe whining about not having any patience.

I'm English, and I have a hard time getting some Americans to understand me when I ask for a glass of water.

EDIT: Ignore this next bit, I thought I was in CE.
---

[Edited on Aug 24, 2004 by demetrius_z]

*bump*

Well, I had the interview this morning and I think it went really well. The manager was really nice, and it wasn't one of those terrifying corporate interviews where they ask things like "Tell me about a time when you displayed leadership skills" and "What are some things about yourself you would like to change or improve?" Mainly all she asked about was what I liked and didn't like about my past jobs. Anyway, she's supposed to let me know by tomorrow if I got the job or not. Oh, and she was mad cute, too.

Be prepared for Starbucks Rumor Mill. What happens at one store will be heard about at another store by the end of the week if not day. I worked for three years at *$. They're a decent company i suppose though i did have my problems with them. Sinse you're in Canada, you don't really need the health care i imagine, but it's nice that it's offered. Also take advantage of things like the Stock Investment Plan (SIP) and Bean Stock which is an annual grant of stock to the employees but considering this is after April 2 of this year, you won't qualify to recieve the Bean stock until Spring of 2006 which will then take four years to vest.

The job itself isn't too bad if you don't mind bending over backwards for people who have too much money to burn and making endless fraps for giggling highschool girls. Watch out for carpel tunnel syndrome if they're using the older, non automatic espresso machines (though they do make the better drinks). Also go to work in clothes you don't care about as they'll end up smelling irreversibly like coffee after a while. Additionally, take a shower immediately after work and smell the majesty of the days accumulated coffee wash off your body and evaporate into the misty shower.

Dating between co-workers is strictly prohibited (they'll force you to change store locations) . Standards are key with homogenization on a massive scale where ever store must be perfect and every drink made to standard. The biggest thing they're about though is customer service. You've heard the saying the customer is always right, correct? Well they take that to the next level at the 'Bucks.

Granted a lot of this is my personal experience in a relatively small market where things can be controlled more easily, but i hope this helps out a bit. Good luck with the interview.

The next closest store to the one I interviewed for is in another city 2 hours from here, so this isn't really an issue.

I have a long-term SO, so this won't be an issue either.

Thanks.

I wore Doc's every day at Starbucks for three years and they were no worse for wear--and i'm not lightweight. And to spruce 'em up a bit, get and use the Doc's beeswax buffing stuff and they'll look virtually new in minutes.

Speak to India

Without consideration of variables like cost of living etc, these are apples-and-oranges comparisons.