Starbucks: the student-worker experience

KYLEE LARY
PHOTOGRAPHER

NAYONIKKA SINGHAAL
STAFF WRITER

11/20/2023

Blending the aroma of freshly brewed coffee with the hustle of a fast-paced environment, the green apron wrapped around one’s waist and the smile on customer’s faces whenever they see that personalized coffee cup, working at Starbucks surely sounds like a dream, right? However, all of this comes crashing down when one hears the stories of employees who work at Starbucks in Alma. 

“This one time I ate a croissant from a pile during my break and my manager told me that I am not allowed to do so, but just a few seconds later she [allowed] another employee, whom I would call ‘privileged,’ to eat a croissant from the same pile right in front of me while she was still on her shift. It’s not about the food, it’s about the action, and that day I felt bad for being hungry,” says a student of color who worked at Starbucks. 

Working at Starbucks at Alma College presents a unique set of challenges, as employees navigate the intersection of campus life and the demands of the popular coffeehouse chain. Between the considerable number of interviews held for the current and ex-employees and managers scheduling shifts that conflict with employees’ academic commitments, the nature of working at Starbucks can be described as nothing but mentally draining. 

The bigger problem arises from the fact that various employees are made to feel excluded and are subject to a sort of mental abuse as shared by an ex-employee at Starbucks. This general aggression can be seen in the form of passive-aggressive comments and actions that reflect impartial behavior toward students belonging to and identifying with certain groups.

“Some people at Starbucks will dead-name the customers while calling out their orders, even after having [been] made aware of the fact. I know some coworkers have been misgendered and some confidential information about some coworkers [has] been shared to other coworkers that is only supposed to be known by the managers” says a student who works at Starbucks. 

While these experiences shared by some employees illustrate the unpleasant working conditions and how that could drain the mental health and well-being of the employees, there are some who feel differently about their experience. 

“All my friends are there; I get to make drinks and talk to people and be all nice. It’s fun and not pretty difficult” says an Alma student employed at Starbucks. So, the debate over the pros and cons of working at Starbucks at Alma College highlights the nuanced dynamics of student employment in such a setting.

The mixed experiences of employees can be often challenging to analyze whether working at Starbucks is the right choice, but the common concern about the toxic work environment in lieu of managerial efforts cannot be ignored. 

“The yelling, the shouting [and] the way they gave very impolite orders…[makes] you feel like you’re a servant and that is not how you’re supposed to feel in a work environment,” says another student-worker.

“I have worked as a Barista back home for years… I am not a barista anymore, but the most joyful part of my day is when I wake up and make my coffee on the stove, so for me, to be from that excited to hating working there, and to a point where I even started hating the brand Starbucks” says a student who worked at Starbucks in Alma.