If you’re looking for a job, you might have thought about applying to a Starbucks store, especially if you’re looking for part-time work or flexible hours. You know that many consider Starbucks to be a good employer with excellent benefits.
But you might still be wondering what working at Starbucks is actually like. Well, look no further for the answers you need! I researched the matter, so here’s everything I discovered!
Working at Starbucks
Working at Starbucks has many benefits, especially for teenagers and college students, since it offers flexible hours, good wages, benefits, free food, and coffee. But like any job in the restaurant industry, the work can be challenging and fast-paced. Overall, it’s an excellent experience, introducing you to the world of coffee and corporate employment.
You might have more questions about the work, wages, benefits, perks, customers, teammates, supervisors, and much more at Starbucks, so keep reading to find out!
What’s It Like Working at Starbucks?
There are many benefits of working at Starbucks, especially for teenagers, college students, and others who need part-time work or a flexible schedule.
While there are always some bad experiences, most people who have worked at Starbucks found that they loved it, though the work was hard.
Also, they found that they learned a lot of different skills besides coffee-making.
That said, Starbucks is a little different from working in a local restaurant because it’s a global company.
Essentially, this means Starbucks also introduces you to the corporate culture, which is helpful for your future career, whether at Starbucks or elsewhere.
How Much Does Working at Starbucks Pay?
Starbucks pays hourly wages well above the minimum wage and aims to pay all its hourly employees a minimum of $15/hour in the coming years.
Also, Starbucks recently announced a significant new wage increase for all employees.
At present, about a third of all Starbucks employees are paid at least $15/hour.
So, for a full-time position with 40 hours per week, that would come to $28,800 per year for an entry-level job.
Moreover, a slightly lower wage of $13/hour would work out to an annual starting salary of $27,030.
What Are the Benefits Of Working at Starbucks?
Starbucks pays good wages and has good benefits, even for part-time workers. In a busy store, employees can receive good tips as well.
With that, benefits include health care coverage for all part-time and full-time employees who have worked longer than three months at Starbucks.
Additionally, Starbucks also offers the following benefits to employees:
- Free college tuition
- Paid sick leave
- Parental leave
- Emergency financial assistance
You may have heard that Starbucks employees are called partners, and there’s a good reason for it.
For example, as part of their benefits package, they participate in the Starbucks equity reward program and buy discounted stocks.
Essentially, this means that Starbucks employees are also stockholders in the company, and they have a personal stake in its success.
In addition, employees get perks like free drinks and food during their shifts, a free bag of tea or coffee to take home every week, in-store discounts, discounts at affiliated retailers, and more!
These are important, but the intangible benefits are what people remember best about working at Starbucks.
For example, the intangible benefit includes friendship and teamwork among colleagues and supervisors who become like family.
Besides a positive work environment, working at Starbucks also teaches you about being part of a company with a strong corporate culture and social and environmental responsibility.
Finally, because Starbucks offers professional training and promotes internally, a job at Starbucks can be the beginning of a career instead of a dead end.
Is Working at Starbucks Hard?
Yes, there’s no doubt about it; working at Starbucks is hard. Like any other job in the restaurant industry, you have to be on your feet all the time, whether your shift is four hours or eight.
So, you don’t get much of a chance to sit down. Also, employees only get two ten-minute breaks and half an hour for lunch during an eight-hour shift.
Additionally, you’ll have to learn how to prepare at least 38 different drinks and memorize all the ingredients.
As we all know, there are times when the store will be very busy, with a line of people out the door, all waiting impatiently for their orders.
Also, like any retail and customer service job, you will sometimes get cranky, difficult, or rude customers.
Still, Starbucks’ policy is that you have to deal with them with a smile, which can make it harder.
Luckily, the supervisors are there to bail you out of difficult situations and rescue you from demanding customers.
Moreover, you can get more information about working at Starbucks on job sites like Indeed.com.
With that, people who work at Starbucks or have worked there leave reviews and comments on the site.
The consensus seems to be that, on average, the positive things about working at Starbucks make the experience worthwhile.
What Do You Learn By Working at Starbucks?
You can learn some valuable skills by working at Starbucks to help you in your career and other areas of your life, including:
- Interpersonal skills
- Teamwork
- Working in a corporate environment
- Global corporate responsibility and sustainability
- Efficiency and multitasking
Also, one of the advantages of working for a large company like Starbucks is that you have several resources available to you, with benefits like health care, free college tuition, paid leave, and emergency medical loans.
That said, you learn how to reach out to the Human Resources department for help that’s available.
Further, people who work for small businesses don’t have the opportunity to find out how much help and support they can get from their employers.
If you want to know more, you can also see our posts on Starbucks shift hours, whether Starbucks conducts drug tests, and if Starbucks hires at 14.
