Do Not Ever Say These Things To A Starbucks Barista (According To A Starbucks Barista)

When we need our coffee, we need our coffee. It’s like a flip switches and our brains turn to mush until we get our caffeine fix, Lorelai Gilmore style. But still, no matter how badly we need coffee, when you go to Starbucks, it’s still important to treat your baristas with respect. They’re the ones who supply us with the coffee, after all. But it turns out, there are still some people who haven’t learned. A frustrated Starbucks barista recently took to reddit to air some grievances about common Starbucks customers they encounter.

Reading this list, we sort of can’t believe that some of these things need to be said; a lot of them go without saying, or so we thought. How is it NOT common courtesy to pause your phone conversation to place your Starbucks order? Or to treat baristas with respect? But alas, if a Starbucks barista felt the need to address certain things in a Reddit post, it’s probably because they actually *do* happen quite often IRL.

Even though some of these are (theoretically) no-brainers, there are a few faux pas on this list that we’re definitely guilty of.

Since we don’t want to be THAT person at Starbucks, here are some things you should never say to your barista, according to a barista.

Please do not attempt to order with a line forming behind you if you are not ready.

If you’re venturing beyond your usual order, that’s great! Just be sure you know what you’re getting before you step in line.

Please do not continue your phone conversation while you are ordering.

Based on quite a few things on this list, it seems like Starbucks customers need to pay more attention to what’s in front of them and less attention to what’s on their phones. Just put down the phone for like, three minutes. It’ll be okay.

Please do not throw your money at me or on the counter.

Can you imagine throwing money at ANY service industry worker or on ANY counter?! And yet, it happens, apparently.

Please do not ask if your mobile order is ready .2 seconds after you’ve placed it.

This seems like a no-duh, but we guess it happens quite a bit.

Please do not shout “HELLO?” within the same second of pulling up to the drive thru speaker.

Okay, we’ve done this. And we sincerely apologize.

Please do not ask “is this mine?” when I have literally just called out “Venti half caf soy caramel macchiato for Steve” when you ordered a tall vanilla bean Frappuccino, Jessica.

We’ve for sure done this too. Oops. Hey, we’re just trying not to steal somebody else’s drink. But we get why it’s annoying.

Please do not stand one inch away from the hand off while peering through the bar glass to watch me make your drink. In fact, if the area and cafe are clear, please feel free to have a seat. I will call your drink out as soon as it’s ready and make sure you receive it.

Note taken.

Please don’t yell at a barista who is a little slower on register or one that doesn’t already know exactly how you like your drink. They might be new or working at a different part of the day than usual.

Again, we can’t imagine yelling at a barista. But alas, apparently it happens.

Please don’t ask “is my drink ready yet?” “how long will it take for my drink to be done?” “I’ve been waiting for my drink for 10 minutes” “I’m going to be late for work” when you just ordered 3 minutes ago and there’s 2 partners on the floor that are scrambling around between cafe, bar, and drive thru. (*Especially don’t say these things if you saw there was a line in front of you, continued to wait in said line, and proceed to be angry that there are drinks ahead of yours and you have to wait.)

A lot of fellow Starbucks baristas chimed in on reddit about this point, agreeing that ordering coffee when you’re running late makes no sense because you can’t control or predict how busy Starbucks will be. Furthermore, arriving to work or class or a meeting late with Starbucks in hand is not a good look either. Just don’t do it.

Please don’t shove your drink in my face insisting “this wasn’t made right!”. I’ll be happy to remake any drink to your liking as long as you show me the same respect.

A little bit of politeness goes a long way.

Please don’t yell at the baristas because we are out of the ingredients for your favorite drink or product. It’s not their fault and they have no control over it. Most times, even the store manager doesn’t. There are a million variables to that problem, but trust us, it’s just as frustrating to deal with for us too. We are always happy to suggest similar items for you!

This is a great reminder that some of the things that might bug you about your Starbucks experience are completely out of the employees’ control.

Please remember that we are human beings and not robots.

This is the bottom line. And sadly, it sounds like not everybody remembers it all the time.

We’ve got a good thing going, let’s keep each other happy and make it even better. Sincerely, (probably) every barista, ever.

The next time you go to Starbucks, remember that a little bit of awareness goes a LONG way. And above all else, just be respectful.