I worked at Starbucks for a period of about 5 months during my freshman year of college. I put up with being paid a measly 7 dollars an hour plus meager tips because I was a broke college student hoping for the benefits and positive working environment Starbucks claimed to have. I'm also a vegan and very environmentally conscious- since Starbucks projects an image of being environmentally aware, I thought that their business practices would be in accord- but they weren't. At least a dozen bags of trash were thrown out daily. Forty or more plastic (fully recylable) milk jugs were tossed in the dumpster. Milk full of hormones and RBST was used, the drinks were all incredibly unhealthy. I went home daily soaked in a blanket of curdled steamed milk. My work clothes did not smell like coffee grinds, they smelled like dog ****. You would think that working serving coffee you would smell like coffee- but no, I smelled like death after an 8 hour shift. It was disgusting.
I quit on New Years Eve. I had taken a hostessing job at a nice restaurant on the side to make extra money and was planning on working that until midnight (I had told all my coworkers and managers that I needed new year's day off because there was no way I could work on new year's day after working until 1 AM. The manager scheduled me to open, viciously, even though I told her I couldn't work it. We opened at 5 AM, which meant I had to be there at 4AM, only 3 hours after my hostessing job (which I was already tied into and could not drop) ended. So I attempted to do both, but fell asleep in the parking lot.. and was still fired for it. Not only did I have the store manager call and yell at me and leave numerous messages about how I'm irresponsible and a bad person, but the GM and DM called me continuously the whole day.
After that, I decided that I would never again work in customer service or the restaurant business, and left the corporate pigs to become an independent contractor- where I make my own schedule, wear what I want, go when I want, leave when I want, make how ever much money I'm motivated to, get a great workout, get to talk to people and make a killing while doing it- and I'm a stripper.
Instead of working my **** off for money, I show it for money.. and I've never been happier. Not to say I don't work my **** off while showing it, trust me , I do, but this job definitely beats starbucks. I've got my entire tuition paid, savings most girls my age envy, and I actually have time to live my life.
I just think it's an ironic little story to tell. The job I had before starbucks was working in a daycare. The job I have now is dancing naked-- and I will never go back to being on payroll.