A barista in a viral TikTok video tries to convince other coffee shop workers to leave Starbucks in favor of working at a local coffee shop. Commenters say the switch isn’t worth it.
In the clip, B.H. (@notberrrynice) says that Starbucks baristas should quit working at the chain in favor of a small coffee shop.
She claims the tips are “WAY better,” customers are nicer and the coffee taste is an improvement from Starbucks.
“Yeah there’s no free Spotify but at least I never have to make another caramel Frappucino again,” she says.
Throughout the video, B.H. is seen dancing a bit and being silly around a co-worker who is focused on making a beverage.
The video has more than 600,000 views and hundreds of comments.
@notberrrynice With extra extra caramel pls #barista #baristalife ♬ I Think I Like When It Rains – WILLIS
Many commenters were current and former Starbucks employees who said the company’s pay and benefits made staying worth it for them.
“SB pays good and has a lot of benefits besides Spotify so imma stick to that…,” said the viewer with the most popular comment.
“They got insurance??? I’m not working at sbux for fun like if I didn’t need to I wouldn’t,” another person said.
Starbucks offers several benefits, including health insurance, paid parental leave, family expansion reimbursement assistance, and fully covered tuition for first-time collegegoers to earn a Bachelor’s degree through Arizona State University’s online program.
“I don’t wanna quit cause they’re paying for my degree,” one commenter expressed.
However, employees must meet certain criteria, which include hours worked, in order to qualify for benefits. Even those that want to work more hours to qualify sometimes aren’t scheduled to work enough to meet the eligibility criteria.
“The benefits are great on paper, but often don’t exist in reality due to inconsistent scheduling,” said Starbucks worker Jasmine Leli in a Fortune op-ed.
Other commenters said it’s hard to get a job at a small coffee shop because most of their employees have been there a long time and openings are infrequent.
Those who were able to make the switch reported polar experiences.
“I did this. i make more as a barista at a small coffee shop than as a supervisor at Starbucks,” one commenter wrote.
“I make over $60 in tips every day working at a local coffee shop,” another said.
“I worked at a small coffee shop and it was HELL 😭 so no thanks,” a commenter added.
The Daily Dot reached out to B.H. via Instagram direct message.
