Burnout can happen to the best of us, but for on TikToker, the breaking point was Starbucks‘ Caramel Ribbon Crunch.
TikToker Anna Faber (@annalovescoffee), who previously worked as a Starbucks barista, admitted in a recent video that she knew it was time to quit her job when the idea of making certain drinks would fill her with an unusual rage.
“I knew it was my sign to quit working at Starbucks when people would order the frappuccinos and it would make me so mad,” she explained. “If you worked at Starbucks you’d know that making the Mocha Cookie Crumble and the Caramel Ribbon Crunch is like, so annoying. There’s so much whipped cream and toppings. And like, I would get so angry. I would be so annoyed that people would order it.”
But when it came to addressing her anger, Faber approached it as a moment of self-reflection.
“I was like, ‘This is probably showing me that I’m very burnt out and I just, like, hate making these drinks at this point,’” she said. “No one should be getting that angry over making a frappuccino.”
Faber didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email. Since sharing her story on Sept. 27, her video has amassed more than 350,000 views, with several former and current Starbucks workers agreeing with Anna’s sentiments.
”I get so angry when people simply walk into the store, that’s how burnt out I am,” user Rae (@nanarae22) said.
“My blood pressure would rise 10% with every cold foam drink, and I had to quit before I exploded,” E.J. (@zc.em), another former barista, shared.
Along with showing solidarity, commenters also praised Anna for knowing her limits and not allowing the situation to snowball.
With TikTok seeing the rise in complicated, off-menu, ‘viral’ Starbucks drinks, baristas are getting tired when asked to make the complicated concoctions. A number of baristas have even taken to the app to share insights about their job and vent their frustrations over customers’ more unusual beverage choices — like the Starbucks customer who went viral for requesting 1280mg of caffeine in their drink.
But baristas’ seemingly-widespread distaste for complicated drinks orders has also sparked debate on the app, with one customer admitting in a viral TikTok that they felt too “terrified” to order more complicated drinks in case they get called out.