A Starbucks barista recently gained widespread attention after sharing a heartfelt video expressing their struggles with the pressures of their job.
In the video, the barista, who is also balancing life as a student, voiced their frustration over managing a 25-hour workweek, including demanding 8-hour weekend shifts.
The clip, which surfaced on X (formerly Twitter) via far-right Trump supporter Sebastian Gorka, shed light on the barista’s challenges with scheduling and staffing concerns.
Trans Barrister has meltdown because 8 hours is too long to work on a day… pic.twitter.com/IfVSzZ4G0w
— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) October 30, 2022
“I’m a full-time student, and I’m scheduled to work 25 hours a week,” the barista explained in the viral clip. “On weekends, I’m assigned full-day shifts, open to close, which are eight-and-a-half hours long on both Saturday and Sunday.”
The barista went on to share their frustrations about being three and a half hours into one of these shifts, facing a rush of customers with just four people on the floor all day. “Only five people were scheduled, and one person called out,” they said, emphasizing the strain of understaffing.
Criticizing management, the barista claimed supervisors show little care for employees, refusing to provide help when needed. They recounted how one manager even removed themselves from the shift, avoiding their responsibilities entirely.
As a trans individual, the barista also opened up about facing misgendering from customers and lacking workplace accommodations for being neurodivergent. “People get upset at me for taking too much sick time. I don’t even know what to do anymore. I’m at my wits’ end with this job,” they concluded.
The clip sparked a wave of sympathy online, particularly from those familiar with the challenges of balancing school and work. One commenter highlighted the grueling schedule many students face: “A full-time college student is expected to do 2-3 hours of homework per class hour. If they’re in class 15 hours a week, have 30 hours of homework, and work 25 hours, that’s a 70-hour week. Wow, you’re so brave for bullying a young service worker [sic].”
Trans Barrister has meltdown because 8 hours is too long to work on a day… pic.twitter.com/IfVSzZ4G0w
— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) October 30, 2022
“[They’re] upset about being understaffed, working back-to-back weekend shifts, and dealing with a manager who avoids responsibility and refuses to help on the floor. Unfortunately, this is a common practice in coffee shops, and one could argue it borders on exploitation,” noted one Twitter user.
Another commenter took aim at those dismissing the barista’s concerns, pointing out the toxic work environments pervasive in many industries. “People in the comments are defending bad work environments and abuse just because they were abused too. That’s not the flex you think it is,” they wrote.
Criticism was also leveled at older generations who often minimize the struggles of younger workers. “This is why younger generations can’t stand the older ones. Y’all claim you want a better future for us, but the moment we demand change, you complain that we didn’t have it as hard as you did,” another commenter added.
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