Working in the service industry isn’t for everyone — just ask TikTok user @0utspoken.
She’s a former Starbucks employee who tearfully broke down during a shift over being so overwhelmed.
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She was served a Venti-size cup of stress in the form of inadequate training, working the busiest shift as a new employee, and understaffing.
Her video detailing this has since gone viral .
Starbucks has been criticized for poor working conditions over the years.
Baristas have shared how they are overworked, overstaffed, and underpaid.
One worker described it as a “cult that pays $9 an hour” to Business Insider . “Every single thing you experience that makes you love the company is designed to manipulate you into doing so.”
Another employee shared that Starbucks demand they do several tasks at once.
This leaves no room for connecting with customers — another requirement of the job.
“When I’m making drinks, I barely make eye contact with customers when handing off drinks; I’m just calling names out.”
While it’s one thing to hear about this stress — it’s another to see it.
This was recently displayed by TikToker @0utspoken, who goes by Sarah on the platform.
She’s a former Starbucks employee who went viral for breaking down during a shift over the stress of the job.
In the now-deleted video shared on June 11, she tearfully explained that she, a brand-new employee, was put on the busiest shift.
In addition to this, the drive-thru was broken and they were incredibly short-staffed.
She probably would’ve been okay had she received adequate training, but she didn’t.
“I’m a [expletive] failure; I hate this job,” Sarah said, adding that she’s on the verge of quitting three weeks into her new job.
If it wasn’t clear already, she also shared that her anxiety was at a peak.
“I’m at like a 15,” Sarah said. “I can’t do this. I am so done, and I have been here for two-and-a-half [expletive] hours.”
Since posting, her video gained almost a million views and over 100,000 likes.
She also received various words of support, including from Starbucks employees.
“I hate when that happens. When they say they will train you most places do [expletive] training]. Sorry you’re going through this. Stay strong,” one wrote.
Some were less supportive, with some asking what she expected from a job like Starbucks.
In a follow-up video, Sarah shared that her Starbucks job was her first fast-food job in nearly a decade.
She seemed more optimistic about the job after explaining that her manager apologized for the inadequate training.
Sadly, things soon fell apart once again. In another video, she shared that one of her co-workers “tattled” on her about the viral video.
She was forced to temporarily take it down, which “smoothed out” things for a while until the next stressful incident.
This came in the form of her getting fired from Starbucks.
Two weeks after “standing up” to a co-worker who was allegedly “harassing and bullying” her, Sarah explained that she was fired on July 4.
In the same video, she looked back at her time with the company.
She said that in her short time there, “mornings were ALWAYS short staffed and the morning were ALWAYS crazy busy.”
Former and current Starbucks employees in the comments could sympathize with Sarah.
“That’s Starbucks for you,” one wrote. “Its a horrible place to work,” another added.
Others commented that it’s becoming more common for people to walk away from service industry jobs due to poor working conditions.
As of right now, Sarah’s employment status is up in the air. We’ll have to wait where she ends up next — and if she posts about it.
Have you worked a stressful service job? If so, share your story in the comments!
