let me just say, i was a starbucks barista for 4 years. i really pushed myself too, i wanted to get promoted. i came home after being awake since 3am and just slept away the rest of the day because i was so unbelievably tired. being on your feet, running around, dealing with karens, having to clean every inch of the store of the store frequently, having a drive thru line down to the end of the street and having to have someones order out in less than a minute all while being understaffed is harder than you think. ive seen people quit after a week from being miserable.
but today i saw some asshole on the internet say “if you want more money than dont be a barista” as if this doesnt completely disregard the fact that people still need to do that job and survive. not everyone has the resources and money to build skills to get themselves a better job, but regardless that position still needs to be filled and those people still need to live. not to mention that kevin johnson cut baristas hours and doesnt pay them adequately, meanwhile he got a 40% compensation increase. baristas are responsible for RECORD BREAKING profits during the pandemic and have gotten absolutely nothing to show for it.
pay us a living wage. you can afford it. no one in the world needs to be that wealthy where you cant even pay your employees properly.