Starbucks Barista Claims Key Position Will Be Phased Out

A TikToker who logs her job as a Starbucks barista on her account claims that the company is eliminating her customer service position, to the surprise and alarm of colleagues.

The video comes from YouTuber Megan Palluccio, who posted it to her @cozybarista account on Tuesday. It has generated more than 436,000 views.

It’s a simple 10-second video in which the creator looks thoughtful in her Starbucks apron as she unwraps and eats a baked good. The on-screen caption tells the story and reads, “You’re getting rid of the cs [Customer Support] Position; it’s one of my favorite things to do,” with a sinister emoji to underscore the message.

@cozybarista WHY #starbucks #barista #starbucksdrinks #starbucksrecipes #starbucksbarista #starbuckschallenge #starbuckscup #starbuckssecretmenu #starbuckscups #starbucksbaristarecipes ♬ Beautiful Moments – Music Relaksasi ID

The accompanying caption is just a simple “WHY” in all caps, before inserting a series of Starbucks-related hashtags.

The conversation in the comments section reveals two things for the uninitiated: First, the barista customer support position works like a barback for a bartender, providing support for baristas who are focused on making drinks and guiding customers through the line. And second, baristas will miss the help of customer support if Palluccio is actually conveying company policy correctly.

“Girl where did you find this,” asked one commenter.

“My manager told me,” Palluccio said, prompting another commenter to express ignorance of the new policy and one to accuse Palluccio of lying.

“Without a customer support position, we’re going to fall apart,” lamented another, and someone chimed in on this thread to detail the responsibilities of this role – “prep, fill, and ground when needed.” Another remarked, “That sounds like such an important position,” and several echoed that statement.

Another user remarked, “I remember being told in training that cs is the ‘heartbeat’ of the store.”

“I hated CS at first,” added a commenter familiar with Starbucks, “but now I really enjoy doing it because at least it gives me a break from all the madness in the bar.”

The video follows an earlier video reported by the Daily Dot on Feb. 2, in which a TikToker claimed Starbucks was cutting employee hours in unprecedented ways.

“Typically, during the off-season, which is around this time of year, our hours are reduced by maybe five hours, at most eight hours. And it will take about a month,” Mateo Alejandro Diaz said on TikTok. “I’ve got people like newer baristas going, ‘Oh, is that normal? Is that normal?’ I want you all to know that this is not normal. Not normal. Don’t let them say, ‘Oh, that’s because of a slow season.’”

While it’s unclear if this is a company-wide policy or just extends to TikToker’s sphere, the video sheds new light on the importance of the CS role.

As one commenter offered, “My life needs a CS.”

The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via comment, and Starbucks has emailed a media representative.

We crawl the web so you don’t have to.

Sign up for the Daily Dot newsletter to get the best and worst of the web delivered to your inbox every day.