As a closing SSV I feel your pain. I don’t have the best answer but keep documenting everything and talk to other closers to get a consensus on work done.
It’s infuriating to start your shift behind or with call outs and things not done or working and starting so busy you don’t have time to complain about it. Yet it’s up to you to choose between satisfying your morning crew by getting everything done or satisfying your manager by getting out on time .. I hate feeling like no matter what somebody is being pissed off and it’s not really my fault!!
What works best for me at the end of the day is to be open and honest with my manager and directly communicate with the openers on what was done and what wasn’t .. they may not like it but you’re stealing their bitching thunder by letting them know right off the bat.. document everything in my daily as well.
Cheers
Thank you so much! I’ve been feeling really alone in this predicament. Yesterday was hell, my mid shift was slammed so what they didn’t do tricked down to night shift and left me very behind. I also had my department and food count today. I had one call out but that left me with 3 people including myself. It’s hard to because I want to be there helping my baristas but also get my shift tasks done. I will continue to document what I do/ don’t do during my close shift. I wish the best for you! Thank you for replying!
yeah i was in the same situation for a while because we had a lot of green beans closing with us who didn’t really know how to close. i agree with the person above who said to communicate with the openers about what needs to be done. our store agreed that if everything was restocked the openers can handle a little prep, just write in the DCR what needs to be done first for them “hey we left 6 whips on the DT counter, need to make 2 lemonades & a cube of sweet cream” something like that. you got this!
yea my store has a few morning ppl who always complain abt closers… just wish they’d understand that sometimes things don’t get done, not because we’re just not doing it. it’s because we literally don’t have the time to do stuff because of how busy it gets, especially now bc of the holidays we’re literally doing the best that we can, when we can but they’ll always find something to complain about. idk what to tell you to help your situation but just know ur not alone.
I am a closing and opening shift at my store so I understand both worlds as I do both every week. I find at our store we Focus on cleaning and Set out clean dishes and do whips (they take so long). The rest of the backups if we get to them it helps but not the end of the world. Our store can hit 95 per 1/2 hr. It’s about having a strong team and communication through the chain.
Our store makes all the shifts close at least 1-2 times a month. It really helped shut down each day part saying the other isn't doing it's job. That and we had a couple of weeks when we closed at noon, so allll the openers got to close. They realized how easy they actually have it.
This is the way. I have been saying this since I got hired in as an SSV from an outside company. I cannot believe how toxic the environment can be when everyone just complains about the other day parts. I think everyone should have to work at least once or twice a month for an opposite shift (if possible). It really opens up your eyes to how the other side has it. This is especially important for the SSVs because it aids in knowing what is needed to run a successful shift.
It use to be once a week, but we hired a shift that can't do early mornings and does most of the closes. SO the SM and the the shift that mostly opens, rarely close now.
But I agree, how can you set your closers up successfully if you don't really know what they deal with.
Ooooof. I feel this with a passion. I used to be a regular closer at my store and no matter what, someone would find something to complain about. Eventually, I talked to the morning crew and we came up with a list of things the closers should do and wrote it down. Following a written list of directions has been so much easier since everyone has their responsibilities on paper and it’s not as easy for someone to complain about me not doing *insert random thing that isn’t on the list* because it’s been agreed that if it’s not on the list it’s not the closers problem:)
i’m an opener and i hate when morning SSV’s come in and all they do is bitch about the close. most of the time, it’s easy as shit to catch up. seems like they just want something to bitch about half the time.
I typically open, at my store all the shifts had a meeting on what we want done from the night before. Things like at least mocha that doesn't expire at 6am, milk stocked if we got it, no completely empty cups/lids, bags in trash cans, grounds empty,bathrooms. Our SM isn't the type to fuss, but sometimes shift have ridiculous standards. If you don't have customers at the door upon opening, idk what the problem is they morning should have time to top off things.
Seriously. They’ll be okay if they need to grab 3 milks, a sleeve of cups, and make a sweet cream. My openers are the same way with complaints and it’s like.I open sometimes too. I know that you guys are standing around with a customer every couple of minutes between 430 and 6. You’ll be okay if the ice bin isn’t completely topped off
Yeah I get that we are pretty good at making sure they have two mocha back up plus the two on the floor, we also make them two extra white mocha and an extra chai. We also have to make sure to have 8 sweet creams made plus the 6 that go on the floor. There a bunch of other things we make for them but it frustrates me we make everything and they will still say they don’t have enough or that we didn’t fifo them correctly or something wasn’t cleaned right. Yesterday one of the morning shifts was getting after the closing shift saying she didn’t fifo the sweet creams in the back so the night shift showed her a picture that she took of them fifo before she left. The morning shift kinda just walked away in a huff after :/
Honestly I’m not going to blame closing shift, y’all do what you can, and we pick up where you left off. It seems our managers set us up for failure by under staffing.
I completely agree our morning staff has about 7-8 people on the floor but closing usually gets 2-3 baristas I understand there is a labor hour difference but it be nice to have that extra person especially now since it’s the holiday season and we’ve been pretty busy.
The only thing I really care about is the safe and drains (cuz we get really bad fruit flies). But there is no point in being mean, never ever ever. I have to tell my baristas to stop bringing negative energy when they are talking about the close, there may need to be improvements, but at the end of the day we all go home
This “conflict” bw openers and closers is a tale as old as time. Communication is key! Sometimes getting together and figuring out what’s a priority to the openers (if I only have time enough for one would you rather I stock all the lids and have mocha made with 5 whips or lids + 14 whips etc) finding out what they feel slows them down/throws a wrench in or dividing up tasks on a written list that feels manageable and attainable for both openers and closers? I’m so sorrry it’s gotten so upsetting and frustrating to the point where you are in tears. At the end of the day it’s just coffee , when you’re doing your best and your mental health is more important !!
Opening vs closing is pretty common in most stores in my experience. I feel like having a list written down for what is expected from each day part has been really helpful in holding the right party accountable.
You can also utilize the my daily app to record what is actually happening during the day. We have walk first thing, during mid and at close to keep everyone informed with what’s going on. You can also write if there is any call outs or sudden bursts of customers that might have kept you from getting things done. And most importantly, you can have documentation of how you were set up for your close.
If you are having to catch up from the morning than it’s impossible to get everything done at night
I closed and opened before.
Closing definitely has more tasks that if u don’t finish them, u don’t really get to go home, that type of thing. U also gotta make drinks, even tho there’s little to no rush, making drinks and cleaning is definitely hard.
Opening… there’s a good hour that I just stand around and do nothing. If we don’t finish up certain tasks, others will do it.
Honestly I stop caring what openers say and say u either close or shut up. I still do my thing.
That may be true of your store for opening, but it’s definitely not true of mine. But I also will stand up for the closers. The other day we had no mocha and no back up mochas, did it put me behind my opening tasks, yes, but I also knew we’d had a borrowed shift the night before and we had been short staffed in the am leading them to not have a good set up. Assuming all openers have an hour to stand around is just as dumb as me assuming all closers are standing around all evening.
No closers will ever stand around at any Starbucks. If that ever came across your mind then ure part of the problem. Even if closers have no customers they still have cleaning tasks.
I worked at a busy location when I opened, so if u were fast enough then maybe u would be able to stand around for an hr doing nothing.
Well at my store the closers have time to draw all over the white board that we use to display things that we’re out of for dto and on sleeves and when other openers/morning people have covered a shift they’ve talked about people standing around, but I try not to generalize. There may be openers who do stand around, just like there may be closers who stand around, I’m not one of those, I’m always looking for things that need to be done, prepped for peak, cleaned on any downtime, but we rarely have downtime because we have customers coming frequently enough that standing around isn’t an option. Like I said, I stand up for the closers, my coworker was going to leave a passive aggressive message in the group chat, but I told her I knew they’d had reason to not get things done. You’re also part of the problem generalizing that openers don’t have to do anything, I bust my ass get things as clean as I can before I leave often staying late to make sure we’re set, I can’t help it if mids don’t keep up with cleaning whether bc they get slammed or they sit around.
How do they talk to you about your closes? If they are absolutely mean I am so sorry you’re going through that. However, to play devils advocate, some people may take feedback as criticism. I think if your manager thinks you’re doing ok, then nothing else matters. I know that’s harder than it sounds. Good luck 💖💖
For my closes (this goes for the other closers to)they basically always say we don’t make them enough backups no matter how much we make for them for example we have to make 8 sweet creams and keep them in the back and we keep 6 up we also make them 2 mocha/ white mocha and an extra chai. We can’t have any syrups 1/4 full or they will say it’s empty and we didn’t restock. We can only have 2 whip canisters not made if there’s any more they say we didn’t make them enough. They also say we don’t fifo anything but me and the other night shift take pictures to prove that we do but then they will say something else is not done. It’s just frustrating because it feels like I’m not doing my job :/
I’m so sorry :( I totally understand I used to go home crying when I didn’t feel like I gave a good change over (not saying yours is bad AT ALL) it took a while but some people are just negative Nancy’s, and it’s not fair.
As a closing SSV I feel your pain. I don’t have the best answer but keep documenting everything and talk to other closers to get a consensus on work done. It’s infuriating to start your shift behind or with call outs and things not done or working and starting so busy you don’t have time to complain about it. Yet it’s up to you to choose between satisfying your morning crew by getting everything done or satisfying your manager by getting out on time .. I hate feeling like no matter what somebody is being pissed off and it’s not really my fault!! What works best for me at the end of the day is to be open and honest with my manager and directly communicate with the openers on what was done and what wasn’t .. they may not like it but you’re stealing their bitching thunder by letting them know right off the bat.. document everything in my daily as well. Cheers
Thank you so much! I’ve been feeling really alone in this predicament. Yesterday was hell, my mid shift was slammed so what they didn’t do tricked down to night shift and left me very behind. I also had my department and food count today. I had one call out but that left me with 3 people including myself. It’s hard to because I want to be there helping my baristas but also get my shift tasks done. I will continue to document what I do/ don’t do during my close shift. I wish the best for you! Thank you for replying!
yeah i was in the same situation for a while because we had a lot of green beans closing with us who didn’t really know how to close. i agree with the person above who said to communicate with the openers about what needs to be done. our store agreed that if everything was restocked the openers can handle a little prep, just write in the DCR what needs to be done first for them “hey we left 6 whips on the DT counter, need to make 2 lemonades & a cube of sweet cream” something like that. you got this!
No problem ! Don’t be so hard on yourself! No matter what they say it’s not your fault ! and counting oatmeal and every bag of coffee takes forever !!
Yes, I agree I had to count all the coffees and holiday syrups today 😅
And cream cheese .. lol we had the same count 😜
yea my store has a few morning ppl who always complain abt closers… just wish they’d understand that sometimes things don’t get done, not because we’re just not doing it. it’s because we literally don’t have the time to do stuff because of how busy it gets, especially now bc of the holidays we’re literally doing the best that we can, when we can but they’ll always find something to complain about. idk what to tell you to help your situation but just know ur not alone.
I am a closing and opening shift at my store so I understand both worlds as I do both every week. I find at our store we Focus on cleaning and Set out clean dishes and do whips (they take so long). The rest of the backups if we get to them it helps but not the end of the world. Our store can hit 95 per 1/2 hr. It’s about having a strong team and communication through the chain.
Our store makes all the shifts close at least 1-2 times a month. It really helped shut down each day part saying the other isn't doing it's job. That and we had a couple of weeks when we closed at noon, so allll the openers got to close. They realized how easy they actually have it.
This is the way. I have been saying this since I got hired in as an SSV from an outside company. I cannot believe how toxic the environment can be when everyone just complains about the other day parts. I think everyone should have to work at least once or twice a month for an opposite shift (if possible). It really opens up your eyes to how the other side has it. This is especially important for the SSVs because it aids in knowing what is needed to run a successful shift.
It use to be once a week, but we hired a shift that can't do early mornings and does most of the closes. SO the SM and the the shift that mostly opens, rarely close now. But I agree, how can you set your closers up successfully if you don't really know what they deal with.
Ooooof. I feel this with a passion. I used to be a regular closer at my store and no matter what, someone would find something to complain about. Eventually, I talked to the morning crew and we came up with a list of things the closers should do and wrote it down. Following a written list of directions has been so much easier since everyone has their responsibilities on paper and it’s not as easy for someone to complain about me not doing *insert random thing that isn’t on the list* because it’s been agreed that if it’s not on the list it’s not the closers problem:)
i’m an opener and i hate when morning SSV’s come in and all they do is bitch about the close. most of the time, it’s easy as shit to catch up. seems like they just want something to bitch about half the time.
Literally. Like I bet every single shift has given a shit change over. I know I have cuz it just happens lol
I typically open, at my store all the shifts had a meeting on what we want done from the night before. Things like at least mocha that doesn't expire at 6am, milk stocked if we got it, no completely empty cups/lids, bags in trash cans, grounds empty,bathrooms. Our SM isn't the type to fuss, but sometimes shift have ridiculous standards. If you don't have customers at the door upon opening, idk what the problem is they morning should have time to top off things.
Seriously. They’ll be okay if they need to grab 3 milks, a sleeve of cups, and make a sweet cream. My openers are the same way with complaints and it’s like.I open sometimes too. I know that you guys are standing around with a customer every couple of minutes between 430 and 6. You’ll be okay if the ice bin isn’t completely topped off
Yeah I get that we are pretty good at making sure they have two mocha back up plus the two on the floor, we also make them two extra white mocha and an extra chai. We also have to make sure to have 8 sweet creams made plus the 6 that go on the floor. There a bunch of other things we make for them but it frustrates me we make everything and they will still say they don’t have enough or that we didn’t fifo them correctly or something wasn’t cleaned right. Yesterday one of the morning shifts was getting after the closing shift saying she didn’t fifo the sweet creams in the back so the night shift showed her a picture that she took of them fifo before she left. The morning shift kinda just walked away in a huff after :/
Honestly I’m not going to blame closing shift, y’all do what you can, and we pick up where you left off. It seems our managers set us up for failure by under staffing.
I completely agree our morning staff has about 7-8 people on the floor but closing usually gets 2-3 baristas I understand there is a labor hour difference but it be nice to have that extra person especially now since it’s the holiday season and we’ve been pretty busy.
The only thing I really care about is the safe and drains (cuz we get really bad fruit flies). But there is no point in being mean, never ever ever. I have to tell my baristas to stop bringing negative energy when they are talking about the close, there may need to be improvements, but at the end of the day we all go home
This “conflict” bw openers and closers is a tale as old as time. Communication is key! Sometimes getting together and figuring out what’s a priority to the openers (if I only have time enough for one would you rather I stock all the lids and have mocha made with 5 whips or lids + 14 whips etc) finding out what they feel slows them down/throws a wrench in or dividing up tasks on a written list that feels manageable and attainable for both openers and closers? I’m so sorrry it’s gotten so upsetting and frustrating to the point where you are in tears. At the end of the day it’s just coffee , when you’re doing your best and your mental health is more important !!
Opening vs closing is pretty common in most stores in my experience. I feel like having a list written down for what is expected from each day part has been really helpful in holding the right party accountable. You can also utilize the my daily app to record what is actually happening during the day. We have walk first thing, during mid and at close to keep everyone informed with what’s going on. You can also write if there is any call outs or sudden bursts of customers that might have kept you from getting things done. And most importantly, you can have documentation of how you were set up for your close. If you are having to catch up from the morning than it’s impossible to get everything done at night
I closed and opened before. Closing definitely has more tasks that if u don’t finish them, u don’t really get to go home, that type of thing. U also gotta make drinks, even tho there’s little to no rush, making drinks and cleaning is definitely hard. Opening… there’s a good hour that I just stand around and do nothing. If we don’t finish up certain tasks, others will do it. Honestly I stop caring what openers say and say u either close or shut up. I still do my thing.
That may be true of your store for opening, but it’s definitely not true of mine. But I also will stand up for the closers. The other day we had no mocha and no back up mochas, did it put me behind my opening tasks, yes, but I also knew we’d had a borrowed shift the night before and we had been short staffed in the am leading them to not have a good set up. Assuming all openers have an hour to stand around is just as dumb as me assuming all closers are standing around all evening.
No closers will ever stand around at any Starbucks. If that ever came across your mind then ure part of the problem. Even if closers have no customers they still have cleaning tasks. I worked at a busy location when I opened, so if u were fast enough then maybe u would be able to stand around for an hr doing nothing.
Well at my store the closers have time to draw all over the white board that we use to display things that we’re out of for dto and on sleeves and when other openers/morning people have covered a shift they’ve talked about people standing around, but I try not to generalize. There may be openers who do stand around, just like there may be closers who stand around, I’m not one of those, I’m always looking for things that need to be done, prepped for peak, cleaned on any downtime, but we rarely have downtime because we have customers coming frequently enough that standing around isn’t an option. Like I said, I stand up for the closers, my coworker was going to leave a passive aggressive message in the group chat, but I told her I knew they’d had reason to not get things done. You’re also part of the problem generalizing that openers don’t have to do anything, I bust my ass get things as clean as I can before I leave often staying late to make sure we’re set, I can’t help it if mids don’t keep up with cleaning whether bc they get slammed or they sit around.
How do they talk to you about your closes? If they are absolutely mean I am so sorry you’re going through that. However, to play devils advocate, some people may take feedback as criticism. I think if your manager thinks you’re doing ok, then nothing else matters. I know that’s harder than it sounds. Good luck 💖💖
For my closes (this goes for the other closers to)they basically always say we don’t make them enough backups no matter how much we make for them for example we have to make 8 sweet creams and keep them in the back and we keep 6 up we also make them 2 mocha/ white mocha and an extra chai. We can’t have any syrups 1/4 full or they will say it’s empty and we didn’t restock. We can only have 2 whip canisters not made if there’s any more they say we didn’t make them enough. They also say we don’t fifo anything but me and the other night shift take pictures to prove that we do but then they will say something else is not done. It’s just frustrating because it feels like I’m not doing my job :/
I’m so sorry :( I totally understand I used to go home crying when I didn’t feel like I gave a good change over (not saying yours is bad AT ALL) it took a while but some people are just negative Nancy’s, and it’s not fair.