‘How do you go on break?’: Starbucks barista says they’re the only worker in the store

A Starbucks employee and TikTok user has sparked discussion after claiming he was the only person working at his Starbucks location.

In a video posted to TikTok, Mel (@divameld) shows an empty store in which he is the only worker.

“When you’re the only one at work,” Mel writes in his video, which shows an empty Starbucks store.

@divameld #starbucks #starbucksbarista ♬ Chill Day - LAKEY INSPIRED

In the comments section, Mel notes that other employees showed up later in the day, but that wasn’t enough to keep the store open.

“Had 2 more people show up, but just closed it down cuz that wasn't gonna work,” he wrote.

He also noted that their store recently had issues that prevented a full opening, meaning that employees would likely only be working the drive-thru.

However, several commenters noted that Mel alone should not be expected to work the entire store.

“How do you go on break?” questioned a commenter.

“I would legit report the manager to ur DM and then corporate,” added another. “That is illegal as hell esp w no breaks.” (Working alone is generally legal, though it may violate company policy).

“Wait how do you run this?” asked a third. “I work in a target starbucks and even having only 3 people is scary af.”

While many users were against the idea of Mel working the store alone, it appears to be a relatively common occurrence.

In March 2022, another TikTok user posted a video in which they claimed that they were also tasked with operating their Starbucks location by themselves. Other users on Reddit have also stated that they’ve been forced to work alone, with some alleging that this occurred after just two weeks of training. 

Back on TikTok, Mel shared that he was committed to his job, even if that meant working by himself.

As he put it in a comment, “I'll get those drinks out until my last breath... alone if I must.”

The Daily Dot reached out to Starbucks via email and Mel via TikTok comment.

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The post ‘How do you go on break?’: Starbucks barista says they’re the only worker in the store appeared first on The Daily Dot.

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