Back at the Buxx

Yesterday was my first day at my new Starbucks in Phoenix. It’s at the corner 7^th Ave and Missouri, and is only a few blocks away from where I am going to live. So that’s nice. I had been in there a couple times before to get my schedule, but only a couple of the people I met those times were there, so I got to meet new people. I can’t tell you how nervous I was. Not only was it a brand new store with brand new people, but I haven’t worked at all in 2 and a half weeks, and it’s definitely a job you get rusty at. So there was that.

My first shift was a short one, which I was thankful for. Easier to get back in the swing of things. I got there about 15 minutes early and talked to the ASM (assistant store manager, Shelby) for a little while. She told me I was going to be up front which was both relieving and nerve racking at the same time. I think in my 10+ months at Morrissey I worked up front less than 5 times. It was like, in theory I knew everything that had to be done, but I had never actually done it in practice. Their way of doing the coffee cadence is weird. They only use one brewer the whole morning, and the bold coffee is all the way on the other side of the store. I was extremely confused at first, but I finally got it.  And I was just completely lost at doing the pastry case.  Because not only did I RARELY even have to touch the pastry case at Morrissey, but they do that differently here, too.  Anyway, I was thankful to not have to be on bar on my first day. They have different espresso machines here, so someone is going to have to show me how to use them. There was me not even knowing how to work the machines, and like I said, super rusty. So even though I was not that familiar with running the front, I am thankful for the ease back into the routine.

The people are really nice so far. I wish I weren’t so shy when I first meet people, but I know I’ll get over it soon. I’m looking forward to that. Hopefully I can get along with these new partners even a fraction of how I fit in with my Morrissey family. In the meantime I’m trying to force myself to mix in with people faster, talking to customers more and things like that. Sean, my manager, took about 45 minutes to sit and talk with me and get to know me, and that was really nice.

Overall, I think I did a pretty good job. Being at a store in a big city is intimidating coming from the slowest store in a city about a fifth of the size of this one (I don’t know if that’s accurate, but you get the point). I think my biggest problem was that I felt this unrealistic pressure to be knowledgeable and on top of the routine, which is an almost impossible expectation to have on myself. I know I didn’t feel like that when I first started; I guess I just wanted to be impressive. They do things a lot differently, and it’s just going to take some getting used to. I know that I learned quickly at Morrissey, so I hope this doesn’t take too much longer. Breaking habits is harder than creating them, though. I am just really excited to be back at work. It felt so weird not working for as long as I have; especially after 70 hour work weeks this summer. Staying positive, and being open to new things is what I’m focusing on.

I sure do miss everyone at Morrissey though…. A lot.