Will you be the barista-on-duty at your Starbucks on Christmas day?

It's an annual tradition for me to visit the Lake Geneva, Wis. Starbucks on Christmas Day. In past years, they've closed at either noon or 2 p.m., but I called this week and they said they'd be open until 4 p.m. this Christmas Day.

What are the hours at your stores? Did you volunteer to work? (I seem to recall that nobody is forced to work on Christmas day; is that correct?)

Customers: will you be stopping by for some Christmas brew -- and tipping well?

Comments

[Guat.my.mala]

I will be working. Do I want to...? No. But that is the joy of being a manager and not having enough partners wanting to work on Christmas. *sigh*

[just another partner]

i have a jewish person, a jehova's witness, a college student who is in town alone, and another kid (from a single parent home who's mom is working at her job all day) working christmas. our dt is the only thing open, and they get time and a half plus split tips for the day (usually ends up being over $5/hour in tips).

[Barista Ben]

Guat it is more because your a good manager and not forcing people to work who'd rather not.

[Ian]

Well, the request book only allows for four people to request off; it also seems that many people at my store, with open availability, have access to work on Christmas.
I will be working open until close - from 5am until 6:30pm. I was initially scheduled unwillingly for an open shift, but then after chatting with my SM, we decided "why not" to just working all day. Although I would rather spend time with my family, who could say no to almost two hundred dollars in one day - not even including tips? Three cheers for working in a highly accessible store right off of an intersection of four high-traffic highways, three very large cities, also right between two large malls and an large number unknown number of government buildings and miscellaneous international company offices and manufacturing plants.

[SarahB]

I wouldn't describe it as being "forced to work on Christmas." I would describe it as applying for a job at a company that everybody knows is open 365 days a year, and knowing the expectations that come with that.

But, no, there is no written policy that says people are guaranteed the Holiday off.

[antmunoz]

I volunteered to work and was denied. As a higher-paid Shift, my time-and-a-half was deemed "too expensive" by the DM. Meanwhile, the only other two Shifts, who make less, will be smoking. I mean, working. No, actually, I really mean smoking. Outside. All day.

[short drip]

SM's here is what worked for me:
In OCTOBER, post a sign up sheet. Everyone must work 2 Holidays.
Thanksgiving, Xmas Eve, Xmas Day, NY EVE and NY Day. They each had to pick 2 to work. Amazingly, all shifts got covered and everyone got the Holiday's off they preferred.
Not fair to the "doers" to grant all the Holiday's off to a select few only for the others to have to work them all.

[Guat.my.mala]

Thanks. I've never, ever forced people to work on Christmas (with the exception of making myself do it). I wish I could just get in on those tips. Haha! It is my gift to my baristas. I work hard and don't get tips which equal more for them because I'm working barista hours. But overall, my crew is awesome. We'll be buried alive in customers but we will get through it, hopefully unharmed. =)And I will still get to spend time with my family. I may be asleep while I do it from exhaustion, but I'll be present.

[KDH]

From what I understand, the official policy for Starbucks is that only volunteers work on Christmas day. They can't force you to work.

My store isn't open, but 3 in my district are and they only take volunteers.

[Barista Ben]

Well no the official policy is we try to meet all schedule requests with the understanding that asking for a day off is a request and not a guarantee. If you are at a store that's open, and they need you to work, they can deny your request off and schedule you. Most managers don't do this because its awful and it will make your partners hate you, but it's still a possibility.

If your available on the day Christmas falls they can make you work, even holidays are just another day, but most good managers avoid staffing their partners on days like that if they don't want to work because an unhappy team is an unhappy store.

[RollingInTheDeep]

Got to choose what store I wanted to work at on xmas...My home store is closed for the day...Will be the opening supervisor at the store and got to choose what hours I wanted to work...Not bad for a guy who doesnt celebrate xmas...time and a half, a store close by and the rest of the day to do whatever i choose...

[Disheartenemetroasm]

I am the only "keyholder" who has children and hand to work till close on thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve and I had to open - cl today on New Year's Day. I was told if I wanted to move up from asm I had to learn to put my store first.

[Stan]

@Disheartenemetroasm being the only one with kids, doesn't mean being the only one with family, that is terrible logic.