Pros
Some of the regulars you meet are stellar I have kept some really great friends from my store after leaving Shift drink 1/2 lb beans or 12 tea bags Learned how to work under pressure Honed customer service skills which are very marketable after leaving Amy's blend is a great cause
Cons
No breaks at 6 hours. You are allotted a 30 minute break after 8 hours (but after working many of those 8 hour shifts I had gotten the chance to go on break maybe twice.) Why you may ask? Because the manager didn't want to step on the floor for my break. 45 cent raise max if you perform well and do well on your yearly performance test (if they still do that.) Open on Christmas and during huge winter storms. Not only is it dangerous for your customers but also your employees. People can make coffee at home on Christmas. And when the news states, "Only travel in the event of an emergency," consider shutting your stores down. I've had employees get stuck in snow drifts, get in accidents and spin out while they're on the way to work. Some managers generally do not care about their employees. I had one manager who would nap at work while I covered the floor. Another manager wouldn't follow up with a woman who threatened to beat me up because I followed caribou policy and charged her for the extra whip. There is a lot of cleaning that must be done every shift (which is understandable, but often hard to accomplish because it is so busy, or because other shifts left you with their work that wasn't finish.) You are always constantly up selling to every guest. If you don't you will be reprimanded. (Even if you know the regular who only gets a small light roast everyday) We once had a competition for selling a promo bean and the top 2 selling stores' employees would be entered in a raffle to attend a vacation for 2 days at a ski resort in MN (or that's what we were told) later we found out that it was only for the store managers. How heart breaking. You will not be listened too by corporate and you won't be rewarded for excellent work. Also there is no recycling which is atrocious. Cardboard clutches, cups, plastic milk gallons as well as forks, knives, spoons, napkins, syrup bottles, etc... There's far too much waste going on if only they would invest in some recycling bins. Also, get used to customers telling you that the prices are way too high, yet they come in everyday. They will always complain and want free drinks.