A good environment coupled with poor leadership makes Starbucks most suitable for part-time employment.
Pros
Having Starbucks on my resume has been regarded fairly well in subsequent interviews. While my overall experience with the company was dissatisfying, a position with this company appears more prestigious than the equivalent at a competitor such as McDonalds or Dunkin Donuts. (Though the positions with the competitors generally pay substantially more.) General product knowledge is extremely prevalent and available to any employee (partner) willing to seek it out. This is a good place to pick up on a lot of general food and beverage knowledge, if an interest in the food industry is going to be persued. Paid training sessions are offered on a fairly regular basis, though some travel may be required to the site. Though such sessions are generally required for advancement, some are offered for personal development and are not accompanied by a pay raise. The most satisfied employees I have personally known working for Starbucks have been part-time employees, those who rely on the job only as tertiary income, and those who held a position as a second job to shore up financial obligations. The company does quite a bit to foster an atmosphere of community between employees and customers, which can genuinely be a wonderful and enriching experience.
Cons
The company justifies significantly lower pay rates than comparable positions at competing companies by touting a "total compensation" package that employees are encouraged to participate in. This ranges from a free pound of coffee (or box of tea) every week, health insurance and discounted stock purchases, to "deals" with other corporations for discounts on goods and services. However, considering the lower hourly rates, once premiums are paid for the insurance, there is barely enough to live off of, let alone spend anything on co-pays, prescriptions, or doctors visits. If the only concern for having insurance is for medical treatment in case of an emergency, then even the cheapest option is adequate. (One employee needed a root canal, which would have been $900 out of pocket after insurance, and was deemed unfit for a payment plan by the dentist's office because their hourly salary did not afford any non-essential spending.) Management also tended to entice employees with promises of future advancement, even during times when they knew such advancement would not be possible. The pattern I recognized during my time at Starbucks was that the employees who bought into the "Starbucks culture" the most, were the ones who most often felt burned by the company.