Sometimes, you just want to clock out of work right when your shift is over, and not a second after.
A&W Brew Bar customer and TikToker @gothneopet believes she captured an employee of the chain having one of those days in a viral clip that’s garnered over 350,000 views on the social media platform.
“My guy is trying to clock out and he almost made it, too. So close!” the TikToker said, laughing as she records a Brew Bar employee gripping his backpack in his arm as he stands at a register while several customers stand in front of the counter, presumably waiting to place their orders.
A number of commenters who saw the clip appeared to sympathize with the employee, with several viewers suggesting ways that the worker could’ve handled the situation.
“Man just clock out, and say someone else will be right with [you],” viewer @bajangyal3 said.
“I will walk up to the register and clock out. [I don’t care] if there are customers. My shift is OVER,” @v.vintage_v.velet wrote.
“If the shift is over, it’s over. Go home my bro,” Sujan Khatri (@sujank14) penned.
There were other folks who worked in different industries who shared their own anecdotes of wanting to leave the second their shift is through: “I work in retail, and one time this happened to me when I already had my coat and bag on and I just completely ignored the person and clocked out,” viewer @taliyto replied.
One person said that they, too, are familiar with the bag-holding struggle: “Holding the bag is so real. Been there done that,” Trinique Browne (@ttriniib) joked.
The stresses of working as a coffee store employee have been documented over the years, many of which are physical in nature. Several workers repeatedly complaining that they suffer neck aches from having to constantly look down at the beverages they’re making, hours on end, day in, day out. Other baristas have said that their legs will often ache for having to stand on their feet all day while they prepare beverages. Lower back pain is another common complaint among coffee store workers.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Brew Bar via email and @gothneoet via TikTok comment for further information.
@gothneopet Let him go
♬ original sound – gothneopet
A number of baristas have also said that they are being “overworked” at their jobs, a gripe that is compounded by feelings they’re being underpaid at locations that are often understaffed.
One Redditor’s candid anecdote about working as a barista in a busy coffee shop highlighted their on-the-job issues with preparing so many drinks for throngs of customers during several 9 hour shifts.
There have been several reports of baristas lobbying for better work environments in the news, like the litany of stories that have arisen as a result of staff at Starbucks shops across the nation pushing for a unionized workforce. Kansas City’s NPR station also reported that every single worker at the cafe Second Best Coffee, except the store’s manager, walked out of the business, citing a “toxic work environment” as their reason for doing so.
The coffee-centric outlet, Perfect Daily Grind also penned a piece on high employee turnover rates being a problem for many cafes all over America: “For some years now, high rates of staff turnover have been an issue in the hospitality sector, including coffee shops…Furthermore, staff turnover rates were also prominent before Covid-19, but the pandemic only made things worse. This forced many coffee shops and roasters to adapt their business strategies in response to staff shortages and reduced opening hours.”
