TikTok has long been a forum for employees of coffee shops, restaurants, and other service-oriented jobs to express their many frustrations with both their employers and customer.
A popular subset of service industry employees airing their concerns on the app is Starbucks baristas, who have shared complaints ranging from customers ordering drinks that do not make sense based on ingredients, asking for changes to premade items, and the existence of a “secret menu.”
One barista on TikTok shared a complaint about customers who order their beverages based on the volume in fluid ounces rather than small, medium, or large—or even the coffee chain’s specialty tall, grande, venti, and trenta drink sizes.
“When customers refuse to say the size of the drink they want and just say the ounce,” a text overlay on the video posted by TikTok user Grace (@bestpussydisorder69) reads.
@bestpussydisorder69 like girl just say medium idgaf #starbucks #starbucksbarista #sbux #sbuxbaristas #barista #starbuckspartner #sbuxpartner #lgbt #lesbian ♬ original sound – Winter Vanity
Her issue is similar to several baristas who have previously shared frustrations with customers not specifying the size of their drink when ordering.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Grace via a comment on the video as other methods of communication were not available.
Some viewers shared that they have similar struggles with customers not understanding how beverage sizing is set where they work.
“They always say ‘regular’ and im like ‘we have small, medium, or large,’” one commenter wrote.
“Nah bc I say ‘small or large’ and they go ‘medium,’” another said.
“We got ‘mini, mod n mega’, the amount of times a mf says regular and I’m just like great which one,” a further viewer shared.
Several argued that customers ordering beverages by volume in ounces is actually easier, as it is a universal measurement businesses use to size their drinks.
“I prefer when they say the oz bc we have different sizes than sbux so ‘medium’ to me means 12oz but maybe they meant 16 idk,” a commenter wrote.
“oz is the only thing that stays consistent across diff shops,” a second commented. “as a barista i prefer ppl just say the oz.”
“Every shop has a different number of sizes… ounces are the only thing that stays the same bestie,” a another stated.
