Barista and TikToker Zahira Sandoval (@z.sandoval) shared what it’s like working on the first buy one, get one free Thursday of September.
She calls the experience, in no uncertain words, a “struggle,” which she attributes to the deal that allows customers to enjoy BOGO fall beverages at participating Starbucks locations throughout the month.
Sandoval says that for the entirety of the shift, she was at the bar, constantly preparing drinks for patrons with little to no rest. She recorded herself completing a variety of different beverages, adding finishing touches like spiraling whipped on top of them, long pouring milk into plastic containers, as well as measuring and stirring a litany of iced coffees. The TikToker narrates that both she and her co-workers were exhausted at the end of their shift and that the only time she had to take a breather was during her 10-minute break.
@z.sandoval 🧸🍂☕️ nothing better than fall release #starbucksbarista #starbucks #fyp #sbux #barista #starbucksdrinks #sbuxpartner ♬ Redbone (feat. The Notorious B.I.G. & 2Pac) – $TURCK
The most popular beverages, Sandoval, adds, were the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte and the Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte.
As the day progressed, however, Sandoval says that a clear favorite emerged between the two: the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte. Sandoval says she made so many of these drinks that her hands were hurting by the end of her shift.
To make matters even more frustrating, Sandoval says that while she was on shift, one of the refrigerators broke, meaning staff members had to throw away massive quantities of food that would otherwise spoil. Toward the end of the clip, she methodically cleaned the kitchen, while still taking drive-thru orders and prepping it for the store’s morning staff the following day.
Numerous Starbucks baristas shared their own experiences during BOGO Thursdays. “My customers were especially rude during bogo,” one person wrote.
Someone else said they have their college classes on Thursdays and get to avoid BOGO Thursdays. “I saved myself,” they wrote.
Apparently, there are a lot of folks who hate making the one beverage Sandoval found herself having to craft over and over again: “Iced chais with the pumpkin cold foam is my moral enemy,” they wrote.
And, as it turns out, some drinks are becoming so popular around this time that locations are simply running out of them. “Our popular one was the pumpkin cold brew we ran out of cold brew lol,” a barista claimed.
2023 is the first year that Starbucks is offering the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte as an official limited menu item. So many customers unofficially ordered the drink in previous years by ordering an Iced Chai Tea Latte and adding the pumpkin cream cold foam that Starbucks decided to add it to the fall lineup.
“We’re excited to celebrate the creativity of our baristas and customers by offering the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte on the official fall menu. The warm spice flavors of chai and pumpkin seamlessly blend together, creating a creamy and comforting iced beverage,” Starbucks beverage developer Billy Altieri said in a press release announcing the addition.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Starbucks and Sandoval via email for further comment.
