Does Starbucks pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Starbucks employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.6 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Starbucks. This rating has decreased by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Starbucks?

56% of Starbucks employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Starbucks 3.2 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.3 for culture and values and 3.3 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Starbucks?

Barista (44868) , Shift Supervisor (9776) , Cashier/Barista (4303) , Store Manager (3102) , Supervisor (1115) , Barista, Shift Supervisor (955) , Barista Trainer (841) , Starbucks-Barista (737) , Manager (653) , Shift Manager (586) , Cashier (458) , Assistant Manager (373) , Partner (331) , Assistant Store Manager (325) , Shift Lead (288)

What are the pros of working at Starbucks according to real employee reviews?

"The benefits are great and the fact that they offer them for all partners is amazing." ((in 11784 reviews)); "you get at least one free drink and food item each day you work which is nice and convenient" ((in 4310 reviews)); "pretty much always great coworkers and very pro lgbt enviroment (ive worked at 3 now)" ((in 3711 reviews)); "Free coffee tastes good and I like" ((in 3640 reviews)); "Met some great people there but the revolving door ratio is very high and not much people stay long" ((in 3558 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Starbucks according to real employee reviews?

"the pay is low and the way to climb is long and need to please a lot of people" ((in 4810 reviews)); "Poor management at my specific store (new people/supervisors were inexperienced or simply unwilling to help)" ((in 4466 reviews)); "Bad managers sometimes picked on me or withheld competition prizes from me after I won." ((in 2518 reviews)); "Little to no work life balance Unrealistic expectations around labor and metrics (do more with less mentality)" ((in 852 reviews)); "Poor upper management." ((in 772 reviews))

What are employees saying about Starbucks layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Starbucks layoffs and their outlook for job security at Starbucks in 2026.

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Starbucks

Starbucks reviews

3.5

56% would recommend to a friend

(85,247 total reviews)

Brian Niccol

31% approve of CEO

40% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.9

Diversity & inclusion

3.6

Compensation and benefits

3.3

Culture & values

3.3

Career opportunities

3.2

Work/Life balance

2.8

Senior management

Starbucks has an employee rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, based on 85,247 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Starbucks employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Restauration industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

85K reviews

3.0

Feb 4, 2009

Erratic schedules!

Barista

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Starbucks does offer some pretty good benefits, such as health insurance even for part-time employees.

Cons

There are several downsides to working at Starbucks an applicant should be aware of. The primary issue I found, though, was scheduling. Scheduling is often very erratic and sometimes completely out of your control. A manager who is not paying attention can schedule you to work until 9 or 10 PM one day and then come in at 5 AM the next, offering precious little time for sleep in between, especially if you have a commute.

4.0

Feb 3, 2009

Difficult work but worth it if you are a long-time loyal employee!

Barista

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits (PPO) for 20hrs/wk, always busy, always room to advance, everywhere (transfers), work nearly anytime you like (3am-12midnite). Paid time off, respect of superiors when mgmt or recent hire/home store superiors are condescending.

Cons

Customer service at its worst with tips that do not make up for it! Arrogance of new management or outside hires -- most come in and after a business degree and managing a few other stores, think it will be like that.. WRONG! We are 'partners' for a reason. A barista works hard mopping the floor and dealing with ridiculous customers... but just because the manager 'supervises' doesn't mean they do not have to do the same 'demeaning' or dirty work-- and doesn't mean they are above the standards of Starbucks. An arrogant or condescending outside hire will often come in acting as such, yet because of Starbucks' true loyalty to all 'partners,' they will be gone immediately if they challenge this-- compliments of the 'stupid' baristas like me who, very often, know much, much more about the inner workings of such a complicated company.... ......

3.0

Feb 3, 2009

Good first job- work there for a year max, then get OUT.

Barista

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

good benefits, flexible hours, easy to move from one starbucks location to another, and easy to return to the sbux family

Cons

you will work very very very hard at the busy locations. I'm not so sure about the slow locations, but the busy ones are stressful and intense. I worked in one with two floors and it meant that there was a lot of running up and down stairs. Lots of physical endurance is needed! Also you really aren't paid much, and it's not a great resume builder. Only good as a first job gig.

Viewing 85075 - 85077 of 85,247 Reviews

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