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 (44867) , Shift Supervisor (9776) , Cashier/Barista (4302) , Store Manager (3097) , 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 (323) , 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 11756 reviews)); "you get at least one free drink and food item each day you work which is nice and convenient" ((in 4221 reviews)); "pretty much always great coworkers and very pro lgbt enviroment (ive worked at 3 now)" ((in 3709 reviews)); "Free coffee tastes good and I like" ((in 3689 reviews)); "Met some great people there but the revolving door ratio is very high and not much people stay long" ((in 3571 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 4843 reviews)); "Poor management at my specific store (new people/supervisors were inexperienced or simply unwilling to help)" ((in 4436 reviews)); "Bad managers sometimes picked on me or withheld competition prizes from me after I won." ((in 2527 reviews)); "No work life balance or ability to use PTO due to chronic understaffing and union busting" ((in 858 reviews)); "Poor upper management." ((in 763 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

2.0

Apr 14, 2018

Often soul-crushing

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- friendly people - solid brand with a positive reputation - freedom to do what you want

Cons

- people I do not know come up to me and say they have worked at Starbucks for 20 years and have never seen it this bad - lack of communication across departments - lack of communication from senior leadership down (the COO does not talk to her direct reports) - poor business planning - lack of accountability - no vision for the future - technology sorely outdated - frequent reorgs that do not make sense

2.0

Mar 16, 2016

Cultural Dichotoemy

Engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

This review is in the context of working at HQ in Seattle in the Global Technology (IT) department. There is an energy in the air like no other place I've worked. HQ really does feel like a big store, with people chatting over coffee everywhere you look. The warm, hip, contemporary atmosphere and group-thinking culture is quite fun at first and seems to thrive off the latest progressive cultural ideals. Who would have thought that doing something as boring as selling coffee could be so inspiring. Unfortunately, this surface level perception is where the fairy tale ends. Silly trinket benefits like free coffee (gasp!) and a Spotify subscription. Medical / stock / retirement are average.

Cons

Within the heart of Starbucks' corporate culture lives a lumbering, toxic, MILITANT behemoth of top-down managerial condescension that passive-aggressively crushes any opposing viewpoints, opinions, or ideas. It is remarkable to watch as senior leaders claim to be open to new ideas and feedback solicitation, only to turn right back around and belittle, isolate, or even fire those who dare speak up and oppose them. Starbucks is the definition of the much hated top-down managerial style. It all seems to start with Howard, our smiling, benevolent dictator. Pick your place on the assembly line, but do not question the man in charge or else you might be whipped. Compensation is low (by about 25%) compared to market (tech in Seattle). Everyone seems to be obsessed with title and reporting structures.

5.0

Nov 19, 2015

Amazing Workplace

Assistant store manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Love the 401-K and Stock options. Love having free coffee during my shift. Love being able to support my family doing something that I'm passionate about.

Cons

Having your clothes smell like coffee all the time. Working in the fast food and beverage industry. Waking up really early.

Viewing 106 - 108 of 85,247 Reviews

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