He Says Baristas Are Underpaid And What He Makes Isn’t Close To Being A Livable Wage
Recently, a young TikTok user went viral for shedding some light on the harsh reality of working as a barista these days, and he’s not alone.
August (@augustoffline) is a 21-year-old barista who took to TikTok to talk about his job and why his pay is not even close to being a livable wage.
“As a barista, someone can come up and order two drinks, and that costs more than what I make an hour,” says August in his video.
August explains that two drinks from his coffee shop that he can make in approximately two minutes still cost more than his hourly wage. It’s pretty crazy to think about.
Although August doesn’t disclose which coffee shop he works for, he mentions in the comments that it is not Starbucks.
“This issue is bigger than Starbucks,” he writes.
The video received over 294,000 likes and thousands of comments from other TikTok users. Many of them are also baristas and servers who share the same struggle.
“Two custom drinks can cost $20, and that’s more than my weekly tips,” commented one user.
“The way I’ve literally never thought about it that way, and I’ve been a barista for 5 years,” commented another user.
chayathon2000 – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purpose only, not the actual person
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August made a follow-up video with another very eye-opening point to make.
“I wouldn’t be able to afford to be a customer at the establishment that I work at,” he says. “I couldn’t afford a cup of coffee at the place that I work at.”
ZipRecruiter reports that some baristas make $6.97 an hour. Some drinks at popular American chain coffee shops can be priced at $5.45.
“I sell around $2000 worth of product to customers an hour and make $17.75,” commented one TikTok user.
Other baristas have commented about their tips and how their managers try to convince them that what they make in tips will make up for their low salaries.
“Then they say the tips make up for it,” commented one user. “What tips?”
One user even commented that she isn’t allowed to collect tips because her coffee shop is on a college campus. It’s ridiculous!
Next time you order a drink from your local barista, be sure to, at the very least, treat them with kindness.
To view the original TikTok video, visit the link here.
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