A recently fired Starbucks employee posted a video detailing her last day. The only problem? She didn’t know when she went to her local store that she wouldn’t have a job within hours of arriving.
In a video with over 2.4 million views, @astoldby_honey expressed her frustration at her recent predicament. She arrived at her store in New York City only to get told to clean it out at 3 p.m., with a layoff email in her inbox by 4:06 p.m. that day. In her video, she peruses the store while showing off various pieces of equipment they packed up in a rush to close.
A group of baristas was there, organizing equipment for their “final” day before receiving an email that cut them off entirely.
“They made y’all clean the store and then FIRED YOU?!” One commenter incredulously wrote, expressing gall at the fact that Starbucks really did fire hundreds of people in a short amount of time.
What’s going on with Starbucks?
It isn’t surprising that @astoldby_honey’s store closed, especially considering the financial woes Starbucks has faced recently. The company announced a $1 billion restructuring plan on Thursday, Sept. 25, that would lay off 900 non-retail employees and shut down stores across the country. The company plans to grow again in 2026 after some restructuring.
Any stores that couldn’t meet the restructuring plans outlined by executives and were “unable to create the physical environment [Starbucks]’ customers and partners expect” are set to close.
Starbucks CEO backlash
Many people think Starbucks changed too much too soon. A year ago, the company announced Brian Niccol as its new CEO. He introduced a variety of changes to the chain coffee shop, such as coffee cup personalization and some “cozy” touches. These iterations were meant to draw a more loyal customer base toward each establishment, but they came at a price. Many baristas complained about the difficulty of keeping up with the new workflow, and customers didn’t necessarily ask for them.
A CNBC article published earlier in September noted this, interviewing one barista who said, “If we’re in a rush, and we only have two people working, we are still expected to write on every single cup… and if my manager notices a single cup that doesn’t have writing on it, that will immediately become a ‘coaching moment.’”
Niccol said in a statement regarding the restructuring plan: “These steps are to reinforce what we see is working and prioritize our resources against them… I believe these steps are necessary to build a better, stronger, and more resilient Starbucks that deepens its impact on the world and creates more opportunities for our partners, suppliers, and the communities we serve.”
It’s difficult to transform an already established mega-brand into a cozy, more independent-feeling coffee house similar to its early days. The company had been struggling even before it faced sweeping iterations, but only recently had such sweeping developments occurred.
@astoldby_honey #fired #starbucks #nyc ♬ Jet2 Advert – ✈️A7-BBH | MAN ??
The Mary Sue has reached out to Starbucks’ press team via email for more information. We’ve also contacted @astoldby_honey via TikTok direct message.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
