Aurora Starchild
A Starbucks barista quit her two-year-long job with the company after her manager gave a grossly callous response to a family death. Auralee Smith, 21, of New Jersey, requested time off to put her rescue dog down but was told she needed to come in for her shift. That was the final straw, she said.
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Smith’s dog, Gandy, was adopted at about 8 years old. Her family helped Gandy “come out of her shell” and they developed a deep bond. Smith said that Gandy would try to howl along when she played piano during lessons that she taught.
Then Gandy tragically developed cancer and Smith’s family was advised that she was too old to operate on. The only option was to put her down, so Smith requested that her shift be covered.
“I’m sorry to do this but I’m trying to find coverage for my Sunday shift,” Smith texted her manager. “I have to put my dog down on Saturday night and I will be an absolute mess. She’s my best friend. I’m going to text some people and see if they can help out.”
The Starbucks manager’s response was just plain heartless.
“I’m really gonna need you to find coverage,” she responded. “I understand it’s a tough situation but you have plenty of notice so it’s not going to be approved if you don’t come in. Is there a way you could do it on a night where you don’t work the next day?”
Smith’s manager literally asked Smith to reschedule the death of her dog so she could work at Starbucks.
“I read that last sentence, and I audibly was like, ‘Oh. What on earth? How?’ How was that the decision of what to say to me?” Smith described of the exchange. “That was such a harsh response to me, just asking me if I could change the day I put her to sleep.”
Smith politely said she’d try to find coverage and then gave her two-week notice. She said that the exchange was symbolic of Starbucks’ mentality and the way it treats its employees.
“It just kept getting worse over my time at Starbucks that the mentality that leads to somebody asking me to change the day I put my dog to sleep,” Smith said. “I already felt like I was getting burnt out and stuff. Then, when I just saw that, that was it.”
Starbucks employees across the nation have been trying to unionize. Many have reported toxic response tactics due to the unionization attempts. Recently, for instance, Starbucks has threatened to close down locations, which unions attribute to retaliation.
