Starbucks Customer Says Worker Gaslit Her After Making Drink Wrong

Lately, Starbucks customers have been taking to TikTok to air their grievances with the coffee chain. This time, a woman went viral after she shared her encounter with a Starbucks barista who allegedly gaslit her after she asked the barista to remake her drink.

TikTok user Mimi (@libramoonprincess) posted the video on Jan. 6. Within 24 hours, the video received over 87,000 views. In the video, Mimi sat in her car holding the Starbucks drink she had just bought.

“I just got back from Starbucks, and I am literally about to cry,” she said.

The TikToker explained the reason for her distress was that the Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso she ordered was “literally all milk” instead of “just a splash.” Disappointed, she went inside the store to request a remake.

Mimi said the barista immediately gave her “attitude” when she asked for the barista to remake her drink. She brushed off the barista’s behavior, claiming she “would be annoyed too,” and attempted to explain her issues. The barista kept “dismissing” Mimi as she tried to explain that her drink had too much milk, not enough ice, and she couldn’t taste the espresso.

Eventually, the barista remade the drink. However, the remake was worse. Mimi said it was “even more milky,” and she couldn’t “taste anything.”

She requested another remake, and the barista “turned her head sideways” at Mimi out of irritation. When Mimi told the barista she couldn’t taste the espresso in her remake, the barista told her that the Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso is “already a really sweet drink,” which is why she couldn’t taste it. The barista then told Mimi that she should have ordered extra brown sugar syrup when Mimi told her that she couldn’t taste the brown sugar either.

“It’s like there wasn’t anything that I could say. Like, it was just my fault—that I was just dumb and I didn’t know what it was supposed to taste like,” Mimi said.

The TikToker said she finally asked for a cup of ice and extra brown sugar when she realized the barista could not help her. She explained in her caption that her drink was a grande (medium) while the cup of ice she asked for was a venti (large). At the end of her video, she showed viewers that her medium drink almost filled the large cup to the brim to demonstrate how much milk the barista had given her.

@libramoonprincess

it was a grande poured into that venti cup too 😭

♬ original sound – MIMI!

In the comments section, viewers gave Mimi suggestions on how she could have handled the situation.

“Go on the Starbucks customer service it gives u an option thru the app and they always refund u the $ back instead of dealing w rude employees,” one viewer suggested.

“You can call customer service and they’ll refund you too,” a second echoed.

“I never talk to them, I just drink it, and shoot starbucks an email and they put money back in your account,” another added.

Some Starbucks baristas also weighed in to give Mimi tips on how to ensure that her drink is made the way she likes it.

“As a barista i’m sorry, you can ask her to make it with extra ice and light milk so you can have a better milk ratio!” one viewer proposed.

“I’m so sorry that happened to you! My rec as a barista is to order three blonde shots over ice in a grande cup with brown sugar and a splash of oat!” another offered.

The Daily Dot reached out to Mimi via TikTok comment and Starbucks via press email.