Starbucks barista quits job after manager asked her to reschedule putting down dog
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A woman has revealed that she once quit her job as a Starbucks barista after her boss allegedly asked her to reschedule having her dog put down so she could make her shift.
Auralee Smith from the US had been working for the coffeehouse chain while studying as a psychology student.
When she found out that her family's rescue dog Gandy had cancer, she was understandably devastated and put in a request with ample notice to have the day off after her beloved pet was set to be put to sleep.
However, she didn't quite get the response she'd hoped for.
Taking to Twitter, Auralee shared the text exchange with her boss, which starts off by her writing: "I'm sorry to do this but I'm trying to find coverage for my Sunday shift.
"I have to put my dog down on Saturday night and I will be an absolute mess.
"She's my best friend."
Replying to her request, the Starbucks manager wrote: "I'm really gonna need you to find coverage.
"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?"
The student told Insider that she was in disbelief, adding: "That was such a harsh response to me, just asking me if I could change the day I put her to sleep."
For Auralee, it was the last straw, and in her last text she said: "I'll do my best to find coverage.
"I'm sorry this is inconvenient but it's the family dog and she's very sick and it's what my family has decided to do.
That time that my boss asked me if I could change the day I put my dog to sleep for @Starbucks pic.twitter.com/BLhyxIHk2q
— lailette (@lai_lette) July 31, 2022
"I can't reschedule when I put my dog down for Starbucks. This is also me putting in my two weeks officially.
"I've worked for this company for 2.5 years and I appreciate what it's done for me but I'm ready to move on."
The tweet has since gone viral, sparking thousands of comments from people who shared similar workplace experiences.
One Twitter user wrote: "CW: animal death... This reminds me of the time I came into work after the cat I'd had for 14 years died.
"My manager just looked at me, tired and hoarse from not sleeping and crying for days, and said, 'I don't get being sad over dead animals. God put them on earth for us to eat.'"
Another said: "I came back to work in the afternoon after my uncles funeral instead of going to their house afterwards. My bosses accused me of making it up because I came to work."
Auralee went on to explain to Insider that she doesn't blame her manager for the incident.
"To me, this is just the mentality that Starbucks promotes behind the scenes," she said.
"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.
"I already felt like I was getting burnt out and stuff. Then, when I just saw that, that was it."
A Starbucks spokesperson responded to the messages, claiming that they don't provide the full picture of what happened.
They said: "The health and well-being of our partners is and continues to be our top priority.
"In this instance, we were able to support this partner in getting her work covered at that time."
LADbible has contacted Starbucks for comment.
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