Costa Reviews
Updated 4 Dec 2023
Found 3,607 of over 4K reviews
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Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor
- "Lots of overtime opportunities and free drinks on shift and 50% off food on shift." (in 221 reviews)
- "advertised as up to over £10 after skilled but no training so you will always be on the lowest amount." (in 76 reviews)
- 5.021 Aug 2023BaristaFormer Employee
Pros
Good team Good pay for student
Cons
Not what I want long term
- 2.029 Aug 2023BaristaCurrent Employee, less than 1 year
Pros
Free drinks and can sometimes take home pastries that are being thrown away. You do get some nice regular customers. Slightly above minimum wage at £11 an hour as a barista.
Cons
I can only speak from experience in my store but there is a lot of favouritism from the GM with regards to certain employees. It's been reported in the past and not dealt with. There's also a lot of animosity towards new starters and a severe lack of training. If I didnt have previous cafe experience I would have walked out first week. There is supposed to be a pay rise once you are signed off on all drinks but my GM has deliberately taken as long as possible before signing off my drinks, thus denying my the pay increase for longer. Lots of bad mouthing from the baristas, BMs, and GM. Nobodys private life is left confidential and it's a very toxic environment to work in. On top of this end of day closes take way longer than the assigned 30 minutes which means you are always out late and a 6 hour shift can quickly become a 7hr+ with no break. Very overworked as its often short staffed since the company are trying to cut down on hours constantly. In my store tips are not distributed to staff, they are put towards a "night out" which rarely happens and when it does not everyone can make it as they have work the next morning. Most dont even want to be on this night out as they dont like each other.
- 2.029 Nov 2023SupervisorCurrent Employee, less than 1 yearBristol, England
Pros
Nice crowds of general staff - All in all good company perks - Holiday, sick pay and additional support avaliable is fairly wide reaching.
Cons
Mostly managers are uncaring and worked too much that a lot of mangement gets passed on to rest of staff. Company now since sold to Coca-Cola, also worked there 10 yrs ago when the environment was just as hectic but managed much more effectively than it appears to be today!
- 3.024 Sept 2023Barista, Shift SupervisorCurrent Employee
Pros
- if you enjoy creating coffee it is a very satisfying job - 50% off food whilst working and also free drinks on shift so no need to worry about bringing in your own food. - in general, all of the staff are very lovely and friendly. - holidays are usually not an issue i’ve always had mine accepted.
Cons
- during rush hour it can be very overwhelming as you have to multitask - breaks: under 6 hours =15 mins over 6 hours = only 30?! - customers are not always the nicest so you have to have thick skin sometimes. - ‘costa check’ can place a big stress on the employees. - requires alot of physical movement so you will be smelling of coffee by the time you get home - tips are shared very rarely i only got tips twice in the whole 3 years working there which was about £30 each time. - we are only closed on christmas day, so that being said you are required to either work through the christmas period or new years, you cannot have both off at the same time due to it being such a busy period
- 4.02 Dec 2023BaristaCurrent Employee, more than 1 yearLoughborough, England
Pros
- Pay is high for the job type - Wonderful fellow staff
Cons
- Treated like garabage by the general population - Often too much to do - Scolded for small mistakes - Understaffed - Trial by fire/ no initial training - Shifts are terribly scheduled, often working close then open
- 3.028 Nov 2023Cashier/BaristaFormer Employee
Pros
I love working as a barista and have done so for several years. Customer facing role.
Cons
Had to wear plasters to cover piercings. Lazy management who did less work than even a barista. Had me training up new supervisors as a barista, even when they were getting paid several pounds an hour more than me, and I had to do three times as much work.
- 2.013 Nov 2023BaristaCurrent Employee, more than 1 year
Pros
Barista team is very lovely
Cons
Management is horrendous No care for staff working for them Many customers are inappropriate Management is sexist No consideration for needing time off for the death of a family member No consideration for sick leave No sick pay Management will change rotas at the last minute and not tell you Will change your rota in the middle of your shift Will schedule you into protected days off for college and expect you to work No regard for staff moral or mental health No regard for food hygiene policies No regard for the safety off staff If a problem isn’t affecting the manager it isn’t a problem
- 5.04 Dec 2023Cashier/BaristaFormer EmployeeWeston-super-Mare, England
Pros
They are fair employers and I enjoyed my time there
Cons
It was part time I just got on with it
- 2.03 Dec 2023Barista Maestro SkilledFormer Employee, more than 1 yearWilmslow, England
Pros
Decent hours and slightly higher pay then other retail jobs
Cons
Seems to be a problem in Costas all around that the shops are consistently understaffed and the company is insistent on constantly cutting costs.
- 3.04 Dec 2023BaristaFormer EmployeeLondon, England
Pros
free drinks on shift , 50% off when off shift, lots of holiday days
Cons
lack of benefits in terms of bank holiday pay , always understaffed
Costa Reviews FAQs
Costa has an overall rating of 3.4 out of 5, based on over 3,802 reviews left anonymously by employees. 53% of employees would recommend working at Costa to a friend and 39% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.
53% of Costa employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated Costa 2.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.1 for culture and values and 3.0 for career opportunities.