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Starbucks barista shares text from boss that made her quit immediately

A Starbucks barista quit just days after her boss asked her to change the day she put her dog down, out of fear the team would be short.

American college student and former barista Auralee Smith, 21, had worked at Starbucks for two years before the text message exchange with her boss forced her to quit.

Back in July, Ms Smith shared screenshots of the exchange to Twitter which left people shocked and led to one person branding it as "callous".

Ms Smith started off the message to her boss by apologising, saying she was going to try and find someone else to cover her shift on Sunday.

"I have to put my dog down on Saturday night and I will be an absolute mess. She's my best friend," Ms Smith said over text.

Auralee Smith quit her job at Starbucks after her manager suggested she put her beloved dog down on a different day. Source: Insider
Auralee Smith quit her job at Starbucks after her manager suggested she put her beloved dog down on a different day. Source: Insider

She told her boss she was just letting them know she would be texting her colleagues to see if someone could help her out.

Her boss seemingly thought the solution was to find another day for Ms Smith and her family to put their beloved dog Gandy down.

Gandy was a rescue dog and Ms Smith's family adopted her when she was eight years old. When the vet discovered she had cancer, given her age, it was decided putting her down would be best, Insider reported.

"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," the boss said over text.

"Is there a way you could do it on a night where you don't work the next day?"

Auralee Smith quit her job after the text message exchange with her manager. Source: Getty Images, file
Auralee Smith quit her job after the text message exchange with her manager. Source: Getty Images, file

Ms Smith responded by saying she understood this was inconvenient and promised she would find someone to cover her shift so she could grieve. She also put in her two weeks notice.

"It's the family dog and she's very sick and it's what my family has decided to do. I can't reschedule when I put my dog down for Starbucks," she responded.

"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."

Former employee hits out at Starbucks

Ms Smith told Insider she was taken aback by her manager's response and her asking to change the day her family put Gandy to rest.

While she wasn't surprised by her manager's response, she did not blame her. She said Starbucks staff were overworked and underappreciated.

People were disgusted by the manager's response, with many saying it should be the manager's job to fill the roster should such a devastating issue arise.

A spokesperson for Starbucks told Insider the company does offer personal days and sick leave for staff.

"The health and wellbeing 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," the spokesperson reportedly said.

The spokesperson questioned Ms Smith's recount of the incident and shared her resignation with Insider, in which she thanked the manager for her time with the company.

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