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C

Sadly, if nothing

changes, the barista

won’t make more money,

since the owner can’t

give more money given
the low profit of the

entire business.

Hardships of being a barista

Except for being emotionally hard, the job amplifies a
standard barista salary, that is more or less same around the
world: on average full-time barista will earn about 4000 RMB
per month (around 600 USD). In top tier city like Shanghai,
it reaches around 5500 RMB give higher living expenses,
some top baristas can earn up to 15000 RMB which is in the
upper middle-class range. However, in developing cities,
some baristas only earn as little as 3000 RMB. In Italy baris-
tas can earn the minimum wage of 1200 EUR which can
increase up to 2000 EUR depending on the skills, but hardly
any more due to the heavy taxation laws.
And so, the only solution to escape a lack of possi-
bilities is to change job/shop which allows the barista to
find new stimuli and see new faces and meet new people,
to take a break from the daily routine. Answering the
question if there is a solution between what baristas ask
and what most of the businesses can offer them, Jeremy
and Francesco see it differently. Jeremy feels like mutual
understanding of expectations of both parties is the key,
as those expectations should also include the long-term
goals and transparency. Francesco sees a bigger problem
in the level of salaries and suggest to raise the price of
coffee, especially in some areas in Europe. “Sadly, if noth-
ing changes, the barista won’t make more money, since
the owner can’t give more money given the low profit of
the entire business,” concludes Francesco.

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