Worker shortage plagues Gilbert coffee shop
GILBERT, Ariz. - A coffee shop in the East Valley had to close its doors for a shift due to staffing shortages.
Grabbing your morning cup of coffee is a ritual of sorts for many people, but that was not possible on Monday for customers at Sweetz Cold Brew Coffee in Gilbert. For the first time ever, owner Emily Barton had to close the doors for the morning shift because she did not have the staff to cover the shift.
"My 18-year-old daughter gets out at one o'clock, and she had to get out an hour early just so she could come open the shop at noon," said Barton.
Barton says a full staff for her is about 15, and she was down about four. On top of closing the doors for the first time, Barton also had a hard time with her mobile coffee shop.
"The coffee truck is out there, but we've had to cancel a couple of coffee truck stops because we don't have the employees to cover it," said Barton.
Barton says for smaller businesses, it is much harder to keep up when so many employers are looking to hire.
"A lot of large corporations that are paying $18 to $20 an hour, if you go to McDonald's and their rate is really high, that’s great. Good for McDonald's, but for the little guys, that's not feasible," said Barton.