His age is important. How young can a Starbucks employee be? I think I remember working as a box boy at age 16. A bright, conscientious, introverted, pubescent kid in a tense situation with high social demands may find the experience overwhelming---added to the schedule anxiety, workload, and academic demands of attending college. Starbucks was probably convenient to also attending classes. Chances are good that he only has foot transportation and has to find jobs within, adjacent, or near to the campus. Probably there is a shortage of jobs fitting those requirements.

Boomers didn't ruin anything for anyone (excepting, of course, the creation of the contemporary Democratic Party). The economy was messed up due to (1) tenfold inflation from Boomer times, and (2) the death blow to small businesses dealt by the Covid shutdowns.