Did you hear about the Barista's Decision to Enforce a Policy Goes Viral?

I would've made the exception. Sounded like she was either very immature or ... Well... That's about it. The Time of our Lives

Her approach was probably awful, and she was likely a complete bitch about it. HOWEVER... And this is going to be VERY unpopular I think....

Nobody.. Nobody, in a police uniform, military uniform, ANY uniform, should EVER expect to be allowed to be given any kind (even the smallest) special treatment for who they are or what they do for a living.

We see it in the city all the time, an officer will go into a store, grab a cup of coffee, and not pay for it - most of the time this is FINE, and it is arranged between store owner and officer - But if the owner does not want this kind of arrangement (and it is fully their right, as good or bad as we may think it is), that should not determine whether the store gets the same protection as other businesses in the area, or gets visited at or not. I'm sorry, but that's the reality of it, all feelings aside. It sucks, it's mean, it's not what I would do... BUT... It is what our country is founded on - freedom of oppression... and the expectation of special treatment, with any kind reprisal, even if that reprisal is not caring as much at one location over another IS oppression.

Granted, this girl was probably an idiot about it....

Just as I want everyone else to do their job, I just want police to do their job. I just want service members to do their job. I don't want any special acknowledgement, and I don't want to give any special favor to anyone. Your paid to serve and protect, serve and protect, and if the bathroom is for paying customers only in a busy urban environment, then abide by it! Plain and simple...

If you wear a uniform, at the end of the day, you did volunteer to wear it, nobody forced you, and 2) you're likely getting a paycheck and benefits, which are MORE THAN AMPLE most times if you're not blowing your money and living within your means...

My biggest problem with this whole thing is that it doesn’t appear that the police officer involved is a very good civil servant. He also seems really silly to trash an organization that pays taxes in your city, and thus pays your salary for enforcing a rule that they would’ve enforced on anybody else have they walked through the door. I also like that on top of all of it he decided to go ahead and insult the rest of the residents or taxpayers as he was walking out acting like one of them should have dumped out their coffee and offered him their cup. I guess a prudent civil servant who felt like he had been wronged and sat down and written a tasteful, and tactful letter to the manager, or the corporate headquarters explaining the situation, and also may be explaining that he walks a beat that doesn’t have a public restroom on it, he really depends on the generosity of Starbucks in the situation, and he often does buy coffee there he just wasn’t doing it this time he just needed to use the bathroom. I would bet a lot of money that situation would’ve been sorted out, but if that Starbucks loses a lot of business this can be hard feelings towards the police officers, who have already shown the day of hard feelings toward Starbucks.

Overall I can’t stand people who throw little pity parties for themselves. You also never know, maybe the woman was having a terrible day, or maybe she just talked to five different people who tried to use the bathroom to take a sink shower before they caught their connecting bus without buying anything, she did want to hear from anybody else that she allowed a police officer, but she doesn’t allow other people.

stupid minimum wage employees

COL Mikel J. Burroughs, I don't drink coffee at or from Starbucks. I sure won't patronize any of them now. We have one at our VA hospital in Houston.

I liked how the author of the article sidestepped any sort of opinion on who was right and rather addressed the issue of training employees about the "why" of a policy and empowering them to make judgments that may not be in support of the policy.

In addition to being an idiot, the barista had little to no situational awareness. Back in the day, I worked at Winchell's Donuts in a bad part of town near campus; often the night shift. I wanted police in the store. I did not want them to ever leave the store. I knew I was safer when they were in the store. They got refills on coffee and free donuts, even though free donuts were against company policy and department policy. While I never offered them "free donuts," I would ask them if, as a favor to me, they could try a couple and let me know how they are. And to be honest, it was not out of a sense of honor or respect. It was simply a matter of self preservation.