I Hate Starbucks

I Hate Starbucks

A cranky opinion for

CRANKY OPINION SATURDAY

The following is the opinion of a cranky old man with no expertise in the topic opined.  Opposing opinions are welcome, but they are wrong.  As always, please, no name calling, and that means you, you big stupid-head! 

I hate Starbucks.  I hate Starbucks because their coffee is too strong.

I hate Starbucks because it is so damn expensive.

I hate Starbucks because Starbucks is young and hip and I am old and cranky.

Is that a fair reason to hate Starbucks? Maybe not, still, I hate Starbucks.

Because I hate Starbucks, it pains me to come to their defense.

Starbucks is in the news lately because they called the police on two men who were doing nothing wrong while in one of their establishments. 

It seems two men entered this establishment and asked to use the rest room.  They were told only paying customers could use the restroom.  The two men then hung around the restaurant apparently waiting for someone.  They were asked to leave, they refused, the manager called the police and they were arrested tor trespassing.

The men that were arrested were African American and this has become a racial incident.  The manager was fired.  The CEO of Starbucks is apologizing all over the place and has even met with the two men to ask their help in resolving the issue and assist in ending systematic racism in Starbuck’s corporate culture.

Now I am thinking, I have gone into a McDonalds many times while traveling and used the bathroom without asking.  Most times I still bought lunch, but not always.  Their bathrooms are always open.  The fact these men asked to use the bathroom tells me the room is locked.

If they are locked it suggests to me that these restrooms have been misused in the past by non-patrons.  Maybe they were damaged, maybe the homeless used them to bathe, maybe they were used to take drugs…who knows, but it seems to me that it should be an establishment’s right to not have open bathrooms for anyone to use at the possible detriment to their paying customers.

I also don’t know why anyone would be allowed to take up a table in a restaurant and not purchase anything.  I would never walk into a restaurant and ask for a table for two, and then not order anything.

“No thanks, we’re just waiting for a friend and then we’re leaving.”

If I wanted to use the bathroom and then wait for a friend and was told I needed to be a paying customer, I would buy a cup of coffee.  Most people would buy a cup of coffee.  Anyone who just refused to buy anything or leave is suspicious to me.

Apparently Starbucks is a known place to sip coffee and dawdle, work on your computer, kill time between appointments etc.; but at least, buy a cup of coffee.

Is Starbucks racist?  Not for this incident. 

I have read claims that white people have used this same Starbucks without purchasing anything.  If white people are using the restroom and not buying anything, if white people are hanging around just killing time without buying anything and they are not given the bum’s rush, then yeah, Starbucks is racist. 

But, you ask, “Even if the white people are polite and these African Americans gentlemen copped an attitude?” 

Hell yes, white people would cop an attitude too if based on previous experiences they had reason to believe they were being discriminated against. 

Starbucks should kick out anyone, white or black who is just loitering. If they discriminate and allow whites to dawdle without buying anything then they are racist and I hate Starbucks. 

If they assert this policy equally, then they are not racist.

I still hate Starbucks because their coffee is too strong, it is so damn expensive, and because I am old and Starbucks is young and hip.

The preceding was the opinion of a cranky old man, and not necessarily that of management…Mrs. Cranky.