How to anger a conservative at Starbucks

[vercetti2021]

Step one. Have a bumper sticker on your car that reads. Worst president ever.

Step two. Order a coffee that has to be poured over.

Step three. Let said asshole in the truck behind you make a fool of himself by turning on his brights as a scare tactic while yelling he's still president sir!

Step four. Laugh your ass off as loud as possible.

Fifth and final step. Get your dark roast deliciousness and drive away with the middle finger salute as you enjoy.

Yes this all happened within the past hour.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. You're taking your life in your hands! And I don't blame you one little bit, either.

It feels good, doesn't it?

[vercetti2021]

10. Nope lol

He opened his mouth first. I said don't care buddy and gave him the salute. Then he turned his brights on and that's when I laughed.

[Marie Marie]

11. Oh no - the high beams. Guess he showed you.

[vercetti2021]

19. Yep lol

But as Ms Toad pointed out. I didn't think of the employee serving me and I hope he didn't take it out on her.

[Atticus]

2. Well done, sir! nt

[vercetti2021]

9. Thank you lol

Lol makes my coffee any more delicious

[tavernier]

3. You are amazing!

You can drink coffee at 11 o’clock at night and still sleep?

[vercetti2021]

8. Coffee wakes me up lol

But it doesn't keep me awake lol I drink it to enjoy the lovely taste

[brooklynite]

4. "Get your dark roast deliciousness"

I'm confused; I thought you said Starbucks...

[vercetti2021]

6. I did!

Dark roast coffee is what I got!

[Jeebo]

5. I want one of those "Worst President Ever" bumper stickers.

Can you tell me where to get one?

A few months ago I was in the drive-through lane at Taco Bell and a bumper sticker on the car ahead of me said:

ONE OF THREE TRUMP SUPPORTERS
ARE JUST AS STUPID AS THE OTHER TWO

I was a copy editor for a newspaper (retired now), and I am resisting the impulse to comment about the subject-verb disagreement, but anyway, I laughed, and laughed, and then yelled out my window at her, "Hey! I love your bumper sticker!" She yelled back, "Thank you!"

And then I laughed some more.


-- Ron

[vercetti2021]

7. Cafe press!

It's a magnet sticker lol they have a ton for cheap

[Ms. Toad]

12. Just remember,

people like my daughter work at Starbucks.

Their workload has increased, customers are cranky, and they are short-staffed.

Because they are trying to protect both their workers and you, they are cutting hours. My daughter has to work a 6 AM - 1 PM shift tomorrow (and every day this week) because it is the only shift available. Because two people in her store have had secondary symptoms (e.g. loss of taste or smell), not only is that person prohibited from working for 2 weeks, but so is everyone who worked with them within the 24 hours prior to experienceing these symptoms prohibited from working. There is only one supervisory staff not prohibited from working (due to two such incidents) - which means that the store will be open a maximum of 40 hours/week for the next two weeks - and likely short-staffed.

So the jerk you just pissed off sees my daughter right after you leave- and Starbucks requires masks, so it is highly likely that the asshole will take out his anger on her.

Is the abuse of my daughter (and others like her trying to do the best she can to pay her bills) worth the momentary pleasure?

[RussellCattle]

13. Good point. Go the exra mile and thank people for continuing to work...

...for the public and tip generously.

[Ms. Toad]

22. My daughter appreciates the tips!

She went from a $12/hour job as a manager (when the company went bankrupt) to a $10/hour job at Starbucks - on March 1, just before they started shutting down. So far, she's been earning enough in tips to make up the difference in hourly rate - and she's been able to pick up shifts because she is willing to drive to work at other stores. So her pay has not really decreased so far.

Althouth it is decreasing this week. Stricter COVID rules mean that the store hours are decreased, so she's barely at 25 hours this week.

[GulfCoast66]

14. I see your point. But, respectfully, can't agree.

So we are supposed to meekly not respond to deplorable people because they might be deplorable to someone else?

If I piss off a horrible person and they take it out on someone else, that not on me. Butthe asshole who is a horrible person.

That said, I have never and will never flip anyone off. When they do to me I just wave and smile. Which actually makes them more angry.

Have a nice evening.

[vercetti2021]

17. I can agree

Like I wasn't going to let it that slide and I'm the type that will rebuttal. I hope the worker didn't get lip from that guy.

[Ms. Toad]

20. The OP specifically linked it to Starbucks

I was not responding - generally. I was responding to specific situation which seemed to delight in pissing off a conservative in a specific situation that I happen to be familiar with - and I know the grief my daughter gets whe you/the OP does that.

I also know the stress she is under. She has to interact with a new customer approximately once every 5 minutes. These customers may well be angry about life - in general. But anyone with half a brain knows that many conservatives are angry about about masks. So the next person they see after you piss them off in Starbucks is my daughter wearin a mask. She would wear one anyway - but she is required to wear one by her employee (regardless of state requirements).

So if you want to piss them off, generally, have at it. But in this situation - when the next person they encounter - because of the situation - is my daughter, I find it offensive.

You may be unaware - Starbucks paid all employees (whether they worked or not during any state-wide closures) the average number of hours they worked before closures. They also paid those actually working a $3/hour bonus. When the shut-downs ended, they treated their employees better - as to hard employment choices - than my employer (a state university did). I was informed via the local newspaper that I was getting a 4% pay raise. My daughter was given options, personally informed of those options, and Starbucks went out of their way to make all options attractive so that they could (in most circumstances) allow each employee the option they chose. Further - now that they are requiring employees to stay at home if they worked a shift with an employee who had secondary symptos, they are paying all those employees as if they worked.

[vercetti2021]

15. You make a solid point

And I sincerely hope that wasn't the case for the worker that served me tonight. I left her a nice tip also because they do work hard. But was it worth it? To me it was because I have no tolerance for these people and he opened his mouth first. I just simply rebutted.

I pray for your daughters good health as she works and stays safe.

[Ms. Toad]

21. My daughter has been receiving higher than average tips -

So far as we can tell.

She started working at Starbucks (after her last employee went bankrupt) on March 1. So she was just barely trained before the shut-downs started. She was earning $12/hour as a manager at her prior place of employment, and was cut to $10/hour at Starbucks. Her tips seem to average more than $2/hours - at least through the peak of the crisis. (I know I was leaving larger than average tips, and it seems others were, as well.)

She came down with a fever shortly after starting and, at that time, they allowed her to return to work after being asymptomatic for 1 week (which happened 9 days later).

It's brutal work - but from what I see second-hand, Starbucks is doing the best it can to protect its employees. Masks were required early on. More recently some had to take leave without pay, but Starbucks paid the health insurance premiums in full for 120 days.

So far, she's managed to stay safe, but it is nerve wracking - she has two autoimmune diseases (one a liver disease), and if you look at the CDC guidance, that puts her at extremely high risk. But (you may or may not know this), Starbucks provides fantastic health insurance as long as you work an average of 25 hours per week. (Dropped to 20 hours per week during this crisis).

All those things help - but it is still a very stressful job (and much more so currently).

[vercetti2021]

26. I can agree with that

I work as a stocker for a cola company and I have to work long hours with a mask at all times. Mandatory by the state of Texas and about time too. But I've dealt with blow back from random customers giving me stares and muttering horrible stuff when they walk by.

Stress comes with any job in this era now. I can imagine working for less is quite painful and at a Starbucks on top of that where it seems a lot of people get so angry over getting the wrong order. I again pray for her and wish her well and safety during this time.

[rpannier]

27. I thought the OP took place in a drive-thru

Do Starbucks require people buying something in a drive-thru wear masks?

[Ms. Toad]

29. All employees are requried to wear masks.

So when the mad conservative sees my daughter (wearing a mask, as required) it gives him an excuse to go off on her.

[orleans]

36. i totally understand

but don't forget that it all started with a bumper sticker on the poster's car. s/he can't really help that unless they remove it

[Ms. Toad]

37. I was mostly responding to the gleeful

I made someone mad which started with a bumper sticker, then making the person behind wait longer (which likely also is just part of their routine), and ended with giving them the middle finger.

A reminder about the unintended consequences might minimize the tendency to escalate a situation just for the joy of making a conservative mad, without thinking about who might bear the brunt of that anger.

[orleans]

38. has your daughter said anything about

people not wearing masks?

(i'm thinking they aren't allowed inside the store yet but i'm wondering how people generally are behaving in the drive thru. the past couple of times i'm passing by a starbucks i'm thinking a coffee frap would be great but then i see the line of cars waiting to order and i think: nope, not happening today)

[Ms. Toad]

40. It depends on the state.

In her store (in Ohio), the stores are open both to order and for a limited amount of seating. Ohio requires employee masks, but not customer masks.

Maybe a third of the indoor customers wear masks and pay attention to the traffic flow/distancing marks.

Behavior is reasonable - but since all of the traffic was going through the drive-through from March through mid-June work was non-stop from the moment she arrived until she left - and they were serving essentially the same number of customers with fewer staff (since they weren't staffing the counter). There isn't the lull between customers that occurs naturally when customers are hanging out in the store all day - sort of a break position since the counter had less constant traffic than the others. And, for a while, they were one of the only games in town. Her store stayed open when both other stores closed - and other Starbucks branches stores closed.

People who aren't used to drive-through aren't always sure how to order - and get cranky about being asked for additional information (or cranky when their order isn't prepared as expected). There are also some funny notes. One person printed out their order in super-size text - trying to make it easier, thinking he could hold it up to the camera - but he didn't quite know where the camera was - and the view from inside is really too small to read anyway. But he was apparently inching forward and back to try to get his order in the camera.

The main customer issue is customers being oblivious. When the store first opened up for anyone to go into the store, only one person at a time was allowed to go in, and only to pick up mobile or delivery orders. My practice was to do a mobile order from my car then go in and pick it up. So I'd go to the clearly marked 6' spots on the sidewalk (with the sign announcing only one person inside the store). Every single time I did that, while I waiting for the customer ahead of me, someone barged right past me into the store and got pissed when they were told to leave. Most were trying to go in to order (again - the clearly marked signs said mobile or delivery only).

It's wearing to try to enforce the rules and social distancing - and the constant knowlege that they are exposed to roughly a customer every 5 minutes if they are working the drive-through window is hard. They barely have enough staff who are not experiencing symptoms (or who have not worked with a staff experiencing symptoms) to keep the store open this week.

[orleans]

45. wow -- thanks for the insight

i'm in illinois & just looked up the guidelines from illinois dept. of health:

"Who is required to wear a face covering? Executive Order 2020-32 requires any person over 2 years of age to wear a face covering when in a public place and unable to maintain a 6-foot social distance. Face coverings also are required in public indoor spaces, such as grocery or drug stores. Exceptions may be made for individuals with medical conditions or disabilities that prevent them from safely wearing a face covering."

and

"Can a store or business turn me away if I do not have a face covering?
Yes. A store or business can prohibit you from entering the building if you do not have a face covering. However, if you have a medical condition or disability that prevents you from safely wearing a face covering, then you should speak with a store employee about a reasonable accommodation to help you obtain the services you need without endangering your health or the health of other shoppers. "

i am one of the mask wearers. (because i'm not stupid or inconsiderate.)

i've gone into a couple gas stations and, in spite of their signs telling customers about the illinois executive order for wearing masks, i have seen several inside without masks including a young e.m.t. which really pissed me off. my single trip inside a hardware store for ant traps landed me in the same aisle with a guy around 60 yrs old with no mask. my single trip to the grocery store was fine.

i asked the woman at the hardware store check out what they can do if customers aren't wearing masks. she asked her supervisor on the intercom (so the dickhead could hear) and the sup. said "we can't do anything." which is too bad b/c it puts their employees and other customers at risk--and the owner of the store definitely has the option of refusing service to those people. but i'm guessing they don't want to alienate the few customers they have left (thanks to home depot and the like).

hope your daughter remains safe and healthy.

[Tipperary]

16. He called you sir?

Well, I guess that is something lol. I hope you gave the employee at the window a heads up that there was a nutcase behind you.

[vercetti2021]

18. Sadly I did not

My coffee was only 2.82. But I gave her a ten to keep. So hopefully that covered for any crap that guy might have given her

[Ms. Toad]

23. FYI - Starbucks pools tips

So the extra $7.18 was divided between everyone working that day, based on the number of hours they worked.

(But thanks!! I've been doing the same thing. Most of my "purchases" are with stars but I try to tip in the amount of the I would have paid - or higher)

[vercetti2021]

24. I do apologize though

Like I didn't consider the employee that had to deal with the person. I just have no tolerance for those people that gotta open their mouth. Bad trait I have to rebuttal like how my mom does. I inherited it.

[Ms. Toad]

28. I'm only acutely aware of it

because of my daughter's involuntary change of employment.

I hear the grief she occasionally gets - but I also now get a glimse of how Starbucks works (I'm jealous - I was told I got a 4% pay cut via the local newspaper - she is treated far better, and had far better health insurance and benfits than I do with my three post-secondary degrees working at the local university).

I also now have some answers that make me even more impressed. Prior to her working there, I got the January refill mug. (It is likely that Starbucks intentional practices of chatting up customers led me to be comforttable enough to network on her behalf when her company went bankrupt and she was looking for new employment.)

But when I went in for my daily refill during January, I noticed someone who was fairly obviously homeless and mentally ill there nearly every day. Everyone seemed happy he was there - and he always had coffee. I wondered how he afforded it. Turns out Starbucks just gives it to him (water or coffee, as much as he wants), and occasionally customers buy gift cards for him.

It was clear he was welcome to hang out there as long as he wanted, but since my daughter started working there I've learned that he is just part of the family, so to speak.

[Demovictory9]

25. lol

[AdamGG]

30. When the response to "Worst president ever" is

"he's still president", isn't that a tacit admission that he is, in fact, the worst president ever?

[Beartracks]

31. Right!? Soon I guess we'll also need "Worst ex-president ever" bumperstickers. n/t

[AdamGG]

33. "First incarcerated ex-President" would be nice

[pecosbob]

32. My thought is that conservatives are angry by definition and need no help remaining so.

It may give one a vicarious thrill to twist the Devil's tail but is self-defeating in the long run.

[vercetti2021]

34. I'm different

Like twisting the tail doesn't defeat me long as it shuts them up. He thought turning on his brights was gonna phase me. They didn't. I have no tolerance for these people anymore.

[pecosbob]

41. I've worked retail every day of the pandemic at a counter seeing perhaps a thousand people a day

I've been dealing with customers giving me flack for my company mandated protective wear for three months now, some even going full-on 1st or 2nd amendment whacko on me. I'm trying to be more zen-like in my approach lately, if only for my own peace of mind. Be safe!

[TheBlackAdder]

35. Why this is legit: Starbucks only sells that nasty & rank Pukes Place at night, requiring pour overs

Pikes Place

[vercetti2021]

43. Pikes place?

Not sure what you mean.

[TheBlackAdder]

44. Pikes Place is just a vile coffee, yet they try hard to make it the default.

.

I actually saw the typo as Pukes Place, tried to edit it, and when I did, I typed in Pukes Place a second time.

So I kept it. There must have been a reason why I subconsciously entered it twice.

.

[vercetti2021]

46. Well it wasn't too bad

I wish we had a Tim Horton's I would have gone there

[Sherman A1]

39. Yawn

Yeah, really showed ‘em there........

[vercetti2021]

42. Like in response to me or the guy behind me

The sticker was enough to piss him off lol