Starbucks staff deliberately ignore a woman and it's a GOOD THING

[Liberal_in_LA]

I write this in praise of every coffee shop where staff serve compassion as well as coffee.



In Redwood City, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley, a woman sits in Starbucks. She has no drink, no snack, no electronic device she’s working on, nothing to read. Her focus is inward. Her gaze, distant. Gray light falls on her shoulders from a picture window behind her. She fills the armchair as fallen leaves fill a hollow.


Beyond her child-bearing years, she wears op-shop clothes in layers and a knit hat curled up in the front like it was made out of dough. Her lined and weathered face bears a heavy frown.

Then she hears an electronic beep.

She comes alive, standing and scuttling over to check a mobile phone plugged into the wall. She nods, her eyes bright with a task accomplished. She gathers her charger and phone and walks straight out the door.

The staff, who said nothing to her as she waited without buying anything for more than an hour, do not look up.

Their inattention is deliberate. It is also a gift.

When you have no place to rest and little money, a coffee shop that permits you to visit its warm premises, use its free power or free Wi-Fi, that hands out cups of cold or hot water, is more than a resource. It’s a temporary sanctuary.

Along with public libraries, community centers and some museums, these cafes can provide a democracy of place for people who share our communities but simply do not have enough to live comfortable, secure lives.

----
I also like how Starbucks staff dealt – or didn’t deal – with the woman in Redwood City. They didn’t ask her to leave. Instead, there was recognition that no harm was being done and some good could be achieved with no effort from staff and tiny expense for the company. I have seen other baristas in other cafes deal with similar patience and wisdom as they serve needy customers.

http://stevenscottcrandell.tumblr.com/post/104431056002/room-at-the-inn

[Warpy]

1. I went to a lefty laundromat in Boston

that was always well stocked with stacks of People's Daily World and El Clarin. It was also a favorite place for the local homeless folks to sit and try to warm up in winter.

They never bothered me so I never bothered them. It would never occur to me to complain about anyone who wasn't being belligerent or obstructing access or aggressively panhandling.

People who are that down on their luck have few enough places to go.

Kudos to that Starbucks.

[daredtowork]

2. There is a lack of Public Spaces

People on welfare may not have a direct "cash" income. This might not be a short, temporary condition. They could be stuck in this situation for years if they are disabled and waiting through a lengthy SSI application/appeals process. Or perhaps you're on SSI or another fixed income and you simply have no money left over after the rent and bills are paid.

A few weeks in your place of dwelling may be fine, but then cabin fever starts to set in.

You need to be out in the community to form social bonds with people, to have a "safety net" for when you need help, to "network" for jobs, to just to have conversation with other people and maintain your sanity. If the GOP wants women to get married so badly, where are they supposed to meet that husband if they are trapped at home? (oh yeah, church).

Well anyway...the public library is just about the last public space left. And you aren't supposed to talk there. Librarians themselves aren't that thrilled with having to serve as the general community center.

It would be nice to build more community centers, but I think existing coffee shops can also do the job. IMHO, "secret santas" could aid people on welfare - and help local business - by distributing gift cards for coffee shops. LOTS of gift cards, so people who exist at a poverty level could be getting out and socializing and staying integrated with the community while they try to change their situation. Just a thought.

(That's a big hint to YOU, Berkeley! If you can sponsor free marijuana, you can sponsor free coffee!!!)

[RufusTFirefly]

7. +1 Totally agree. And a cafe is not a public space

I think it's wonderful that the Redwood City baristas showed some compassion. But let's face it: Starbucks is not a public space. The dynamic is very different. When you go to a public space, you are entitled to be there. On the other hand, when you go to a cafe, you may or may not be permitted to stay there. There's a power relationship. People with money rank higher than people without. This is profoundly undemocratic. Public spaces are democratic. Private spaces, even when they take on a quasi-public character, are not. Luckily, compassionate people sometimes bridge this gap. But public should never been confused with, or replaced by, private.

[daredtowork]

11. In Berkeley there are Green Shirt "Ambassadors"

These are used as a quasi-police force to clear out the "undesirables". And if someone is being disruptive, the police will come as well. But we do have a mix of problems here: homeless people, people verging on homelessness, people with a serious drug problem, some people who come to Berkeley just for the "lifestyle" (I've heard claims that some are just kids being "homeless" for the weekend, but who knows...)...the upshot is there is no way to make a generalization about the situation in Berkeley and when people try to slap a label on the homelessness problem here, they end up wronging some part of that population.

What I can say is there is a large part of the population on edge about imminent displacement because of the volatile rent situation. It's way beyond "fixed incomes" now.

[KamaAina]

29. WTF?

[calimary]

9. Dang! REALLY like that Secret Santa idea, daredtowork!

LIKE IT!!! And it's so easy to do. Because those gift cards might enable someone who doesn't have enough to eat - to get hot coffee or tea and a little treat or something. They do sell food items at Starbucks too.

[daredtowork]

10. Then may I suggest some venues

Berkeley Drop-in Center

Homeless Action Center (Berkeley)

LongLife medical clinics

Center for Independent Living

Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency (BOSS)

I'd recommend picking up a list of places for free meals/services from the Berkeley Public Library, and that will provide a guide for where to distribute free coffee cards.

[calimary]

12. Yeah. Good suggestions. We need it here in SoCal too.

Maybe at and around the Union Rescue Mission in downtown L.A.? Wonder if they have anything like that at one of the public libraries around here?

[murielm99]

21. Some libraries have had problems when large

numbers of homeless people start coming in. It can become difficult to serve the regular patrons. I once worked in a library where the administrator had no compassion at all. We had to ask the homeless to leave after a short period of time.

When I ran a library, we had some homeless. I got to know them, and we developed an understanding. I did not kick them out. I developed a relationship with some of the churches in the area, too, so that we could provide some other resources for people when they needed them. This was informal and done quietly. I had a couple of board members who would have had them arrested if they had known what I was doing.

[yuiyoshida]

3. I have seen this kind of thing at the

West Portal area Star bucks, (San Francisco) there are several homeless who stay in the parking lot near by and many will come in on a cold foggy morning asking for hot water for a tea bag they purchased down the street. There is a place that sells tea and sometimes tea bags for 10 cents which many get from their pan handling at certain spots in that area. No one says anything and the hot water is free.. they are even allowed to sit and look at a newspaper for a little while without anyone getting uptight.

[Mr.Bill]

4. I'm glad they treated her well.

A smart retailer knows that just because someone isn't spending money there today, they may in the future.

[TBF]

5. Well, it's not bad -

but as a society we need to think about actually caring for our least fortunate. Not simply putting up with them when they show up (understanding that repugs would kick her to the curb, but merely tolerating is not enough either).

[Curmudgeoness]

18. That was my first thought as well.

I do think that it was a good thing for them to let her stay without getting the "bum's rush" out the door. It cannot be said too often that most places would not have let her stay.

But when these people are not being chased away, they are being treated as if they are invisible. Sometimes, just a smile, a kind word, an offer of a cup of coffee, would be enough to make them feel as if they are human again....because too many homeless people are not treated as if they are human, with feelings and childhood dreams unrealized.

[C Moon]

20. nice!

[GGJohn]

6. Kudos to Starbucks and the baristas for their kindness towards this down on her luck woman.

Too few establishments will allow this and I applaud any company that will accomodate the less fortunate in our society.

[malaise]

8. Thanks for this

You post some really nice threads Liberal_in_LA

[cannondale]

13. North Ave, Pittsburgh coffee shop is wonderful for this and more

We were there a month ago and watched as people came in with a hamburger and/or hotdog and a can of Coke, sat down, ate, maybe gabbed with others, warmed up and left. They were welcomed even though they never bought anything.

We're pretty sure the food was from a local food vendor or pantry. Very interesting.

[mrmpa]

23. From one Pittsburgher to another...welcom to DU...eom

[CaliforniaPeggy]

14. A big, fat K&R!

[mcar]

15. One of the reasons I like Panera Bread

is its Panera Cares stores. I ate in one inBoston a few years ago - paid a bit more for my meal and saw several homeless or down on their luck citizens come in and get a free meal. A wonderful, compassionate way to help those in need.

[RufusTFirefly]

16. Most people are fair and compassionate. Most corporations are not.

That's because "Corporations aren't people, my friend."

[NJCher]

19. ROFLOL

That picture is perfect to go with that statement!



Cher

[Enthusiast]

24. +1

[randome]

17. It's amazing to me how some people denigrate ALL Starbucks or ALL anything of a chain store.

Different locations, different people. Starbucks is neither good nor evil because...it's not a human being. The people operating them, however...
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Where do uncaptured mouse clicks go?[/center][/font][hr]

[C Moon]

22. Off the topic a bit: when I lived in Pasadena, California,

We would roll the recycle bins out to the street for city pickup. Some folks would sift through the recycle cans and in the process leave garbage and broken glass on the street and sidewalk.

I called to ask the City of Pasadena about this (I was concerned because we would walk our dogs and drive our car in that area where the broken glass was)...the city employee responded: "Well, that's more of a social issue."

I was actually impressed with his reply, and felt pretty low for asking about it.

[stevenleser]

25. Not to mention, in NYC Starbucks allows the public use of its restrooms.

In case anyone reading this doesn't know, that is a big deal here.

[mitch96]

26. Amazing in Fla

A local sports bar I frequent here in Hollweird did an amazing thing this past summer. A homeless man came it ask to use the rest room. Bartender said ok, much to the chagrin of some of the wait staff. When he came out he asked if he could have a glass of water, which the bartender gave him..It was 92º and very humid outside. The gent drank it, said thank you and left. What amazes me is this little joint is a jock hangout but everybody seems to be welcome. Gay's, bikers, old folks and young. Restores my faith in humanity.
Good wings too!!

m

[Javaman]

27. In our corporate obsessed nation...

It's nice to know that there are pockets of humanity.

[rep the dems]

28. Really like the way you framed this

Makes me feel better about being that guy sometimes But you're right, it's great of them to do this for people.

[KamaAina]

30. So there is a purpose for Starbux in the Bay Area after all

Those of us who are actually buying coffee tend to frequent Peet's, Philz or Blue Bottle instead.