Starbucks - no thanks!
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Anonymous
| Drivethru |
Anonymous
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OP, you're right to be very concerned. There were 56 infections (as of Aug. 26) directly contact-traced to ONE Starbucks over a period of just a few hours on one day. This was in South Korea but the lesson applies everywhere. Here's one article about it, but this was widely covered -- however, not widely enough, or those baristas at your location might have known that wearing masks is vital for workers: https://www.businessinsider.com/56-got-coronavirus-south-korea-starbucks-mask-wearers-did-not-2020-8?op=1 You can look up other coverage of it. Having people sitting IN the Starbucks is crazy. The example above shows that these relatively small shops' ventilation systems will absolutely spread the virus to many of those inside if even one person has the virus. You cannot drink or eat with a mask on so anyone sitting inside a coffee shop (or restaurant) is at real risk if just one person inside has the virus and the ventilation blows air over that person and toward others in the room. This isn't "anxiety" or "fear" talking; this is basic science. OP, please, for everyone's sake including that of the baristas themselves -- report this to whoever is appropriate and complain very vociferously and in writing too, to Starbucks corporate as well as the individual location. ONLY if those of us who take the virus seriously report these lapses, will things even remotely start to change. To the PP who complained about putting low-wage workers out of jobs: They'll be out of jobs anyway if they get sick enough. And they have huge risk of exposure if they are unmasked or improperly masked and serving crowds of customers. Complaining about the situation OP saw actually helps, not harms, these workers. |
Anonymous
has everything to do with it. "Karen is a pejorative term used in the United States and other English-speaking countries for a woman perceived as entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is appropriate or necessary. A common stereotype is that of a white woman who uses her privilege to demand her own way at the expense of others" |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
| ^^ I remember that the Starbucks at 7th and Penn was actually remodeled last year (pre-covid) specifically to make it better for the to-go/app ordering crowd. So Starbucks corporate clearly categorizes its stores and knows the kind of business they do, and can make changes accordingly. |
Anonymous
My kid’s “cohort” is 20 kids plus 6 different teachers a day. They don’t wear masks while eating. I’m sure a 5 minute Starbucks trip is “safer.” |
Anonymous
We go to a Starbucks in Bethesda that has been very safe, but recently we've noticed people lingering at tables. The store is very narrow. It's not the customers who are at risk in this situation. It's the employees. I feel awful for employees who have to deal with maskless people who park themselves in a chair. Think beyond your own risk. |
Anonymous
| The pickup area at the Starbucks I went to this weekend was a little too crowded, too. The problem is that they keep the drinks behind the plexiglass, which is good because it means everyone in the world is not touching each cup to find the name, but it's bad because the baristas have to hand it to you, and they're busy doing 100 other things. It took a while to flag one down, and meanwhile everyone is standing there waiting. |
Anonymous
| Starbucks sucks to begin with. Definitely contact the health department. |
Anonymous
| Instead of Starbucks, I recommend Ebenezers Coffeehouse in DC. Very clean, very diligent staff - I'm a fan. The best, plus interesting pastries. |
Anonymous
| Stay home and make your own damn coffee. |