The Grossest Things People Do At Starbucks, According To Baristas
I don't know about you, but I feel like the public is unhinged these days. People are playing music without headphones on the subway, taking off their shoes and laying their dirty feet on your armrest on the airplane, and overall, just behaving badly when out and about. Let's get it under control, people! It seems that people are pushing the limits of what they can get away with when out in the big, wide world, and I'm not here for it.
And don't get me started on restaurant etiquette. Customers being rude to waitstaff? Big no. In fact, customers should be on their best behavior no matter where they are—and that includes Starbucks. For many people, hitting up their local Starbs is a daily ritual. And as a place of worship (caffeine worship, that is), you should not do anything to sully it up for other customers. Baristas and fellow consumers share some of the grossest things you can do when getting your daily fix.
Sharing With Man's Best Friend
Don't get me wrong—I'm certainly not anti-sharing. If my bestie is trying out Starbucks' latest viral creation, I might just try a sip out of her cup. But one worker was horrified to see a customer sharing a pup cup with his dog. They claimed that they witnessed "a dude sharing a pup cup with his dog at the drive-thru…licking the same whipped cream." Let's keep it sanitary and keep the sharing within the same species.
Personal Grooming
On a Reddit thread where employees shared their customer horror stories, a common trend, disgustingly, was that many of them have seen customers clipping their nails while sipping on a mocha. "Someone cut their toenails in our lobby, & didn't pick up the shrapnel," commented one worker. "We also had a regular who’d clip his fingernails and toe nails in our cafe," wrote another. Save your grooming for home. No one wants to hear, see, or deal with your discarded nails, please and thank you. And that goes for any grooming, for that matter.
Not Washing Your Hands After You Use The Restroom
I mean, this should honestly go without saying, but it has been known to happen. "I would constantly see men walk into the bathroom, flush after less than a minute, then walk right back out. No washing their hands, even after probably holding themselves to pee," commented one barista. Not only should you be doing this every time you use the restroom in general, but especially in a place where there's food. Gross.
Stirring Your Drink With Your Finger
By the time you hit up your local Starbucks, you've likely taken local transportation or gotten your hands all over your car's steering wheel, opened the door, and gotten all sorts of bacteria on your hands—even if you washed them before leaving the house. There are straws and sticks specifically available for stirring your drink, so there's literally no need to dunk your dirty finger in to get the job done.
Bringing Your Drink Into The Bathroom
Look, I get it. You might not want to leave your drink unattended to get up and use the restroom. But plenty of workers behind the counter can happily keep an eye on your drink while you do your business. One barista couldn't get over the time a woman ordered a frappuccino "and then proceeded to take it, straw unwrapped and already sipping on it, into the bathroom with her...Like girl, you could have used the restroom while waiting for your drink??😭 do you knooow what happens when you flush the toilet? You literally have a sh***y frappuccino now," one person shared.
Drinking From Someone Else's Drink
As one Starbucks barista shared on Reddit, one time they witnessed this: "A lady picked up a drink that wasn’t hers and drank from it...then afterward looked in his direction, didn’t say anything just put it back and motioned for me to lean in close to say 'I drank from that guys drink by accident.'" If you accidentally take a drink that isn't yours, this is not the right way to handle it. Please don't put it back for the other customer to pick up. Instead, let the barista know and maybe offer to buy them a new one.
Letting Your Kids Touch Everything
We all know kids can sometimes run wild. But when you're at a place like Starbucks, you better keep an eye on them—after all, they do tend to get their hands on everything. Case in point: "We have those 'splash sticks' you can put in your hot drink to stop it from spilling. This child proceeded to grab a stick, suck on it, and put it back. When I pointed out what had just happened to the parent, they shrugged their shoulders," recalled one employee. As a general rule of thumb, if you touch it, you take it. Don't put it back for others once it's contaminated.
Putting Your Used Lid On The Counter
It's common to receive your steaming hot beverage and add a splash of creamer or a sprinkle of cinnamon. But when you take your lid off your drink, don't just place it on the counter willy-nilly. People meander in and out all day, running their hands along the countertops, spilling drinks, and essentially getting germs on the surface. Instead, keep a hold on your lid or use a napkin to prevent it from picking up unwanted bacteria.
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