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A pregnant woman is the very last person you should ever deny the use of a bathroom -- especially if she's in her third trimester. But Ilana Scheinker of Phoenix, who is just two weeks away from her due date, says her local Starbucks wasn't just being ridiculously rigid about its "bathroom is for paying customers only" policy, a barista wouldn't grant her the coveted restroom access code, even after her husband offered to buy "anything" in the store just so his wife could get some relief.
Like pretty much all pregnant women, Scheinker says she really needed to go, so she stopped into a Starbucks, hoping to use its restroom. She asked the Starbucks employer for the access code. He reportedly told her she had to buy something. When she protested that she was pregnant and REALLY had to use the bathroom NOW, he reportedly stuck to his guns about her forking over $1 million for a teeny cup of coffee.
No worries, Scheinker and her husband had no problem complying with the rule, she says, and her hubby even pulled a desperate man move: he gave his credit card to the worker and reportedly told him, "Charge me for anything."
Nope, still no good, according to the barista. After a disgruntled woman in line said she was about to make a purchase and that she would give the bathroom access code to Scheinker, the worker reportedly reached the end of his rope and ordered the couple to get out before he called the police.
If you feel like something is missing from this story, I'm right there with you. But, for now, these are the details we have to go by -- plus, it's not unusual to hear of a person who has sacrificed common sense for the greater good of ... I don't know what, to be honest. But, sadly, it seems to be the norm these days.
Scheinker says she was ultimately able to use the restroom at a Subway restaurant.
In the coffee company's defense, it admitted in a statement sent to The Arizona Republic that it had "failed to meet this customer's expectations of us, and we have apologized and are working to make it right." We can't fault a company that employs hundreds of thousands of people if a few of them practice poor judgment. I'm sure this worker would defend himself by saying he was sticking to the rules and was never told he could bend one, even for a pregnant woman.
With that said, some people seem to be so afraid of getting in trouble for doing the "wrong thing," they are failing to use their own good heads to make the right calls. Pregnant women NEED to use the bathroom. Like, desperately. Like, every half hour. Give them a break and let them buy a bagel AFTER you provide the bathroom access code.
Do you think this worker did the right thing not letting this pregnant woman use the bathroom?
Image via Jerine Lay/Flickr
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