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Insidious or Inane?
Yesterday as I was preparing to fly out of Baltimore airport, I wandered past a coffee shop I hadn’t seen before: Green Beans Coffee Co. Since I imagined I must still be caffeine-deprived after two gigantic seder meals, delicious holiday lunches, and visiting with warm and generous people, I wanted just a simple cup of hot and tasty coffee.
As I approached the kiosk, I noticed that the person in front of me was filling out a form. I assumed she might be completing a job application.
She wasn’t.
When she finished writing on the form that was on a clipboard, I could see the cover sheet:
Valued Guests: Could you kindly fill out the Covid-19 Contact Tracing Sheet, Please.
Seriously? Yes.
Note that it wasn’t really a request or a question: it was a demand.
To be sure I was understanding their “request,” I asked the one person behind the counter whether I could still buy coffee if I didn’t complete the list.
She said no.
By the way, the first column asked for the “guests” name, the second column asked for phone number, and I couldn’t see the third. It could have been asking for an email address. Or perhaps it asked the time of day.
When she said I essentially had to sign it, I said that information is none of your business and walked away.
Just down the concourse was a Cinnabon that sold coffee. (And no, I didn’t buy any of their goodies.) There was no tracing sheet to complete and the coffee was half the price. I bought one and returned to Green Beans to capture a photo of the cover sheet. Afterward, I regretted not telling the other people in line that they could buy coffee at half the price at Cinnabon’s. I didn’t think of saying anything until long after I was home.
* * * * *
I am so tired of companies and organizations who think they can invade our private lives and there’s nothing wrong with it. After all, it’s for a greater cause. Right?
My foot.
I plan to call the headquarters which are in California later today to see if they can tell me how they plan to use that information to help deal with Covid; if the list appears in all their locations; and if staff are instructed not to serve a customer who won’t sign in. I’m going to guess that they have no clue about how they will use the information. I suspect it’s just virtue signaling since they are headquartered in CA.
The shame of it is that their cause is a good one. They are dedicated to serving members of the service and related organizations. A hint to their “woke” approach appears on their website:
In 2018 we rebranded Green Beans Coffee and re-dedicated ourselves to being a forward-thinking Millennial-relevant food & beverage concessionaire willing to take chances. That forward thinking shows in our striking, modern “Elevated Kiosk” under construction now in SFO’s Terminal 3, and our store in the International Terminal.
I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.
A cup of coffee can be pretty darned expensive, in more ways than one.
Published in Culture
I don’t like bacon that much. And I’m not even Jewish!
I’m not really fond of green bean casserole but I can eat Durkee’s fried onions out of the can!
I only see fuzzily. Who?
That’s gross! ;-)
No, he’s on first. It’s Xi.
Ahem. Meanwhile, discussing green beans and bacon is fun, but I am curious to know if anyone else has had personal experiences of any company or organization demanding that you give up personal information that you think was inappropriate. What was your reaction? How did you respond? Did you take your business elsewhere? Or did you figure that so much of your information is already out there that you might as well give in?
I still haven’t given Facebook a phone number.
So, He’s on first, eh? Then Who’s on second. Xi must be on third. But What’s the umpire’s name.
They never seem to actually check phone numbers, especially online. You could probably give 800-555-1212 or the phone number of any business you don’t like… Disposable emails are easy too.
Xi is the umpire. He also owns one of the teams.
We ate lunch at a restaurant a month ago or so. They had a contact sheet that I didn’t see until we were leaving. And recently we ate at another restaurant a couple of times, but again we didn’t see the contact sheets until we were finished.
Also everybody seems to use an illegible handwriting. I don’t get it.
Maybe a holdover from the olden days of men getting a motel room with their mistress?
Nah. People ask for email addresses and phone numbers all the time. I just say no.
Micro-Center always asks for name, etc. when you check out. Here’s my typical conversation:
Clerk: Your name?
Me: It’s too difficult, let’s skip it.
Clerk: We need this for warranties. . .
Me: Okay, (and then I say my last name in Anglo-Saxon).
Clerk: Uh, could you spell that, sir?
Me: Certainly, wen eoh rad thorn rad feoh eoh, uh, you’re not keeping up.
Clerk: Those aren’t letters. . .
Me: Well, not of your Latin alphabet, but I’m not Latin.
How about bacon flavoring? (It’s kosher – just looked it up!)
Yeah, I don’t like it here or back home.
Isn’t that still “sinning in the mind” somehow?
Not sure that’s an issue: Label says certified Kosher, so somebody apparently thinks it’s okay.
Eeeew! Fake bacon flavor!
Yes but if people are called to avoid bacon, shouldn’t they avoid bacon FLAVOR too? Cuz that’s “lusting in the mind” as Jimmy Carter used to say.
Tell me about it. A friend in Oregon, 40-plus years ago, was vegetarian, but he wanted to try meatless hot dogs. I got some and cooked them, and tried one, it was awful. He thought they were great.
I’m with you there, @kedavis. I took three sips of coffee in 1986 or so and never tried it again. I find the flavor vile and more importantly, I don’t understand how so many people can allow themselves to be so controlled by an addictive substance.
I’d try it. But with a side order of trepidation.
Fair enough. What I mean, though, is that I can’t speak to how wrong it is in relation to Korean law and ethos.
What a shame. This company has been associated with our military for many years, with on-base cafes and their Cup of Joe for a Joe program. I note they claim fast service AND relaxing atmosphere at airport kiosks:
Well I like tea sometimes, and Mt Dew (now Diet since I’m old) but neither of them controls me the way so many people seem controlled by coffee…
I think I’ve done all of that, and in some cases gotten disgusted or frustrated half-way through and left in annoyance. I do best when I am properly cussed, irritable, or wary.
This is why attacks are often two-pronged; an emotional appeal to occupy your heart and prevent your brain from noticing that either this is too good to be true, or too easy for someone else to misuse.
“Would you like to fill out an application and get 15% off your purchase?”
“Nope, I like paying full price.”
No, What’s on second.
I’ve seen people alternately eat a bite of KFC fried chicken and a bite of cake. And people dip their french fries into their milkshakes. I’ve heard of people putting aged balsamic vinegar on their vanilla ice cream. And Ace of Spades recently touted chocolate covered bacon. So, somebody must like sweet and savory together.
And I make chicken with pineapple, coconut and oyster sauce and soy sauce.