Tim Hortons: "Basic human decency? What's that?"

[BitVyper]

I'm a touch mad right now. I'm not really mad at anyone in particular. I'm just confused and angry about people.

Okay, for those of you who don't know, I live in the cold wastes of Canada. Right now, the temperature and wind chill have passed the point where you can reasonably be outside for any length of time. It's dipped to -38 tonight.

Work ended, my car wouldn't start. Okay, I have my AMA membership for a reason, so no problem. I've no phone (admitably, my own fault), and it's very late, so I walk to Tim Hortons, buy some food, explain my situation, and ask to use a phone. "The phone is not for public use." I point out that the temperature can literally kill a person given nowhere to go. Same response. I ask for a manager. Up to now, I'm fine. I'm sure the cashier is just doing her job, and I get that this is kind of hard to deal with when you've got rules, so I'm sure the boss will have some kind of human decency and not leave someone to the cold.

I was wrong.

The boss gives me this incredibly disdainful look, like I'm somehow a bad person, and it should be obvious that I am beneath the use of a phone. She turns me away. Not in a particularly polite fashion either.

What the fuck? I mean, I'm not mad because this made my situation more difficult, and it's hard for me to even direct my anger at the manager. I'm just pissed off that a person like this exists. I mean, weren't we all taught to have some common decency? Isn't the idea that you give someone a hand when it costs you nothing, and they're basically SoL without you? Do you not throw someone a line if you see them drowning in a river? I can get over every personal aspect of this situation, but what is wrong with the world when someone will literally just leave you stuck in an emergency situation?

This is how I was raised. This is how I have always endeavored to act. Guy came to us at 10 o'clock with a dog that had been hit by a car once. We were trying to go home. Letting him in: Totally against the rules. Not a single person working with me thought of doing anything but letting him in, writing off some bandages, and getting in touch with the emergency vet. This is how a god damned civilized person acts.

Anyway, I should finish the story. I walked around looking for a place that was open. Some Starbucks employees were still around, closing up, so being pretty damn cold at this point, I banged on the door. They let me in, let me warm up, gave me a phone, made me some hot chocolate, waited around for me to call AMA, and then waited for my ride to come so that I could stay inside. I'd have been happy with five seconds on a phone. Next time someone cracks a joke to me about Starbucks employees being full of themselves, they're gonna catch a lot of shit.

I mean, it would actually have been understandable for these guys to turn me away. They were closed, and I could have been a psychopath. They could have just not answered the door.

Anyway, I've always hated Tim Hortons. I've never seen them treat people right, so saying I'll never go there again doesn't have much oomph. Instead, I'll just say "fuck you" and leave it at that. Fuck you, Tim Hortons.

As for you, Starbucks: I wish you produced some kind of product that I liked so I could buy from you on a regular basis. As it is, I'll just settle for writing a letter.