I walk into my favorite coffee place today and walk out without buying anything.
Here's why:
This coffee place has awesome coffee, but what is even better is that in a corner of the shop is a great little play area for the kiddos. It has a train table, puzzles, games, all things my kids LOVE. I often have time in the morning between dropping off E1 at school, and dropping off E2 at school. Sometimes we go to the park, sometimes we run home and change out of our pj's and sometimes we hit the coffee place. I get a delicious cup of coffee and lounge on the cushioned bench while watching the kids play and they sometimes have a smoothie and a bagel. It's a total win-win situation.
Today, we walk in (actually E3 is running and happily screaming about the trains) and lo and behold... no play area. There are tables and chairs in place of the train table and toys. E3 is frantically looking around , under the chairs, behind the bench, everywhere, looking for the toys. He puts his little hands up, shrugs his shoulders and says "trains?"
I ask the guy behind the counter and he says "we're under new ownership, and the new owner's lawyer says the play area was too much of a liability so we removed it"
COME ON!
There were signs all over the place telling you that it is your own responsibility to watch your own kids. It's common sense, but they had the freakin' signs anyhow. Just because there are some idiot parents out there that don't watch their kids in public places, it ruins it for the rest of us. Damn it!
So I walked out, no coffee, no smoothie, E2 and E3 crying because they want to play with the now non-existent toys.
We went to the park instead. I think I have a black eye because E3 cracked me in the bridge of my nose when he was swinging. If I would have had my coffee first, it wouldn't have happened.
Maybe I'll sue.
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8 comments:
That stinks! Boo on the new owners! You should boycott them and get other parents to do it, too :)
Oh that just sucks. Poor little guys, poor you! Bleah. I'm so sorry, and yes, if you had had your coffee you might not have gotten a crack in the nose. Ugh. Sometimes I just hate people.
Sad about the coffee place. I hope you did not get a black eye! Ouch!
{sigh} There are SO many stories like this today. It's all so sad, too. I, for one, am glad I'm a geezer... coz at least I can look back on a different day and age when "liability" wasn't the driving force in our lives.
It ain't "just" nostalgia, either. Things really were different.
It occurs to me that the "liability" thing was simply a cover up of the real reason. Most parents dump the kids in that area, then buy coffee for themselves. If the owner gives adults a place to sit they will likely buy eats and maybe a refill or two. It's called "business economics". They could care less about the customer's wishes. The almighty buck rises again.
I doubt it was a "liability" more like a "more paying customers sit here" type of deal.
thats beyond absurd. i agree with what mo said.
im surprised that more places dont cater towards moms and kids. they go everywhere with me, if someone made a nice place for me AND them they'd get a lot of my money.
What is so stupid on the owner's part is that they NEVER run out of tables or chairs for "paying" customers. The didn't need the extra 3 tables and 6 chairs. Whenever I'm in there, it's a bit of a splurge, I spend anywhere from $5-$10 a visit... and I think most of the moms there spent that. Their prices are higher than the Starbucks a block away, but it's impossible to bring the kids into Starbucks for long. It was usually my one, calm, relaxing moment of the week.
I will miss their coffee, it was REALLY good.
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