Business Owners in Politics-Should They Be? by Susan Steffen-Kraft
Recently Starbucks has been embroiled in a controversy that has not affected me, or so I thought!
To put it bluntly, I lost my Starbucks Gold card. I asked Starbucks for a replacement. 6 weeks later I have zero, nada, zip. I have called and complained and they treated me badly. It takes 6 to 8 weeks because you are a new customer they said. Wrong! I have been a Gold card holder for 3 years. Mine was to be replaced and I was told it would take only a couple weeks.
At one Starbucks store I paid but did not get a point towards my free Starbucks drink. The procedure being that they load the card with money and then they scan the card so you get a point towards the free drink. Of course I had no card to load money on to do this!
Being as it was the weekend I could not even activate a temporary card. I told the people in the store that if Starbucks were less interested in politics and more concerned with their customers they would be better off.
So after the weekend I called and they said a card was on the way. I waited another 5 days and then I had had it.
I called Starbucks and vented my fury. She tried to say again it was 6 to 8 weeks but that story did not fly with me. Next she said they had sent out 8 of them. I replied that I have only complained 3 times and so how could they have sent out 8 of them. She then blamed the post office!
At that point I blew. I told her if they were less concerned with guns in their stores maybe I would be getting better service. Apparently their priorities were screwed up. To be truthful I was not Miss Sweet and Wonderful but I and others are their bread and butter.
At that point she said "Wait a minute while I get a supervisor!" A few minutes later she was back. "Can you wait a few more minutes?" she asked. Well, I figured I would either get told to never enter Starbucks again or they would have me arrested. When she came back again I did not know what would happen. She told me the Supervisor had found a glitch and admitted it was their fault.
The supervisor offered to personally and manually (instead of by machine) get my card out to me with $20.00 on it as an apology. Apparently my rant about treating customers better by getting their heads out of their asses and their minds off politics worked.
When I told Mahala and Eddie(my clients) what I had said and done she looked at me and said "Well, just like Paul (another client and friend of theirs) said, "We are going to have to keep an eye out for those black helicopters. We will pay to come watch the show in court!"
Yes, Paul indeed has looked out every time I come to clean. He wants to see if the black helicopters are coming since I am always calling politicians, and so on. "Honey, get the guns, Susan has been at it again" is his normal comment after I tell him my newest escapade.
And let me tell you if they start patting me down in Starbucks they will not get my business again and some lady employee will get clocked and if its a guy, he will go home and not have any sex that night by the time I am done with him. He will be sore in a certain spot.
And what sane person would go into Starbucks anyhow showing their gun off. I fail to see why! I don't care if you carry but you do not have to show it off and brag you are carrying! So how would Starbucks know unless you do brag or showoff anyhow, short of doing a pat down?
Then you have the bakeries refusing to bake cakes for gay couples. In Colorado, Oregon, and several other places they have refused to do so. Ummmm, I fail to see why. First of all, send them to another baker who would be willing to do so. Know who would and refer them to that other baker who would be glad for the business.
Second of all, it's money, and unless they are coming in and asking for a Bomb to be baked in a cake or an I Love Molesting Children cake in which case if you were smart, you would bake it, take a picture and give to the police to investigate you should not worry about doing this business for a customer.
It does not make you gay or a gay supporter if you bake a cake for someone.You hurt yourself as a business owner and your employees by being involved in a political skirmish and touting that and your religious views.
Why would you if you are gay want to give business to someone who refuses to bake the cake for you. Forget suing them and move along and find someone who will no doubt do a better job. And for Pete's Sake do you have to go in telling the Bakery Owners that it is for your Gay Wedding. Just order the damn cake!
Now since there is a policy that allows restaurants to post signs that say "No shirt, no shoes, no service!" here is an idea. Perhaps signs could be posted that say Traditional Wedding Cakes only. No Porn, No Violence, No Cakes with Swear Words, etc. This might avoid some problems to begin with. I sure would check out if this would be a viable option in whatever city you are in.
Chick-Fil-A is against gay marriage. Well, go to your private meetings and make your political calls and say you are against it. Why drag your business into the mess. I mean then people get mad and your employees suffer if you lose business because that could cause lay offs. Plus did you ask them how they feel. Probably not.
Your employees would not say if they are gay out of fear of being fired and then the business would probably be in trouble with a law suit of discrimination. If I go to Chick-Fil-A I want to go for a sandwich not the owners opinion on the political world. If I run into the owner then I can get to know him and we can discuss our mutual beliefs and or our disagreements on the world of politics. I want a flipping sandwich made right and not worry about how the owner feels about gays.
Home Depot is for gay marriage! Wonderful! Who cares and why again bring politics and or religion into your business. Act like you are a business and not a political entity and worry about your customers. They are there to buy nails, lumber, stoves, flooring not to talk about you about whether you are for or against gay marriage. Speak your viewpoints as a private person in a group for gay marriage. Sign a petition or whatever but keep your business separate from your personal life and viewpoints.
Unless an issue affects your business directly such as taxes, health care for employees, and so on let it go. Take care of your customers and your employees because if you get caught up in other things and then people boycott you, you are affecting your workforce and the customers that are coming. We want to buy our stuff, be treated right, and leave.
The AFA has previously boycotted Ford, Pepsi, Campbell Soup Company, McDonald's and Hallmark for their support of gay rights. Food, cars and gay rights. It just does not fit. Again I want to buy a car and have it run right not hear about Ford's comments on gay rights. And the AFA has to realize that people have a right to their opinion. But letting the world know their opinion is fine for the AFA as they are not a business but a group, and that is where the for and against things belong; in a group that is for or against these things.
And now to the Phoenix Suns basketball team. "The basketball court is rarely, if ever, the site of a political statement, much less during an NBA playoff game. Politics are going to be center court Wednesday night". From NBA.com
They jumped into the fray in support of illegal immigration with comments and Los Suns jerseys they sported one night. Now what these rich athletes let alone the owner thought they were doing I have no clue. They live in nice gated communities and grand homes where they do not have to worry like the average Joe about the endless crimes that are perpetrated on an everyday basis.
Again, as an individual go state your case. But throw your name around just to get your opinion out there and it is ridiculous. Play your basketball and own your team and let me come watch the game. I want to watch you perform not hear you open your mouth politically. Leave your sport if you wish to, and run as a politician. Concentrate on entertaining the masses instead of opening mouth and inserting foot. Many times they know not what they speak of. They need to simply be playing at the level they are paid to do, doing their charity work and concentrating on their families.
The owner needs to concentrate on being an owner. I have no problem with them helping others but a whole team speaking out on illegal immigration......ridiculous!
“Los Suns should go all the way and have ‘Amnesty Night’ – no tickets required. Everything is free – drinks, food, parking, souvenirs – no charges for anything.” That is what one reader wrote. The whole article was written in May 2010 by frugal cafe blog zone.
This is just my opinion and you may disagree. I do tend to look at life differently then many people so you can take it or leave it. I know I am not going to boycott a business for these reasons nor am I going to support the business either. As a customer I want my service to be good and not have to worry that they are pro or anti life, pro or anti gun, pro or anti immigration, and pro or anti gay life style. Just do your Job!
To put it bluntly, I lost my Starbucks Gold card. I asked Starbucks for a replacement. 6 weeks later I have zero, nada, zip. I have called and complained and they treated me badly. It takes 6 to 8 weeks because you are a new customer they said. Wrong! I have been a Gold card holder for 3 years. Mine was to be replaced and I was told it would take only a couple weeks.
At one Starbucks store I paid but did not get a point towards my free Starbucks drink. The procedure being that they load the card with money and then they scan the card so you get a point towards the free drink. Of course I had no card to load money on to do this!
Being as it was the weekend I could not even activate a temporary card. I told the people in the store that if Starbucks were less interested in politics and more concerned with their customers they would be better off.
So after the weekend I called and they said a card was on the way. I waited another 5 days and then I had had it.
I called Starbucks and vented my fury. She tried to say again it was 6 to 8 weeks but that story did not fly with me. Next she said they had sent out 8 of them. I replied that I have only complained 3 times and so how could they have sent out 8 of them. She then blamed the post office!
At that point I blew. I told her if they were less concerned with guns in their stores maybe I would be getting better service. Apparently their priorities were screwed up. To be truthful I was not Miss Sweet and Wonderful but I and others are their bread and butter.
At that point she said "Wait a minute while I get a supervisor!" A few minutes later she was back. "Can you wait a few more minutes?" she asked. Well, I figured I would either get told to never enter Starbucks again or they would have me arrested. When she came back again I did not know what would happen. She told me the Supervisor had found a glitch and admitted it was their fault.
The supervisor offered to personally and manually (instead of by machine) get my card out to me with $20.00 on it as an apology. Apparently my rant about treating customers better by getting their heads out of their asses and their minds off politics worked.
When I told Mahala and Eddie(my clients) what I had said and done she looked at me and said "Well, just like Paul (another client and friend of theirs) said, "We are going to have to keep an eye out for those black helicopters. We will pay to come watch the show in court!"
Yes, Paul indeed has looked out every time I come to clean. He wants to see if the black helicopters are coming since I am always calling politicians, and so on. "Honey, get the guns, Susan has been at it again" is his normal comment after I tell him my newest escapade.
And let me tell you if they start patting me down in Starbucks they will not get my business again and some lady employee will get clocked and if its a guy, he will go home and not have any sex that night by the time I am done with him. He will be sore in a certain spot.
And what sane person would go into Starbucks anyhow showing their gun off. I fail to see why! I don't care if you carry but you do not have to show it off and brag you are carrying! So how would Starbucks know unless you do brag or showoff anyhow, short of doing a pat down?
Then you have the bakeries refusing to bake cakes for gay couples. In Colorado, Oregon, and several other places they have refused to do so. Ummmm, I fail to see why. First of all, send them to another baker who would be willing to do so. Know who would and refer them to that other baker who would be glad for the business.
Second of all, it's money, and unless they are coming in and asking for a Bomb to be baked in a cake or an I Love Molesting Children cake in which case if you were smart, you would bake it, take a picture and give to the police to investigate you should not worry about doing this business for a customer.
It does not make you gay or a gay supporter if you bake a cake for someone.You hurt yourself as a business owner and your employees by being involved in a political skirmish and touting that and your religious views.
Why would you if you are gay want to give business to someone who refuses to bake the cake for you. Forget suing them and move along and find someone who will no doubt do a better job. And for Pete's Sake do you have to go in telling the Bakery Owners that it is for your Gay Wedding. Just order the damn cake!
Now since there is a policy that allows restaurants to post signs that say "No shirt, no shoes, no service!" here is an idea. Perhaps signs could be posted that say Traditional Wedding Cakes only. No Porn, No Violence, No Cakes with Swear Words, etc. This might avoid some problems to begin with. I sure would check out if this would be a viable option in whatever city you are in.
Chick-Fil-A is against gay marriage. Well, go to your private meetings and make your political calls and say you are against it. Why drag your business into the mess. I mean then people get mad and your employees suffer if you lose business because that could cause lay offs. Plus did you ask them how they feel. Probably not.
Your employees would not say if they are gay out of fear of being fired and then the business would probably be in trouble with a law suit of discrimination. If I go to Chick-Fil-A I want to go for a sandwich not the owners opinion on the political world. If I run into the owner then I can get to know him and we can discuss our mutual beliefs and or our disagreements on the world of politics. I want a flipping sandwich made right and not worry about how the owner feels about gays.
Home Depot is for gay marriage! Wonderful! Who cares and why again bring politics and or religion into your business. Act like you are a business and not a political entity and worry about your customers. They are there to buy nails, lumber, stoves, flooring not to talk about you about whether you are for or against gay marriage. Speak your viewpoints as a private person in a group for gay marriage. Sign a petition or whatever but keep your business separate from your personal life and viewpoints.
Unless an issue affects your business directly such as taxes, health care for employees, and so on let it go. Take care of your customers and your employees because if you get caught up in other things and then people boycott you, you are affecting your workforce and the customers that are coming. We want to buy our stuff, be treated right, and leave.
The AFA has previously boycotted Ford, Pepsi, Campbell Soup Company, McDonald's and Hallmark for their support of gay rights. Food, cars and gay rights. It just does not fit. Again I want to buy a car and have it run right not hear about Ford's comments on gay rights. And the AFA has to realize that people have a right to their opinion. But letting the world know their opinion is fine for the AFA as they are not a business but a group, and that is where the for and against things belong; in a group that is for or against these things.
And now to the Phoenix Suns basketball team. "The basketball court is rarely, if ever, the site of a political statement, much less during an NBA playoff game. Politics are going to be center court Wednesday night". From NBA.com
They jumped into the fray in support of illegal immigration with comments and Los Suns jerseys they sported one night. Now what these rich athletes let alone the owner thought they were doing I have no clue. They live in nice gated communities and grand homes where they do not have to worry like the average Joe about the endless crimes that are perpetrated on an everyday basis.
Again, as an individual go state your case. But throw your name around just to get your opinion out there and it is ridiculous. Play your basketball and own your team and let me come watch the game. I want to watch you perform not hear you open your mouth politically. Leave your sport if you wish to, and run as a politician. Concentrate on entertaining the masses instead of opening mouth and inserting foot. Many times they know not what they speak of. They need to simply be playing at the level they are paid to do, doing their charity work and concentrating on their families.
The owner needs to concentrate on being an owner. I have no problem with them helping others but a whole team speaking out on illegal immigration......ridiculous!
“Los Suns should go all the way and have ‘Amnesty Night’ – no tickets required. Everything is free – drinks, food, parking, souvenirs – no charges for anything.” That is what one reader wrote. The whole article was written in May 2010 by frugal cafe blog zone.
This is just my opinion and you may disagree. I do tend to look at life differently then many people so you can take it or leave it. I know I am not going to boycott a business for these reasons nor am I going to support the business either. As a customer I want my service to be good and not have to worry that they are pro or anti life, pro or anti gun, pro or anti immigration, and pro or anti gay life style. Just do your Job!
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