In Boston earlier this week, my family and I visited a quaint neighborhood cafe called Dunkin. Seems to be popular among locals. We ordered three donuts, an iced coffee, and a bagel. Then, I asked for a cup of water. The guy working at Dunkin replied that his manager said that he needs to charge for water. When I asked how much it would cost, he said $1 plus tax. I then asked about the price of a bottled water which was $2.85. Reluctantly, I paid for the tap water in an enormous cup.
About a minute later, a woman who had already ordered coffee and was holding a small dog in her arm (why was there a non-service dog in Dunkin?) asked a different employee for a cup of water when she received her beverage. The customer added that it was for her dog. The female employee handed the customer a small cup of water for no change. I immediately made sure to mention to the male employee who took my order that she didn’t get charged for water. He didn’t respond, and I really didn’t want to fight over $1. I feel like I was right in this situation, but what would have been the successful outcome? The store demanding $1 from the other customer? Or putting $1 back on my credit card? It wasn’t worth it. In my head though, I was thinking "I have not yet begun to fight," even though I probably would have been as successful as the black knight.
Maybe a little karma though for dog woman and the employee who gave her the free water. Dog woman spilled some of her water because of course she did. She was holding the dog and two drinks! Although she made a passing attempt at drying the water with napkins, the floor was still wet when she left the restaurant. Therefore, the female employee then had to get a mop out for the rest.
There’s no moral of the story here. I mean maybe don’t try to carry a dog and two cups at the same time. Or maybe charge nothing at all or a nominal fee like 25 cents for a cup of water for all customers.
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