A Starbucks Vaping Story

[yummi4tunekookie]

Sidestepping the "stealth" aspect for a minute, would you openly vape in your friend's house if your friend stated she would like you not to? How about if your friend owned a coffee shop and requested you don't vape in her shop? Would you still vape? So what's the difference when it's the establishment of someone you don't know? They're a stranger so you aren't going to let them step on your rights? Your argument to me reeks of self-important righteousness in the face of being respectful of other people.

All these stories on here about that jerk security guard/bar owner etc giving someone a hard time about their vape? What if I told you that the day before you walked into their establishment, someone else tried to vape and became annoyingly indignant and entitled when the owner politely asked him to stop? Would you blame the owner for being a little more direct and unwilling to listen now to your vaping story? Some of the attitudes on here- while I realize and hope are not representative of general vaping population- make me dislike vapers, and I vape!

Linden does bring up a very good point, though, about vapers purposefully maintaining the link between themselves and smokers. I think her pride (or "self-important righteousness") stems from the fact that she's consciously making an effort to break that connection.

You're right in that we vapers should be more mindful of how we handle ourselves in certain places. I understand that flagrant disrespect towards people either ignorant about vaping or who are simply following the rules and doing their jobs is completely out of line, but perhaps such times present great opportunities to educate on vaping. In any case, vapers should be upset--one of the best, healthiest, alternatives to smoking to slowly being banned largely due to ignorance is incredibly frustrating...not to mention frightening.

 

[yummi4tunekookie]

Ok I am going to start carrying my own coffee in a thermos now but will still stop by for the Very Berry coffee cake.

I literally laughed so hard I snorted. Thanks for that! Have you tried to Cinnamon Swirl coffee cake? Or the Raspberry Swirl pound cake? There's a reason why I gained TWENTY POUNDS since I started working there. Sure, part of it is my metabolism (which used to be awesomepantsmcgee) going into retirement, but oh, man...free beverages and pastries and sandwiches and snacks and.......!!!

...I need to escape.

 

[FloydianSlip]

I literally laughed so hard I snorted. Thanks for that! Have you tried to Cinnamon Swirl coffee cake? Or the Raspberry Swirl pound cake? There's a reason why I gained TWENTY POUNDS since I started working there. Sure, part of it is my metabolism (which used to be awesomepantsmcgee) going into retirement, but oh, man...free beverages and pastries and sandwiches and snacks and.......!!!

...I need to escape.

I have tried the cinnamon swirl and it is yummy too. Not having to worry about packing pounds because my GF busts my ... with pilates and cycling so I pretty much burn off what I put into my "fuel tank".

 

[Mozzer]

Hahahahaha, there are a couple of other roasts I won't mention that give off a distinctly FISHY odor when opened or ground. "Ugh, is that unwashed vajayjay I smell, or--oh, wait, it's just ______ roast"

OMG rofl! I never noticed that one! So interesting getting these little insights from a barista girl

 

[Sa Da Tay]

Linden does bring up a very good point, though, about vapers purposefully maintaining the link between themselves and smokers. I think her pride (or "self-important righteousness") stems from the fact that she's consciously making an effort to break that connection.

I get the viable passion and distress behind this type of attitude, but it's misdirected. Funnel that energy into legitimate advocacy efforts: write your area lawmakers; organize a Vape Awareness event/demonstration in your home town; march on any state capitol that has passed or is considering anti-vape legislation. What you don't do is take it out on some poor restaurant manager just trying to make it through his crappy shift and then have to listen to your dissertation on human rights, and in the process piss off some customers who thanks to you have associated their only experience of vaping with an obnoxious person. If you can't abide by social decency then at least see the practicality of the situation.

 

[DC2]

I get the viable passion and distress behind this type of attitude, but it's misdirected. Funnel that energy into legitimate advocacy efforts: write your area lawmakers; organize a Vape Awareness event/demonstration in your home town; march on any state capitol that has passed or is considering anti-vape legislation. What you don't do is take it out on some poor restaurant manager just trying to make it through his crappy shift and then have to listen to your dissertation on human rights, and in the process piss off some customers who thanks to you have associated their only experience of vaping with an obnoxious person. If you can't abide by social decency then at least see the practicality of the situation.

Are you saying you should not vape where vaping is not allowed?
Or are you saying you should not vape where smoking is not allowed?

These are two different questions, and I would hope few would disagree with the first one.
And I would love it if everyone would disagree with the second one.

I would really like to do a poll to see how many people feel which way about these things.
But nobody ever goes into the poll section much, so my motivation level isn't very high on doing that.

Maybe some day.

 

[Linden]

Sidestepping the "stealth" aspect for a minute, would you openly vape in your friend's house if your friend stated she would like you not to? How about if your friend owned a coffee shop and requested you don't vape in her shop? Would you still vape? So what's the difference when it's the establishment of someone you don't know? They're a stranger so you aren't going to let them step on your rights? Your argument to me reeks of self-important righteousness in the face of being respectful of other people.

All these stories on here about that jerk security guard/bar owner etc giving someone a hard time about their vape? What if I told you that the day before you walked into their establishment, someone else tried to vape and became annoyingly indignant and entitled when the owner politely asked him to stop? Would you blame the owner for being a little more direct and unwilling to listen now to your vaping story? Some of the attitudes on here- while I realize and hope are not representative of general vaping population- make me dislike vapers, and I vape!

Ok, I'll play along. As for a friend that has a coffee shop and NOT sidestepping the stealth aspect, If I needed to vape I would go to the bathroom and stealth vape where nobody would be the wiser or I would run out to the car real quick. However, I would NEVER go to a smoking designated area and huddle with the cigarette butts.
And to be clear, I have never in 2 years emitted a cloud of vapor in a public place amid strangers. It seems you may be lumping me into this elusive category of 'in your face vapers'. (I've also never even run into a fellow vaper in public, so its odd to me that this type of person exists out there in any type of number that would be worth commenting about).
I am polite but I'm not going to be pigeonholed as a smoker. Vaping and smoking are so far removed, both in my mind and in reality, that I will do my own little bit of passive disobedience even if nobody ever knows that I do it!

 

[DC2]

Sidestepping the "stealth" aspect for a minute, would you openly vape in your friend's house if your friend stated she would like you not to?

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I have to say...
I am not sure how to answer this.

It is very hard for me to imagine being friends with someone so stupid.
There is not a single human being that I know that minds if I vape around them.

A couple may have started out that way, but a little education fixed that right quick.

 

[chellemakepeace]

Apparently Starbucks has a specific policy banning e-cigarettes. See above in previous posts. I'm sure it's a case of guilt by association and them erring on the extremely cautious side. It's their right as a private company. It's also a reasonable business decision. We are a minority, and one they're willing to risk losing. Won't touch their bottom line.

Edit: the association being vaping to smoking. Most people just blindly associate the two

I have never vaped at starbucks, and I was not aware that they have a policy against it. I have found, here in Atlanta, that no one really has a policy on it...and they just expect the vapers to be considerate, which is easy with my amazing sense of smell now! I have only had one juice that "smelled" to anyone, my oldest son asked, what smells like maple syrup!? It was the carmel and vanilla in a new RY4 I was vaping at home yesterday.

 

[RosaJ]

Ok, I'll play along. As for a friend that has a coffee shop and NOT sidestepping the stealth aspect, If I needed to vape I would go to the bathroom and stealth vape where nobody would be the wiser or I would run out to the car real quick. However, I would NEVER go to a smoking designated area and huddle with the cigarette butts.
And to be clear, I have never in 2 years emitted a cloud of vapor in a public place amid strangers. It seems you may be lumping me into this elusive category of 'in your face vapers'. (I've also never even run into a fellow vaper in public, so its odd to me that this type of person exists out there in any type of number that would be worth commenting about).
I am polite but I'm not going to be pigeonholed as a smoker. Vaping and smoking are so far removed, both in my mind and in reality, that I will do my own little bit of passive disobedience even if nobody ever knows that I do it!

Totally agree with you!!! I haven't run into another vaper much less an in your face and obnoxious idiot. This issue has come up over and over again and emotions rise and ebb like the ocean tide... and it's all based on a hypothetical scenario in a post. How about if we all post how many a***ole vapers we've encountered to finally put it at rest until someone wants to stir up the s**t again?

I've seen 0, zero, zilch, nadie. How about the rest of the posters here?

 

[The Dingo]

OK...I've been a member of this forum for a while, and I've spent most of my time doing research and learning from the threads, rather than posting. For some reason, I feel compelled to chime in here.

I was at a casino in Las Vegas this past November. I spent most of my time in the poker room (which is one of the places in most casinos where smoking is prohibited). Thinking I was 'safe,' I took a few discreet vapes throughout the tournament. By 'discreet' I mean I did not blow the vapor into the air. I blew it under the table as I sort of hunched down in my seat.

As luck would have it, the Tournament Director saw me mid-vape and came over to ask me to stop (which I did). After the tournament, I went up to him and asked what the logic was behind their policy. Here is what he told me (almost) verbatim:

"I know it's just vapor, but the other (poker) players don't know that and there are people out there who put 'other stuff' in there (pointing at my PV), if you know what I mean, so we had to make a decision to ban *all* smoking." He was obviously referring to putting ... (or other illegal substance) into a PV.

I had not heard of such a thing. I'm not even sure how to go about searching for a thread which addresses this. So, I have two questions:
1) Has anyone seen such a thread? and,
2) What's up with all the 'monkey business' goin' on in Burger King restrooms?

 

[RosaJ]

OK...I've been a member of this forum for a while, and I've spent most of my time doing research and learning from the threads, rather than posting. For some reason, I feel compelled to chime in here.

I was at a casino in Las Vegas this past November. I spent most of my time in the poker room (which is one of the places in most casinos where smoking is prohibited). Thinking I was 'safe,' I took a few discreet vapes throughout the tournament. By 'discreet' I mean I did not blow the vapor into the air. I blew it under the table as I sort of hunched down in my seat.

As luck would have it, the Tournament Director saw me mid-vape and came over to ask me to stop (which I did). After the tournament, I went up to him and asked what the logic was behind their policy. Here is what he told me (almost) verbatim:

"I know it's just vapor, but the other (poker) players don't know that and there are people out there who put 'other stuff' in there (pointing at my PV), if you know what I mean, so we had to make a decision to ban *all* smoking." He was obviously referring to putting ... (or other illegal substance) into a PV.

I had not heard of such a thing. I'm not even sure how to go about searching for a thread which addresses this. So, I have two questions:
1) Has anyone seen such a thread? and,
2) What's up with all the 'monkey business' goin' on in Burger King restrooms?

I've never indulged in the "other stuff" in my life (and I was a teenager during the 60's) but from what I understand, the "other stuff" is plant material and I would think it would gunk up the wicks/cartos etc., so it really is not feasible. Unless there is liquid "other stuff" like liquid nicotine. I don't really know, and am really not interested, but it just doesn't make sense to me. I have a hard enough time trying to keep my coils clean and free of the ejuice gunk as it is.

 

[The Dingo]

I've never indulged in the "other stuff" in my life (and I was a teenager during the 60's) but from what I understand, the "other stuff" is plant material and I would think it would gunk up the wicks/cartos etc., so it really is not feasible. Unless there is liquid "other stuff" like liquid nicotine. I don't really know, and am really not interested, but it just doesn't make sense to me. I have a hard enough time trying to keep my coils clean and free of the ejuice gunk as it is.

OK, thanks. Please understand, I was NOT asking for information on whether this was possible or not, or how to do it, for that matter. I, too, have no interest in it.

I was just wondering if the fact that a few "bad apples" spoiling the bunch had been addressed in a thread. I don't want a moderator to show up at my door!

 

[Sa Da Tay]

It seems you may be lumping me into this elusive category of 'in your face vapers'.

You're right, I probably am and I chose a somewhat inapplicable person/statement to quote for my point. But if you have been around this forum for any short amount of time or have just gone through all of this thread alone, there is a significant portion of ecf'ers who are openly disdainful of "normal" people who when unexpectedly faced with the issue of vaping, usually in the capacity of whatever job they have, don't immediately fall in line with vaper's rights. Ignorance isn't a comment on someone's character- it simply means that someone is uninformed about a subject because they've had no experience with it (vs willful ignorance which lawmakers/lobbyists/money interests are certainly guilty of). And while many (if not most, hopefully) on here take that as an opportunity to friendly engage and educate someone, others decide to throw a fit or be rude then run to ecf to post about it. But yeah I'm sorry I specifically called you out to make this point.

 

[Kristin0624]

Aaaand I apparently don't have anything better to do this morning than keep this thread alive and nitpick at people's posts You guys will have to excuse me because this thread finally broke my annoyed silence on all the threads like this that have come before.

So the statement I quoted above reflects other similar sentiments stated throughout this thread. Is it apparently lost on some of you that while you complain about your vaping rights and the public ignorantly stereotyping you as a filthy smoker, you are blatantly stereotyping patrons of a coffee shop? Not to mention the fact that this thread is up in arms about Starbucks' policy against vaping, while concurrently griping about how bad the coffee is there. Are you getting upset just to get upset? If Starbucks doesn't allow vaping and you HATE Starbucks, I'm not seeing a problem here. You can patronize some other coffee shop and leave the soccer moms and douchebags happily sipping their Starbucks. Everybody is happy!

See? I'm a peacemaker.

So. Are you a soccer mom, or a businessman?

Sent from my LG-MS770 using Tapatalk 2

 

[minimalsaint]

Aaaand I apparently don't have anything better to do this morning than keep this thread alive and nitpick at people's posts

On the interwebs, it's called trolling.

 

[DirewolfUSMC]

Well, the very best thing would be to NEVER EVER buy anything from Starbucks again. The next best thing would be to sneak vaping in a place that reeks of NAZI rules. In itself, that is a bit satisfying.

Coffee house propaganda no more!!

 

[cmccl]

I do like Starbucks when in a pinch -- I would much prefer a high quality local coffee shop but Starbucks is just everywhere and in my opinion has acceptable coffee (I like Americano's and iced Americano's). I was very disappointed in their policy and think it is ridiculous. Heck- I think they should have continued to allow the smoker's on their patio; it's outside!

I will continue to go to Starbucks when there is no better option and since I normally go through the drive through I vape the whole time I am there- within the 25 feet of the building. If I were for some reason to sit on the patio I would likely vape there too, but probably not inside. That's just me- I have no strong opinion on stealth vaping since I have done it in movie theaters, restaurants, and even on planes!

What I will do is send Starbucks an email (they have a way to email them on their website) and explain that I am very disappointed in their decision to prohibit vaping putting in the same category as smoking. I think they need to hear this from as many customers as possible.

 

[Brusky]

Because its my right to do so and it isn't hurting anybody. They would notice nothing.

And I can stealth .........e, it doesn't hurt no one and no one would notice. And shame on them if they catch me..

As much as it is your right to vape everywhere you please, businesses has just as much rights to ban vaping or have no affiliation with vaping, as they please.

It does not matter that your inhaling vapor instead of smoke. If I was tying my arm with a belt and shooting myself up with a needle in public, and say "Hey, its just water.. This is completely legal.." It doesn't make the scene any better, does it?

 

[Brusky]

I am polite but I'm not going to be pigeonholed as a smoker. Vaping and smoking are so far removed, both in my mind and in reality, that I will do my own little bit of passive disobedience even if nobody ever knows that I do it!

I think you are forgetting that vaping is an imitation of the act of smoking, and is an imitation of nicotine delivery.

I'm still a smoker, maybe that is why I could care less of businesses banning vaping from within their facilities. But I have never wanted or felt the need to have to vape while shopping or dining in a restaurant. I would also feel uncomfortable if a cloud of my vapor was crawling towards a family that has babies with them regardless of how safe it is with no traces of nicotine.