What do you do about porn-surfers at Starbucks?

The letter to Gawker continues: "I find it kind of gross that he views porn in a public place, and I don't really want to look at him looking at porn. Plus, there are only a couple of outlets, which means that if I take one of them that there's a high chance that he'll sit next to me when he arrives. I kind of want to approach him and say something like, 'Um, could you put your porn away while you're at Starbucks? Thanks.' Is that okay?"

The Gawker answer-person sides with the porn-lover says of the complainer: "You are the one actively invading his privacy by looking at his computer screen. He's the one passively watching a video on his computer." Go to another coffee shop if you're offended, she says.

Starbucks' response: "We do not tolerate obscene or lewd behavior in our stores, including viewing pornography."

I spend many hours at Starbucks every day -- and usually visit different stores -- and I've never spotted a porn-surfer. Midwestern values, maybe?

----> Have you seen SBUX customers checking out porn? What -- if anything -- did you do about it?

* Watching porn at Starbucks ... and other questionable advice

(Disclosure: The image above is of a Starbucks customer who is not surfing porn. I'm guessing he's reading the New York Times.)

Comments

[Barista]

I unplug the wifi

[Herman]

There are a whole lot of folks in the US who get very excited by the New York Times.

[ChiTee]

This is so funny because today, a guy in his 60s or so came in and read his magazine. Me being tired and all from opening, never gave it a second look. When I'm cleaning the cafe a couple minutes after he left, I find on the table:
His trash.
A toothbrush.
A porn magazine.
And a diamond earring.
Somehow I feel these must be clues left behind for some grand purpose. Not sure where to start...hmm...

[Brandon]

To say that Gawker is siding with the porn-lover, either you didn't read the article or you are being deliberately obtuse. Did you miss this paragraph?

"There are some situations in which it would be considered cowardly or, at the very least, bizarre, to ask a manager to intervene on your behalf; for instance, if he were stepping on your power cord. This is not one of those situations. Awkward encounters like this are the reasons Starbucks hires managers in the first place. Someone's got to prevent drunk people from having sex in the bathroom. Someone's got to inform the gentleman enjoying pornography that he's making other customers uncomfortable. It's not your job to run the Starbucks rodeo."

They are saying if someone plops down next to you and starts watching a Jenna Jameson video and you are offended by it, you should notify a manager and let THEM handle the situation, don't "run the rodeo" as they mention.

[OldGuy]

There was a man who came into our store on a regular basis and was caught viewing porn on his laptop. It was only discovered when he sat in a chair that put his back to the espresso bar and was observed by a barista. Our store manager told him he was not to view porn in the store and would not be allowed in if discovered doing so again. The man revisited our store many times after that incident and to the best of our knowledge behaved himself. No complaints and no one observed him viewing porn. He stopped coming in about 3 months later.

[baristanon]

No, don't unplug the wifi. Have we already forgotten about the shift who got fired for doing that when a customer refused to turn off their porn?

[Sheik]

Didn't someone famously get fired in the past for unplugging the WiFi and it was a huge story on Starbucks Gossip?

[me]

Why would you unplug the wifi? For that matter, why would you do anything at all? Assuming that he's not subjecting this to anyone underage...it's perfectly legal so why is this an issue?

I think this speaks volumes about the screwed up nature on our priorities as a society when we'll cheer like crazy so we can pack our guns wherever we want......but heaven forbid we happen to see an image of two people in the perfectly natural act of procreation.

How our species ever made it this far is beyond me......

[JBean]

So we had a guy who regularly viewed and copied porn in our store to dvds. It was my store the employee was fired for unplugging the WiFi. He shouldn't have unplugged it however this was such a problem, we couldn't keep this guy out of the store. You know what unplugging the WiFi did? It caused such a stir, that particular customer finally left and never came back. I am not saying everyone should go around unplugging their WiFi but what else are people supposed to do? The complaints were steady and someone had to do something.

[That Guy]

Whatever you do that you may think is risky, COA and call your DM before! Ultimately they can protect you if the sh*t hits the fan.