Did I have a
loaded handgun in my luggage? No. Was I too intoxicated to make it through the
boarding gate? No. Well, close but not really. Here's what happened. I was
waiting for my departure out of San Diego at Limburg Field Airport when I approached
the Starbucks counter and ordered my usual. "I'll have a hot venti white chocolate
mocha please." The lady responded, "Would you like whip cream on
that?" "Yeah, sure. By the way, I have a free reward on my
phone." I said in kind. She rang it up and had me point my device towards
the scanner. "Bleep", nothing happened. "Can you try that again
sir?" I try it again with no luck. I look at the expiration date, it says
Feb. 16th. I tell her the code: 571. She gives me a puzzled look and says, I've
never heard of that code. I tell her I use it all the time, I'm a Starbucks
junkie. She runs it again to know avail when suddenly the other barista comes
over and says, "Oh, that looks like a corporate code. We are a franchise.
We only accept birthday or 519 franchise codes." I tell her thanks and
maybe I'll stop back. As I turn around I hear "Hey! Your drink is already
ready. You have to pay for it." I should have just ignored her but here's
where things went from bad to worse. I walk back and say "No where on my
app or on the website does it say anything about some codes being only for
franchise and some for corporate only. I've been using codes forever and have
never had one fail yet." At this point I should have just whipped out my
wallet and paid cash but it was buried in my trolley bag and I needed to board
my flight. She says if you walk away I'm calling airport security. Yes. This
fucking happened. Can you imagine hearing over the intercom, "Security
needed in front of Terminal 2. Customer refusing to pay for his Starbucks
coffee." I told her I had a code when I ordered. It was her fault that she
didn't verify it before she rang me up. The Starbucks motto "It's right or
it's free" didn't apply this day. More like "It's wrong and you get
nothing." Ugghhh.. now I have to drink the stuff they call 'coffee' on the
plane.
