Starbucks Faces Backlash After USPS Worker Denied Free Water

One mail carrier’s experience at Starbucks is drawing massive attention online after she posted that she was denied a free cup of iced water after delivering a package to the coffeehouse and while working under extreme heat.

The postal worker who goes by @melaninglowesthetics on TikTok posted a short video of herself inside a USPS truck and overlaid the clip with text, “Imagine working out of a tin can in 100 [degree] heat, trying to stay alive and walking into Starbucks for a cup of ice water, and they tell you NO!”

Earlier this year, Starbucks reversed its open-door policy and now requires all customers to purchase an item to use the bathroom or receive a complimentary cup of water.

The postal worker’s video went viral and has since been deleted, but she has continued to post updates about the experience. In a follow-up video, she stated that it was really hot outside and she was delivering a package to Starbucks and asked the barista for a small cup of iced water.

Adhering to the new company policy, the barista tells the mail carrier she must buy something before she can get some water. The postal worker decided to buy some bottled water.

“I am human. I show up everyday in extreme heat in my uniform in a truck with no A/C. I love my job, I love my customers, and I love my route. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have bad days,” she said in the video.

Thousands of comments flooded her TikTok page, many from people who expressed shock at the decision to withhold a cup of water from a frontline worker who weathers extreme temperatures to complete her daily duties.