Minneapolis people used to be optimistic about their downtown. New restaurants and coffee shops created buzz and it was fun to be there. But things were changing before the crises of 2020, and then 2020 brought optimism to a halt.
This man used to visit his favorite Starbucks shop downtown twice a day where, he says, the staff were always professional and courteous. Then in March of 2018 the culture of the company took a turn. Employees were given new marching orders, per company policy. (See tomorrow's post.)
He describes what it was like to visit the shop afterwards. About half the seats were occupied by non-paying customers with complimentary water. "Many of these people were pleasant. But many were not. I saw arguments. I saw fights. I saw paying customers pestered for money. I saw people helping themselves to food without paying. I saw people . . blaring their music out, whether anyone else wanted to hear it or not. I saw groups of people disappearing into the bathroom together."
Steps were taken: a security camera by the bathroom, seats removed, a security guard hired. But eventually that shop was closed. So this man started going to another location. After looting broke out in 2020 and the shop was trashed, it too closed.
from American Experiment
(cont'd tomorrow)
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