Update 8:50am CT, Aug. 29: In an email to the Daily Dot, Starbucks explained, “This individual is making false claims and using a doctored image. Starbucks does not have a ‘Bathroom Superuser’ policy, nor do we monitor our rewards customers’ bathroom usage.”
A Starbucks customer sparked debate after purportedly being penalized for being a “Bathroom Superuser”—but things might not be as they seem.
In the viral TikTok, which has amassed 1.3 million views, Brittany (@thecierrachic) used the TikTok green screen feature to share the purported screenshot on her Starbucks app. “You have been reported as a Bathroom Superuser,” the image reads. “This occurs after five (5) reported bathroom infractions. Please be advised that toilets should be used for no more than 90 aggregate minutes per visit.”
Also, according to this screenshot, Brittany’s Starbucks account was suspended for 48 hours, while 300 rewards were purportedly removed from her star balance.
“I almost pooped my pants,” she said in the clip. “I literally had to poop like four or five different times.” She then went on to read out the screenshot before adding, “I didn’t even know this was a thing. I literally was about to poop my pants, and I needed to go to the bathroom. Has this happened to anybody else? Because this is absolutely insane.”
Brittany didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment and email.
@thecierrachic Starbucks we need answers #ibs ♬ original sound – 🌸Brittany🌸SAHM🌸
Some commenters were shocked—others were suspicious
Unsurprisingly, commenters were aghast at this situation. “What about people with bowel disabilities?” one asked. A second viewer questioned, “But how did they know it was you? … And connect it to your account like whattt.”
However, others were more skeptical. One wrote, “Wait … this cannot be real,” while another commenter claiming to be a Starbucks barista simply said, “This does not exist.”
Does Starbucks have a ‘Bathroom Superuser’ policy?
On the face of it, the situation seemed too unbelievable to be true. So, it makes sense that it wasn’t. In the comments section of the TikTok, Brittany admitted that the whole thing was satire.
That being said, Starbucks does have a unique bathroom policy, but according to Forbes, it might come at a cost. Since 2018, following a racial incident in a Philadelphia branch, Starbucks has had an “open bathroom” policy, which means that anyone can use the bathroom regardless of whether they have been served at the coffee house.
If anything, you’d expect this to increase Starbucks’ popularity. However, a 2018 study by the University of Texas at Dallas and Boston College found that visits to Starbucks, compared to other coffee houses, had reduced by 6.8 percent since the policy was implemented.
Starbucks did not immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
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