Starbucks Social Justice Shaming

There is this story that has been floating around online about this lady named Juana Martinez that discovered that a Starbucks employee in Lakewood, CA had stolen her credit card number and spent a little over $200 on it to buy some stuff at Ralph's. The cashier had disappeared with the card claiming she needed more paper for the receipt. Juana and her brother Brian Espinoza pulled into the drive through per usual and the same cashier was there. This was all recorded of course because that is the world we live in.

Juana told her “We got you on camera yesterday at Ralph's for $200, so just know that the cops are coming up here. You took a copy of my [expletive] card on New Year's Day. You know what you did, right?” The girl freaked out and immediately incriminated herself. You can tell that this is a not bright 19 year old and pretty much what I think is typical of someone around that age doing what she does and having done the crime she did. She said “I'm sorry that I took money from you and your kids. I'm sorry that you had to come up here. I'm sorry that this is inconvenient for you...I am a good child. I swear I am really good. I really do go to school. I'm 19. I play soccer.” Its futbol, bitch!

This wasn't enough for Juana. She was on her high horse and comfortable. “You come to Starbucks to get coffee, not to get robbed!” Cue the music.

Juana's brother Brian spoke saying that his sister had to head to Starbucks “and embarrass her life before reporting it to the police.” He added “I almost feel bad for the girl but she robbed the wrong person," he wrote. "Keep an eye out folks, even if it's at your friendly neighborhood Starbucks.”

Starbucks apologized themselves saying “We were extremely troubled to learn of this incident, and we have been working directly with the customer to address this situation. We value our customers' trust, and this experience was completely unacceptable. We will support local authorities in any investigation.” Juana ended up not pressing charges because she thinks the online shaming she did was enough.

Or was it too much?

Its funny how shaming is on this social justice pendulum. In some cases, like this one, people cheer her for shaming this ignorant ass girl for what she did. Others talk about the damage it does to the shamie. Then there's the whole other shaming like slut shaming, fat shaming, and shame shaming. Mind you, I am not even trying to defend what this girl did. In Dantania she would get The Potato. In the regular world if I found out this happened I would have called the police and this girl would have been prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. “But it was only $200!” shouted someone who has never had just thirty eight cents to their name.

The girl used a terrible plan and stole someone's money. She needs to be charged for that. She's a goddamn thief. But the woman that recorded this is an asshole. She could have let the law handle this but she felt she had to prove a point by recording what happened. I'm sure what she had planned in her head was better than the actual recording. And her brother is a mark for coming along for the ride to film it. The girl was fired from her job and the internet now knows her face as that of a thief.