The Cup Conundrum
By Jenn | December 24, 2009
By know, ya’ll know how much we love talking about reusable beverage containers here at Team TC. Honestly, what self-identified greenie doesn’t harbor a secret passion for discussing the nuanced benefits vs. drawbacks of each type of drinking vessel? Or is that just us?
So, here’s the Cup Post of the Day: Today I was out and about picking up some pretty fabric for a holiday gift I’m going to attempt to sew, and seeing as how the temperature is approximately -50F in NYC today (slight exaggeration, but only slight), I stopped in a swanky/chic/farmhouseish bakery for a cup of coffee, to go. I told the cashier three times that I had my own mug, but while I was focused on unscrewing the top to hand it to her, she started filling a disposable paper cup with my coffee. I said, wait, I have a mug! And she said, well I have to fill this one first, then pour the coffee into your mug, so that I know what size it is, otherwise I’ll have to charge you extra.
SighsighsighsighSIGH.
Now, I understand her point. My mug is not marked with its capacity, and I keep forgetting to fill it up at home and measure how much it holds, so that I can tell folks in the future. I’ve always just said, “I’m pretty sure it’s a medium” and everyone is usually ok with that guesstimate. What I really need to do now is go home, measure it, and write the capacity on the bottom with a Sharpie.
Anyway, by this point the disposable cup was already used, which rendered my reusable mug pointless. After talking in circles with the cashier about the point of reusable mugs being to avoid disposable waste, and her telling me about health codes, and around and around, I said, I understand your views and I’ll send an email to the owner of the cafe to discuss this further, thank you for your help.
I then stopped to add sweetener to my coffee and noticed that the cafe provided a glass jar filled with rough brown sugar chunks– which meant no paper waste from little sugar packets. So, you know, that kind of made me happy. It’s the little things.
Have you encountered any obstacles lately with your reusable mugs?
[Image by Neoliminal via Creative Commons]
Related posts:
- Dear Starbucks:
- Easy Peasy Tip: Bring Your Mug!
- Cold-Brewed Coffee
- The Saga of the Disposable Dishes
- Betacup for a Better Cup
- Adventures with Travel Mugs: Part 2
- Hankies?
Not an obstacle, but I feel like I’m always getting charged a different amount depending on where I go and who is working that day, which is, you know, somewhat amusing.
I love coffee, I really really do.
Oh no! That’s so sad. They should really have washable containers they can use to measure out the size.
more than once I have left a a coffee establishment when they start to grab a disposable cup and say that they have to write the order on it. i explain that i use a reusable mug for environmental reasons and tell them that I do not want their coffee that bad and leave. on one occasion it was like i was speaking in tongues. the woman kept repeating to me that i don’t need to worry because she was going to put it in my reusable cup. i kept trying to explain that the goal is to avoid the disposable cup altogether. she really didn’t get it at all. even worse–a coworker chimed in with the “don’t worry she’ll put it in your cup.” in that situation it really had nothing to do with size or health codes and just complete obliviousness.
the worst part of the situation if you don’t catch them in time is at that point it’s almost worse that you don’t just take the damn cup so at least it’s being used.
Exactly, Michelle– I actually just said, I give up, and used the disposable cup (without a lid). It was already used. Sigh. And yes, speaking in tongues describes it perfectly!
Chick fil A (in the south) is not allowed to put it in your reusable cup due to health code. Never had any problems other than that.
YES! this is the exact problem that I’ve had (several times while traveling with above commentor michelle, actually) - in some places, like the Detroit airport, I buy that it’s a health code thing. In other places, like all rest stops along the PA turnpike corridor, it’s a management issue that we have never been able to resolve. Post your email here! get the owner of the cafe to be an expert interviewee! :)
I’ve had basically all the problems above while trying to get staff to use my reuseable mug. I’ve had the most success when I start talking to the staff before I order my coffee - something like this: “Is it possible for you to use my reuseable cup?” and have a dialog before telling them what kind of coffe or anything else about my order. This is what I find most successful when trying to get them to use their own reusable mugs for my order as well: “can I get something in a ceramic mug here?” That way they have to pay attention to the cup issue and they can’t get into any automatic routine with a disposable cup.
When a customer would bring a reusable cup into our cafe we could fill it with warm water and then pour the water into a measuring cup and see how much it held. Ta dah! It warmed up the cup pre coffee, and many times it washed out the dregs of the customers last drink.
If a place has ceramic cups and the health code doesn’t let a cafe fill reuseable cups, see if the staff will pour your drink into a real mug and then transfer the drink yourself at the condiment bar. This has the potential to be messy and the cup still needs to be washed, but it is a work around.
Actually, if our HD didn’t let us fill reuseable mugs I think I’d get some pyrex measuring cups just for this purpose, since they have a nice handle and pouring spout. It would wreck a well made cappuccino but in that case I’d just probably do it and damn the rules.
I had the same problem a few times at a Caribou coffee in Chicago. I left each time without getting the coffee as they wouldn’t put it in my mug. After the first time I emailed them and quickly heard back from a manager that they would notify the employees that it was ok to use a reusable mug. The second time it happended I told them that I’d corresponded with a manager but they still wouldn’t do it - the next time I went back it was fine and has been since. It was a pain to be so persistent but if I didn’t do it maybe no one else would and others would be stuck still wasting a paper cup! I also recently had an issue with a retail store not allowing me to use a reusable bag I carry in my handbag. I explained my reasoning twice then finally let her put the stuff in her plastic bag and when she handed it to me I took my stuff out, put it in my cloth bag, left her plastic bag and walked out!