Coffee conglomerate Starbucks is being accused — again — of denying people free water in the time of need, only this time, the accuser is a Black USPS driver.
The July 8 incident went viral after the driver, who goes by the handle @melaninglowesthetics on TikTok, posted a short clip claiming she was denied water at a local Starbucks. “Imagine working out of a tin can in 100 degree heat, trying to stay alive and walking into a Starbucks for a cup of ice water, and they tell you NO!,” she wrote in the video that has close to 200,000 views.
As the video grew in popularity, the postal worker decided to make another video explaining what happened, with close to 80,000 likes. She claims she walked into a Starbucks to request a cold cup of free ice water after delivering a package when the barista behind the counter told her that wasn’t possible without a purchase. In order to stay hydrated, the delivery worker did just that — purchased a bottle of water.
But she claims that’s not the point of her posting the video, not looking for sympathy but more so for awareness about the lack of humility during this current climate. “I am human. I show up everyday in extreme heat, in my uniform in a truck with no AC. I love my job, I love my customers and I love my route,” she said.
“But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have bad days. So to everyone who is saying ‘well come prepared, bring your own water, nobody owes you anything,’ I come prepared everyday, I always do. But some days I run out. That doesn’t make me irresponsible, it makes me human.”
While the driver never identified which Starbucks location was responsible for the denial this time, other locations have been accused of the same behavior. In mid-June 2025, a Black couple from Richmond, Virginia claimed they were denied water during an emergency situation when Kevin Key, who is battling stage 4 kidney failure, suffered a scary medical episode.
His wife ran into the coffee shop for some water after Kevin passed out, and was told she had to wait in line. According to Complex, Starbucks once offered the free service but in 2024, reversed its “open-door policy,” now requiring a purchase but still training employees to react with “empathy and kindness,” especially “in the event the circumstance calls for it—either due to extreme weather, medical emergency or other extenuating factors.”
Drivers for the postal service, once labeled as essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, have been highlighted for having to deal with grave conditions in extreme weather. A comment from one TikTok user pointed out how a carrier died from the heat and “we need to show each other more compassion.”
USPS has been accused of not taking drivers and delivery workers’ safety seriously after a worker in Dallas, Texas passed out and died on a record-breaking 104 degree day. The driver in the video even showed how hot it can get in her delivery truck versus standing outside for viewers to get an idea of what USPS drivers are forced to deal with.
SOURCE: blackenterprise.com