Etiquette concerns at Starbucks.
You don't get to pick a seat until after you order.
So you walk in, the line is long and the seating options aren't terrific.
You might be tempted to lock up a seat by using your coat, but I suggest that this isn't proper.
Technically you're not ready to sit down until after you order, so why should you be able to claim a seat before that?
If theoretically you could send a carrier pigeon to lockdown a seat hours in advance, would this be proper? And are these two situations any different in concept?
At the end of the day, there's more time of a seat being wasted when we have this attitude that you can claim it ahead of time. So the norm should be that you claim it when you're ready to sit, not when you enter the building.
It's tough because not everybody will obey this and so you might get burned both ways; you might do what's right and pass on claiming the seat you want and then someone less civilized comes in and sweeps it out from under you before they get in line. But I think any time you act in a way that's right and that's encouraging towards progress, the universe has some kind of reward for you.
If you want to be socially proactive about it, you can sit in the seats that people reserve with a coat and refuse to accept that as a legitimate claim.
Be gentle when you try to open the restroom door.
Ideally the door will have the tag on it that shows you whether it's occupied or vacant. But if this isn't the case, you should consider the possibility that someone is inside when you try to open it.
Rather than jaggle really roughly on the door handle, you can just lightly press on it to see if it opens without disturbing or sending a message of impatience to the person who might be inside.
Whatever you do, do not knock.
Once in a while I see these people knock as their mechanism to discover if it's occupied. Why would you do that? Nobody wants to respond and tell you that they're in there. The door locks for a reason, just see if it opens and don't try to communicate with the people inside.
Try to be mindful of personal space.
There's only so much floor space to go around, and sometimes Starbucks will have the tables side by side and close together.
When this happens you have to remember that you can't stand up to talk to people, at least not for an extended conversation.
Your body (and really, the more intimate area of it) will be right beside somebody's face while they're trying to enjoy their beverage.
It's invasive and nobody wants it.
It's the finer details like these that can take you from being a decent member of the Starbucks community to a great one, and I'd like you to be the best version of yourself possible.
photos of inside Starbucks are sourced from me originally