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AIBU?

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Original poster

Would you sit in a cafe after ordering coffee to take away?

88 replies

Peopleplease · 08/03/2017 10:03

It was a Costa with no price difference between sit down and take away prices.

DH and I popped in with DD2 in the buggy. She's 10 weeks old. We ordered coffee to take away but by the time we'd been served DD had fallen asleep and we sat down to have our coffee in peace and have a chat. Even if we'd know she'd sleep we still would have wanted take away cups in case she cried.

A friend thinks I was unreasonable and shouldn't have sat down.

So just wondering - as there was no price difference - would you sit down??

OP posts:
squishee · 08/03/2017 10:35

You've paid the same - there's space to sit down - it's a no-brainer.
People do this all the time.

TheHuntingOfTheSarky · 08/03/2017 10:35

I always order mine in a takeaway cup. I spill it everywhere when faced with the prospect of a proper cup.

Like the lady in Keeping Up Appeaeances, I tend to need a beaker Blush

Patriciathestripper1 · 08/03/2017 10:36

Tell your freind to get a life

bnotts · 08/03/2017 10:36

I always get my drink in a takeaway cup ( well my own thermal mug) but pay the sit in price. Again never know how quickly might have to get away to the playground. If there is no difference in price.... why care?

RentANDBills · 08/03/2017 10:37

When I took the baby in with me I always got stuff as takeaway in case I needed to make a speedy exit!

Why exactly does your friend think its unreasonable?

SilenceOfThePrams · 08/03/2017 10:38

I work in a cafe. Customers do this all the time. Costs us more as obviously the takeaway cups are disposable (although we can recycle then here), but we have some people who feel safer with a lidded cup around their boisterous toddlers, others who aren't sure how soon they'll need to go, and a few who need the lighter weight of the cardboard cup as our China is fairly robust and heavy.

PunjanaTea · 08/03/2017 10:38

I have a reusable take away cup and always use it. Cafe Nero, Costa and Starbucks give me a discount and in my local coffee shop where I bought it I get extra stamps.

I also get to feel less guilty about the amount of waste my lifestyle generates.

SEsofty · 08/03/2017 10:38

Vat on eating in

Sparklingbrook · 08/03/2017 10:38

What led you to have a discussion about this with your friend? Confused

AnnieAnoniMouse · 08/03/2017 10:38

I do it all the time, but only if it's not extremely busy. Various different reasons, but one being that I prefer the Costa takeaway Latte as it's a double shot (pay extra for the second shot if you have it 'drink in') and there's a bit less milk, I just enjoy the balance a lot more and I do it because I like my coffee HOT & it stays hotter.

Shoppingwithmother · 08/03/2017 10:41

YANBU but I can't see why you needed to tell your friend about it

sirfredfredgeorge · 08/03/2017 10:42

No vat on coffee though, so buy a muffin at takeaway price and eat in - bad because the store now needs to remit the vat on the portion of your takeaway price.

Coffee though, no difference at all, lots of people do it because it's just easier than saying "in, but I'd rather have a takeaway cup"

Environmental impact is not as simple as above, as it will depend lots on how many uses, how efficient the washing process, original ceramic building etc.

Rachel0Greep · 08/03/2017 10:43

What led you to have a discussion about this with your friend?

I wondered the same thing.

LynneJones · 08/03/2017 10:46

Absolutely agree with you, sit down. If youre 10 month old was asleep why disturb them, gives u a breather too and we all need that with small children to recharge our batteries

Lynne x

Miserylovescompany2 · 08/03/2017 10:49

My son asks for a takeaway cup to sit in with. As he hates the glasses that his beloved Costa hot chocolate are served in. Also, he suffers with sensory overload if there are too many people. He might be able to tolerate the noise for a little while, but often leaves with his drink. A takeaway cup makes sense.

I often see folk ordering takeaway drinks, because there are no seats available at the time of ordering. By the time their drink has been prepared there could be a seat available?

user1484750550 · 08/03/2017 10:49

I went into a subway the other week and a girl with a baby in a buggy paid 'take-out' prices, and then said 'is it ok if I sit here by the door to eat it?' and the man serving said no. He absolutely wouldn't let her sit down at all, and made her leave. Not sure why she didn't pay the eat-in price if she wanted to eat in, but I guess some people don't think the rules apply to them eh?

AndHoldTheBun · 08/03/2017 10:53

I just used to say "I'm sitting in, but can I have a take-away cup please, I may have to leave if the baby starts crying". Staff were always happy to oblige!

SapphireStrange · 08/03/2017 10:54

YANBU at all if there's no price difference. But your friend presumably enjoys trying to take the moral high ground.

OneSecondAfter · 08/03/2017 10:55

If there's no price difference then why on earth would there be any issue with sitting in?? Your friend is weird.

RhodaBorrocks · 08/03/2017 10:56

I did this the other day. I said I'd sit in but could I have our drinks in takeaway cups please. The staff were more than happy - it was 4pm on a Sunday - less washing up for them!

DS finished his hot chocolate pretty quickly but my coffee was still hotter than the sun, so I took my drink with me.

You get a YANBU from me.

AndHoldTheBun · 08/03/2017 10:57

Sparkle, are paper coffee cups ACTUALLY made of rainforest? I would have thought they would be made of cheap, fast growing softwood grown as a crop, specifically to make paper...

eitak22 · 08/03/2017 11:01

I often do this, as others have said with drinks its not an issue with food it is. Lots of people on lunch breaks do this in our local starbucks as there's no guarantee they will finish their drink before end of their lunch break.

Spikeyball · 08/03/2017 11:02

When out with ds we always have a take away cup or our own thermal one. Normal cups aren't safe and we often have to make a sharp exit.

problembottom · 08/03/2017 11:04

I always do this in Costa as I hate those tall latte glasses and long spoons. Also I usually have about a third left when I want to leave.

SuperFlyHigh · 08/03/2017 11:04

I normally get mine if sitting inside in a china cup... If going outside its a takeaway cup.

But I don't see the problem here at all! This morning it's tipping down with rain if I were in a costa had ordered a coffee and it rained I'd ask for takeaway cup and sit inside. No brainer.

I know there's a price difference between inside and takeaway drinks and snacks but I've never seen it overly enforced (or enforced at all!).