USPS Mail Carrier Says She Was Denied Free Water at Starbucks During Heatwave: 'I Am Human'

A TikTok video from a U.S. postal worker has gone viral after she said that a Starbucks employee denied her a free cup of ice water while she was working in extreme heat.

In the video, which has since been watched over 1.8 million times on TikTok, the woman wrote, “Imagine working out of a tin can in 100-degree heat, trying to stay alive and walking into Starbucks for a cup of ice water, and they tell you NO!”

The postal worker, who uses the handle @melaninglowesthetics, later shared a follow-up video explaining more details about the incident.

“It was really hot outside and I was delivering a package to Starbucks. I had already finished the water that I pack every day in my cooler," she explained. "So I’m in there, I’m delivering the package and I’m just like, ‘Hey, can I have a small cup of ice water?’ She tells me after I buy something first, she can give me the water, but she can’t just give me the water.”

She continued, “And I just wanted to say, I'm not here complaining. I don't feel entitled to anything. I bought a bottle of water. But again, I am human. I show up every day in extreme heat in my uniform in a truck with no A/C. I love my job, I love my customers, and I love my route. But that doesn't mean that I don't have bad days.”

The woman explained she typically brings cold water in a cooler but she happened to run out that day.

“To everyone who's saying, ‘Well, come prepared, bring your own water. Nobody owes you anything,’ I come prepared every day. I always do. But some days I run out. That doesn't make me irresponsible. It makes me human,” she said. “But it's not even about the free water. It's about just basic human kindness. That's all. I'm just asked to be seen, like, as a human being. I'm not complaining. I'm sharing, and if one video about me asking for a cup of water bothers you that much, you should really ask yourself why.”

Last month, a long-time mail carrier in Dallas died on his route in 90-degree temperatures. Another postal worker, 51-year-old Wednesday Johnson, died in North Carolina last June after collapsing delivering mail in a hot USPS truck with no air conditioning.

Starbucks reversed its open-door policy earlier this year and now requires customers to make a purchase to receive free water or use the restroom.

Jaci Anderson, a spokesperson for the Starbucks, confirmed to the Atlanta Black Star that, “All customers who make a purchase while visiting our stores can enjoy complimentary water during their visit.”

She added that employees are trained to respond with “empathy and kindness,” particularly “in the event the circumstance calls for it—either due to extreme weather, medical emergency or other extenuating factors.”

The woman behind the TikTok videos did not specify which Starbucks location denied her the iced water.