Nowadays, it isn’t uncommon to use public shaming as a way of punishing people, especially online. However, there is no denying that some situations simply do not call for it.
It isn’t unusual for you to order at least one item when you visit an eatery. However, this coffee shop in Penang apparently has different rules. They require you to order at least one drink when you sit down. And if you don’t? Well, you apparently get shamed for it online!
Just yesterday (20th March), a coffee shop in Penang was called out for some rather unsavoury practices. According to netizens, this eatery had a nasty habit of publicly shaming their customers for not ordering a drink. Their latest victim was an elderly man, who was seen enjoying a bowl of noodles.
A now deleted post from the shop explained: “If he wants to be famous, we will give him a hand. he knew that there was a sign saying that the coffee shop has a small profit margin, so ordering a drink is the bare minimum. But he refused and said that we can’t make him. (So), we will show his family and friends what he’s like.”
This allegedly wasn’t the first time they took to their socials to publicly shame people. Previously, they had targeted another woman, claiming: “Auntie (didn’t) order water in the store, and (didn’t) pay 50 sen for a seat.” From screenshots, it seems the coffee shop has been doing this since 2020.
Since the posts went viral, the coffee shop has been getting attention, and not in the good way. Most netizens are dragging the shop for their shaming acts. Others have taken to worsening their shop’s review on Google. While it previously had a four-star rating of 4.2, at the time of writing, it has a review of 1.3 stars.
The owner has reportedly apologised and claims the posts have been deleted. Additionally, there was supposedly another post after announcing that they would be closing down permanently. However, the owner has since claimed that the announcement is fake. He allegedly stated that he closed the original account to prevent netizens from leaving more comments and photos about the issue.
Netizens haven’t exactly been very forgiving. Several have pointed out that actions on the internet often have long-lasting consequences. A few alleged that the written apology wasn’t sincere. Well, at the very least, we hope they won’t be doing that again!
Sources: Tan Tan News, Sinchew Daily, Google Review, Facebook
