I like to order my cold drinks (especially soda) without ice, because–shocking revelation–I don’t really like ice. I didn’t realize that all of these years, I’ve been running a massive scam on the eateries of America, weaseling extra beverages out of them with my innocent request. That’s what a barista at a Borders store accused JD of doing when he ordered an iced chai with no ice. She gave JD what he describes as “half a cup of lukewarm chai” (pictured). New Borders policy, or was she a vigilante anti-ice crusader?

JD writes:

Something really bugged me about my Borders visit last night.

I went to Borders at around 9:00pm Friday night looking for a book to use my 40% off coupon on. I’ve gone to Borders a lot, spending $100s easily in the past couple years and have never really had a bad experience. My book browsing trip mostly begins with a stop at their café where I usually get a medium cold chai, no ice. I ask for no ice because watery milk and chai just doesn’t taste good. Apparently, this barista thought I was trying to cheat the system and get more chai. When she finally called me over to get my drink, I was handed what the attached picture shows: half a cup of lukewarm chai (don’t they keep that stuff in a fridge behind the counter? Apparently not).

I thought maybe she had forgotten to add milk or something, so I asked why it was so empty. She said, very simply, deadpanned even, “That’s what you get when you ask for no ice.” I asked why that is and her response was, “We usually fill it up all the way with ice.” I walked away baffled, spent a couple minutes sipping my double-Dixie cup sized drink before abandoning my shopping trip altogether. Furthermore, I went to Barnes & Noble across the street and had a much better experience (their café didn’t charge $4 for half of what I ordered).

Now my problem here isn’t with the barista. I’m sure she was just following orders to watch out for people who try to get more liquid by asking for no ice. This policy must be new, as I’ve never, ever encountered it at any café I’ve ever been to. I do NOT agree with Borders policy of only giving you half the product you order, whether or not you ask for no ice. Had I seen a sign that said, “WARNING: All cold drinks are only half-sized” I would’ve saved the $4 and bought the book I was originally going to get. As it is, I’m done going to Borders and will stick with Amazon and B&N for my future book purchases.

Thanks for reading. Happy consumering!

What do you think? Is JD trying to scam innocent retail establishments out of chai, or was the barista kind of a jerk?

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.