Dunkin’ Donuts is a popular chain that has delicious food. It’s so convenient that they have a location close to Parker, and it’s perfect for a quick breakfast or a pre-practice snack. Dunkin’ had a ridiculous rule that students could not go inside without being accompanied by an adult.
This was a rule enforced by the former manager. However, under new management, this policy was removed. The former manager posed this rule because of the number of students that would enter the store and because some students don’t have the best behavior.
Despite this, most people who go into the Dunkin’ are in for as long as it takes them to order. It’s not a sitdown restaurant with a luxurious atmosphere––it’s just a Dunkin’ donuts.
The institution of this rule in the first place was unnecessary. It makes the workers act as if they are bouncers. They get paid to give people donuts, and making them patrol which people are allowed in is unfair to the amount they get paid. They should have just hired someone to act as “security” similar to Target if they cared that much.
Alongside this, the workers didn’t seem to care about students coming into the Dunkin’. The more annoying part to them is their boss adding another list of things to keep an eye on.
This isn’t a unique rule that Parker students have been faced with. At the Webster Target, only five students are allowed in the store at a time unless they are accompanied by an adult. While I understand that this rule is to prevent theft, when I’m faced with rejection after school when I just want to get some gum, it feels so unnecessary. Like, come on! I just want a pack of gum––I’m not going to steal anything. I understand that they are just being cautious, but really anyone who goes into that store could steal something. It’s not just high school students who steal things.
Although this rule at Target is annoying and inconvenient to me, I understand that Target has had theft that came from highschoolers in large groups. This rule was posed out of necessity. Dunkin’ on the other hand created this policy solely because it was annoying for them to deal with kids.
Not only does this affect students, but their parents and guardians, too. Students going to places by themselves increases independence which is not only good for them but their caretakers as well. If high school students still need to be babysat and taken by an adult to places right across the street, how will they adapt to the “real world” when they go to college?
It’s weird and a bit shocking that establishments are not letting children enter their stores. It ruins the chance for them to be independent and also for stores to make more sales. They could benefit from a Parker student. If Yoberri were to impose the same rule, they would most likely lose a lot of their sales.
This Dunkin’ rule has been abolished since a new manager was hired. It was unnecessary in the first place and didn’t only affect students but the workers and students’ parents and guardians as well.
