"Parent Who Asked for Just a Little Milk for Child Threatens to 'Ruinate' Cafe After Being Refused"

Self-Employed Struggling with Demands for 'Free Milk'
Only Receiving Verbal Abuse Despite Providing Purchase Instructions

"Please give me just a little milk for my child."

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As stories keep emerging about parents visiting cafes demanding milk for their children, a self-employed business owner shared their dilemma after refusing such a request and being criticized as "stingy."

On the 17th, a post titled "I'm troubled by a customer asking for milk to feed their child" was uploaded on an online community, drawing attention. The author, A, who identified as a cafe owner, began by saying, "On the day a parent and child visited, the parents demanded, 'Please give us some milk to feed the child.'

A explained, "Milk is for beverage preparation and sale, so we cannot provide it for free," and guided them to purchase chocolate, bananas, and white milk that were stocked for children. However, the customers were already upset. They continuously expressed dissatisfaction toward A, calling them 'stingy.'

A also shared another example of a difficult situation with a different customer. "Today (the 17th), a child and their mother came in, ordered an iced Americano and a sandwich, and requested, 'Please give a little milk to feed the child.' I explained that milk is sold separately and asked them to purchase it. But the mother verbally abused me, saying, 'I don’t understand why only this cafe is like this when all the others give it for free,'" A recounted. A claimed to have been told by the mother, "You don’t know how to run a business," "Is it really that hard to give a little milk?" and "Just wait. I’m sure this place will go out of business."

Netizens who read the story responded with comments such as, "There’s no worse kind of troublemaker," "If kindness continues, people think it’s a right," "Milk costs less than 5,000 won, just buy it; I don’t understand why they argue," "It’s obvious what kind of child grows up under such parents," and "Teaching the child well," among others.

Starbucks Free Milk Service... "A Handy Tip" vs "Abuse"

Starbucks 'Milk Love Latte' Campaign.
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On social media, controversies about 'free milk provision' continue to arise. In January, a debate erupted among netizens over Starbucks’ service of providing a free cup of milk when ordering coffee. The controversy stemmed from some parents reportedly using this service to give milk to their children.

Netizen B, focusing on abuse cases of the service, said, "The original purpose is to add a little milk to customers’ coffee," and added, "If the service is discontinued because people take advantage of the free milk, only the honest consumers who use it properly will suffer," calling for self-regulation. On the other hand, netizen C argued, "In this era of low birth rates, people complain too much," and said, "Once you receive the service, how you use it is your own freedom. Even if it’s to feed a child, that is also their freedom."

Meanwhile, some Starbucks stores had stocked milk at condiment bars for customer convenience until July 2017, but due to potential hygiene concerns, the service was changed to providing milk upon request from staff.