What would you do in this situation?

What would you do in this situation?

I was faced with an interesting situation last night and wanted to know how everybody here would react to it. I'll post what I did after I get some responses on what everybody else would do.



The situation:

The local Starbucks at 9PM. It's usually really quiet at this one at night.

You are sitting at a table enjoying a coffee.

A small group (3) of rowdy guys enters the cafe. They can barely stand up, nevermind walk straight. From the smell alone you can tell they've just been out to several pubs and bars.

Rather than place an order, they demand the cashier empty the till. At this time they had no weapons, wore no masks, and seemed to be doing it more for fun than a serious holdup.

The cashier thinks they're joking and tries to get them to place an order, which is followed by them throwing some of the products at the staff and they start yelling.

One of them pulls out a small knife. Another pulls out a switchblade.

The cashier freezes in place not knowing what to do. The other staff pause what they're doing and try to assess the situation.

You are sitting about ten feet away at a table, which is just a few feet from the main doorway.

You know that the cops typically come by this Starbucks, but you don't know how frequently.

You have a cell phone on you and could easily call the cops.

There is only one other customer sitting on the far side of the Starbucks, and she looks scared out of her mind.

So what do you do?

-Run and hope they don't give chase?
-Call the cops and hope they don't try to stop you?
-Sit and remain quiet, hoping the situation will resolve itself?
-Try to be a hero and do something stupid?

 

Call 999 and put it on speakerphone...

 

Where is the option 'laugh at star bucks being robbed'

Alot more would need to go into the consideration, if it looked like someone I cared for could possibly be in danger it would be the last option...If not depending on the overall the best might be to wait and observe.

 

Do you have an AK47 on the table next to you or any other fully automatic weapons? Hmmmmm...

 

Yeah I agree with hrblcantra. I'd need a little more info to go on before I decide if it's free latte time or asskicking time.

Also, doesn't it take the mounties a long time to ride their horses to an emergency?

 

We have regular policemen just like America, they drive cop cars.

The RCMP doesn't respond to those types of calls.

 

I know I was just giving you neighbors to the north a hard time. Maybe I could come up there sometime and you could show me some other things Canada has to offer.

 

I wouldn't do anything unless people started being threatened or hurt.

Otherwise, why bother....

 

You only have offered only limited options

I would switch off all the lights and run away. Assume that the switch board was right next to me.

 

I put those options up as they were the ones that I thought about. Of course you can suggest a different option

As for caring about anybody that was in immediate danger, we'll say no. I know the Starbucks staff because I'm in there all the time, but I wouldn't say we're friends or anything like that.

The RCMP would respond to a call if somebody alerted them to an armed robbery...at least I hope they would lol.

 

I don't think so that there is any need of showing any heroics. They were unmasked and drunked. Let them take the money and later cops will surely catch them

 

If they were actually as drunk as you say, and could barely stand up I would have nocked the one with a switch blade out and then gone after the other 2. - This is only if they aren't huge muscular guys

If they were big and weren't "pass-out" drunk I would most likely keep still waiting to see what happened next and make my move depending.

 

The best thing you should or could do in a situation like this is do nothing...the staff is trained to give up the money so when they recieve the money they probably go away. Plus the staff is behind a counter (not that this really helps alot) but when the counter is still between the robber and staff and they only have knifes then it's best to do nothing.

Acting out in a moment like you described would only result in situations that you don't know the outcome of.
Ever seen pulp fiction? just be cool and if you don't have anything robbed from you then why act on it? unless they are at the point to really do damage to the staff then it's a choice of risking your own health or letting the staff get stabbed.

Like you described those guys where drunk as hell so you could pick up a table (if they aren't mounted to the ground) in a situation like this if the staff was going to be stabbed or if they wanted to rob you and you really wanted to keep your valuables and throw it at them or fence of the knife with it and when you see an opening run away.

Always try to avoid knife fights!

Also really depends what kind of guys it where, got a screenshot

 

I can't speak for starbucks in Canada, but just because you work at a retail store or coffee shop doesn't mean you're trained to give up money or follow a protocol. I've worked in several different retail stores when I was younger and I was never trained or even had anything mentioned in the event of a robbery.

As a guy capable of easily (most likely) defusing the situation with force I would do so. Sit there, do nothing, and maybe that cashier gets killed, do you want that on your conscience?

I would rather be able to say I stood up and did something than say I sat there while a person was assaulted and possibly killed.

 

2 guys with knives, and a third for back up..Don't care how good you can fight, how drunk they are, how big you are it would not be 'easy'

---edit I'm 6' 3", 250, never lost a fight...been in many of them...but no way would it be easy..

 

And what if your actions causes someone to get killed? Instead of the robbers just taking the money (which is most likely insured) and leaving, you cause them to make use of their weapons?

And for those who wants to silently call the cops on your cellphone, you could potentinally cause a hostage situation.

As for myself, I've no idea what I would do. I've been robbed before, but that was 8 guys against my gf and me, I stood up to them when they tried to rape her and luckely they wheren't armed with anything but screwdrivers.

 

yo-yo wrote:

True, a lot of small stores or retail stores employees are still not trained to follow the instructions of robbers what is unfortunately because this should really be thought to everyone working in a store or whatever that envolves money.

A big company like starbucks would train it's employees i guess to not give resistance.

That really depends on the situation, if i have the feeling the situation is as such that i know positively i can win i would, if the cashier would be in serious danger otherwise i wouldn't risk my life for a stranger. It's my life where talking about.

three guys and two with knives i believe is not a joke believe me and if all they are doing is threating from a distance with that knife and saying give up the money then i would for sure do nothing.

 

How can you say it's insured they're going to just take the money? It's 3 drunk guys who are obviously so drunk they don't use reason and logic. They've already pulled out knives and could easily be violent drunks. Not to mention they could also easily be "career" criminals who have done similar things many times before.

And hrlb, sneaking up on 3 very drunk guys and knocking them out with a metal chair or whatever other big objects are around can't be to tough.. unless they're big guys

 

Actually, I'm surprised Yo-Yo wouldn't just ask, "Hey, do you guys plan on hurting anyone?"