This Starbucks Water Fountain Is Simple Yet Genius

Because Starbucks so kindly offers free water – some chains only hand out free water if you're making a purchase – many people take advantage of the opportunity. Don't get us wrong, most of the time this isn't an issue. After all, it's just water.

However, where the problem comes into play, as Starbucks employees shared on Reddit, is when customers try to order water at "handoff." Several self-identified employees said this throws them off their rhythm of fulfilling orders, not to mention it's rude to both employees and other waiting customers.

With that being said, one Starbucks location recently minimized the water-order problem by installing a fountain specifically for customer use. Although the fountain doesn't help with Starbucks' drive-thru orders, it can at least eliminate water orders in-store. The majority of TikTok was obviously blown away by this ground-breaking move, but several people were still able to find faults with the new system.

In early March, one Starbucks employee walked into work, only to be surprised by a new water fountain up at the counter. They quickly shared a five-second TikTok with the world, demonstrating how easy the fountain is to use, and saying it's employee-approved.

@iamjohnnylopez

Walked into a suprise this morning 👍😊🙏🏼 #starbucks#coffeetok

♬ Boy's a liar Pt. 2 – PinkPantheress & Ice Spice

Dozens of other TikTok users chimed in, saying their Starbucks needed fountains. However, others noted that where these fountains are really needed is outside in the drive-thru lanes. Still others commented that, sure, the fountain fixes the water problem, but what about when people ask for ice? Sounds like the same issue as before, unless Starbucks also installs an ice dispenser for customer use. Or, better yet, just don't get ice in your drink.

Either way, it doesn't really matter if there are still some problems with the concept, because the water fountains haven't made their way to any other Starbucks locations yet. The chain still has plenty of time to take customers' feedback into consideration and work out the glitches.