Red Hen owner ...

[Gatorade]

I am actually very torn on this issue. I believe a business owner should have the right to decide who they do business with. Be it a wedding cake, a dinner at a restaurant, an art gallery or just a convience store around the corner. However I can see how that can lead to civil rights abuses and am reminded that we are not so far removed from whites and colored signs.

I guess right now I am leaning toward business owners refusing service if they decide to. However they need to realize actions have consequences, and their actions may cost them business and may even cost them their actual business. If they are so strong in their beliefs then they should have no problem taking the lumps that may come.

In my time as a store manager the only times I have ever run a customer off was when they were actually shoplifting from the stores. I may have made a couple people very uncomfortable during their stay in my store but thieves were always run off.