A sign posted in the window of the New Paltz Stewart’s location generated a lively social media debate on Valentine’s Day. The handwritten sign had this message: “No loitering! This is private property [and] not a bus stop. Thank you! Police will be notified of violators.” The corner of North Chestnut Street and Henry W. Dubois Drive is a stop for Ulster County Area Transit.
The online discussion focused in part on whether allowing bus passengers to wait inside on a cold day is a kindness consistent with the Stewart’s corporate image of wholesome community shops, or if expecting such an accommodation of a private property owner is a bridge too far. Other comments touched on whether this would deter bus passengers or others from patronizing the business at all, with some users calling for a boycott and others posting that they’d placed calls to the Saratoga Springs headquarters in order to complain.
As of Saturday morning, the handwritten sign was nowhere in sight, although several printed “no loitering” signs remained in place in windows and mounted on outside walls. A shift supervisor at the store, who did not offer to be identified, was unsure if the offended sign had been removed by an employee or someone else. “I know this has become a thing,” the supervisor said, “and it’s been very stressful,” both having individuals loitering inside and the public response to the sign. “I’m just trying to do my job.”
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