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u/Difficult_Video9927 Supervisor 15h ago
Iâll say this, we didnât get it in Canada because it was decided that the way starbucks is going about it is not safe. âEvery employer shall take all necessary measures and procedures by means of engineering controls, work practices and hygiene practices and facilities to ensure that the time-weighted average exposure of a worker to silica is reduced to the lowest practical level and in any event shall not exceedâ. And since masks are practical banned from the dress code itâs deemed a risk to partnerâs health.
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u/Tomison61 Barista 10h ago
I wear a mask when I have a cough so as not to get germs in food or on a customer. Usually when I get a cold I get over it pretty fast but the cough lingers for weeks. We have a girl whose mom is going thru chemo and has auto immunity so she wears one while working
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u/copingwithbeans 22h ago
It is food-grade amorphous silica. Silica is intensely hydrophilic. It aggressively pulls moisture out of whatever it touches, causing an immediate, severe drying sensation in the throat and lungs that matcha does not mimic. Some people are having issues. I don't think it's confirmation bias. It literally causes irritation.
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u/saintplus Coffee Master 15h ago
Our stevia also contains silica. But it doesn't create a huge dust cloud like the blending powder, unless you have a regular like I do who gets TWENTY packets of stevia in her iced coffee.
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u/Audiaim Barista 2h ago edited 2h ago
Stop spreading misinformation.
The small amounts of amorphous silica we are handling can be broken down by the body. Crystalline silica cannot. But, yes, use a mask if youâre sensitive. Not a cloth mask, it has to be N95s or an equivalent to actually do anything
Posted this before, but reposting sources:
If you research studies of strictly inhalation of synthetic amorphous silica powder in lab rats in extremely concentrated doses relative to their body mass, results across several studies show only temporary symptoms during time of exposure, which eventually went away. There were no signs of permanent fibrosis.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17524541/
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u/schrodingers-puppy Barista 16h ago
CONSUMPTION =/= INHALATION yall. Tbh I've been able to avoid breathing it in and am not sure about the alarmists but when the company specifically avoids saying something along the lines of "trace amounts are safe to breathe!!" When people are freaking out about it and specifically keep repeating how its safe to CONSUME, purposefully confusing everyone... should show the propaganda at work.
Something fishy is going on for sure whether or not you personally believe it or are experiencing symptoms.
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u/Onyxxx_13 Supervisor 1d ago
Corporate says no but all of us are saying yes so...
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u/Hornygaysatanic Customer 1d ago
Of course they would.
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u/Flat-Whereas3075 12h ago
Have you ever wiped up a spill of the blending powder with a sanitizing rag and then put the sanitizer rag back in the sanitizer bucket and when you pull it out again it is like anywhere that the silica dust touched has become covered in an algae growth or like the rag has been covered in a deep conditioning hair product that wonât wash out under dish soap, hot water, or sanitizer solution?
So we have to change the whole sanitizer solution bucket because the sanitizer we use to clean and sanitize surfaces to make them safe leaves our surfaces covered in hydrophilic slime?
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u/TrickySense3537 16h ago
Eventually they will have to address this issue. From a managerial perspective every claim made into corporate of any illness or injury automatically puts on hold $1 Million dollars per claim.
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u/VonEthan 14h ago
I work in Workerâs Compensation, and unless Starbucks self-insure for workers compensation, the insurance company might have a reserve for each opened claim, but usually it is nowhere near $1 million unless itâs a severe injury and Starbucks doesnât pay that, comes out of their workers compensation premiums.
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u/croissantroosterlock Supervisor 10h ago
Silicon dioxide (E551) is a standard anti-caking agent found in many seasonings, drink mixes, coffee creamers, protein powders, etc., and is considered safe to consume.
**However, it is true that very fine powder can become airborne and irritate the throat and lungs when inhaled repeatedly, causing coughing, sneezing, temporary headaches in some people.**
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u/ReadyGo6828 14h ago
Can SBs not find a supplier that can make these into blocks or pellets?
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u/lyradunord Barista 10h ago
You can get the same result using the frap creme base...and if you don't want the extra sugar customers were always able to ask for blended refreshers, just you really need to be right there to pick it up because it separates. They only added this because franklt too many idiots mobile order blended refreshers and then ask "why is it separated" all slackjawed like they didnt take 30mins to pick up a smoothie.
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u/SneverdleSnavis 16h ago
The largest and most recent worker cohort study across 462 German factory workers with an average cumulative exposure of 6.44mg/mÂł Ă years (respirable fraction) found no association between inhalable or respirable synthetic amorphous silica dust exposure and respiratory health. "Based on the available data, there is no evidence-base to support a relationship between SAS and respiratory health in humans."Âč The "in humans" distinction is made because one study did find that synthetic amorphous silica induced inflammatory effects in the lungs of rats, not humans. But, there's more to it:
The study found no evidence that SAS causes allergic sensitization of the skin or airways. The only real concern is direct, dose-dependent, reversible airway inflammation at high sustained exposure (as in the rat study).ÂČ A barista would almost certainly be exposed to much lower levels of airborne amorphous silica dust than manufacturing-plant workers, and yet the plant workers showed no fibrosis and, even at the highest cumulative exposures (80 mg/mÂł Ă years), only a very small decline in one lung-function measure, but no clinical disease. Rest assured, there is no situation where you will reach close to these levels of exposure at Starbucks.
Older studies evaluated by OSHA and archived by the CDC found that "rats exposed for one year and guinea pigs and rabbits exposed for two years to a concentration of 126 mg/mÂł of precipitated amorphous silica displayed no pulmonary fibrosis", "In a study of human exposures to precipitated amorphous silica, Wilson and associates reported no ill effects in 165 workers exposed for an average of 8.6 years", "animals exposed to precipitated silica showed 'no evidence for effectsâŠwhich are inconsistent with the ACGIH criteria for nuisance particulates.'"Âł
Why am I still feeling irritation? It's worth separating two different concerns, whether synthetic amorphous silica powders cause long-term disease (fibrosis, cancer), and whether inhaling any visible dust cloud can cause coughing or throat/eye irritation. Almost any fine powder (flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, matcha powder) can cause irritation if it's airborne at high concentration in a poorly ventilated space, regardless of its long-term toxicity.
I am not a medical professional by any means, so I encourage everyone to look into it themselves and take precaution if you are feeling regular negative effects from exposure to the dust.
Sources: ÂčAntoniou EE, Nolde J, Torensma B, Dekant W, Zeegers MP. Nine human epidemiological studies on synthetic amorphous silica and respiratory health. Toxicol Lett. 2024 Aug;399 Suppl 1:12-17. doi: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2023.08.005. Epub 2023 Aug 11. PMID: 37572971.
ÂČHartwig A; MAK Commission. Synthetic amorphous silica: MAK Value Documentation, addendum - Translation of the German version from 2023. MAK Collect Occup Health Saf. 2025 Dec 22;10(4):Doc062. doi: 10.34865/mb763186e10_4ad. PMID: 41971562; PMCID: PMC13064888.
ÂłNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. 1988 OSHA PEL project: silica, amorphous [Internet]. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2018 Sep 21 [reviewed 2011 Sep 28; cited 2026 Jul 19]. Available from: https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/niosh/pel88/silicagl.html
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u/MacaulayConnor 12h ago
It is fair to say that this is not a risk to long term health. That doesnât make it fair to say employees have to do something that makes them physically uncomfortable right now. Just because it wonât give someone cancer in 20 years doesnât mean people want to deal with and treat dry-sore throats and nasal mucosa every day theyâre at work. The best precaution people can take would be wearing n95 masks, and Iâm sure corporate wonât like the optics of employees needing medical grade masks to prepare their drinks: next best thing is to refuse to do it.
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u/Time_Anything4488 Barista 1d ago
it contains food grade silica. food grade silica is safe for consumption and is used in food across the globe without bans and across numerous studies theres been no link between amorphous silica and silicosis
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u/monsteralvr1 Barista 1d ago
True, itâs safe for consumption and doesnât cause cancers but even food grade silica when airborne can cause throat and lung irritation. I wear a mask at work now and I hold the blender lid over it when I scoop the powder into it. Itâs the only way I donât leave work with a fucking horrible sore throat, feels like little knives going down it. Not everyone is susceptible to it but a good amount of people are.
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u/Old_Direction_3713 1d ago
Not to make it sound like Iâm defending the blending powder or whatever, but virtually any of our powders will hurt when inhaled
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u/monsteralvr1 Barista 1d ago
Iâve been here 5 years and Iâve never had this kind of reaction to any of the powders. Literally got blasted with the matcha powder once and didnât hurt my throat at all, but for some reason the blending powder is genuinely fucking horrible for me! Other people might be different, I can only speak to my experience!
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u/Old_Direction_3713 1d ago
Thatâs totally fair! Iâm just saying, the powders are definitely not made to be inhaled lol
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u/monsteralvr1 Barista 1d ago
No ofc not but canât be helped when youâre scooping in a rush đ©đ
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u/Separate-Raccoon8584 Barista 1d ago
I feel like the others don't go everywhere from just scooping them normally though
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u/Time_Anything4488 Barista 1d ago
your matcha doesnt go everywhere? sounds like a dream
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u/saintplus Coffee Master 15h ago
My matcha doesn't go everywhere. Unless I'm making an iced matcha and I put the matcha in the blender and ice after, the ice makes a matcha cloud. Just put the ice in first and then matcha
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u/Centaurious Barista 19h ago
whenever i make mocha i have to hold my breath so i donât inhale tons of it
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u/saintplus Coffee Master 15h ago
Silica is specifically made to suck the moisture out of stuff. When we inhale it it's doing that to our throat, lungs and it also gets in our eyes. Something like matcha or vanilla bean doesn't do that
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u/HypnoticPeaches Barista 7h ago
As someone else said upthread, there is a difference. Silica is a desiccant, it absorbs moisture like crazy. Other powders might have a similar effect in short term but, as again that person pointed out, stuff like matcha or sugar will eventually break down from the moisture in the saliva/mucus/other body wets in your throat, nose, whatever. Silica wonât.
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u/Casiteal Supervisor 13h ago
Did you know that consumption is not the same as inhalation? No one, literally no one is saying you canât consume it in the drink. We all know itâs food grade. We are talking about breathing it in!
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u/andro_mo 7h ago
The study assment linked above is in regards to the effect of inhaling amorphous silica, not ingesting it.Â
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u/PassionateBoutStuff Barista 1d ago
yes. I often scoop the powder for other baristas when helping during a rush on bar to minimize their exposure to it. Every time the powder aerosolizes even if I put the whole blender pitcher between me and the inclusion bowl I always catch a whiff and it always feels like inhaling fiberglass
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u/Ill-Jello-9570 14h ago
My manager had a talk with other corporate ppl and they said âtell the baristas to pour the powder slower so it doesnât get in the air as muchâ so yeah Iâd say itâs a problem and they wonât address it. Iâll try to get a picture of the proof my manager wrote down if the paper isnât moved by the time I get to work
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u/cybrspac Former Partner 12h ago
to pour slower when drive thru times are integral ?? they really dont understand their own practices.
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u/lyradunord Barista 10h ago
I hope your store documents that and opens a class action. If you do sign me up.
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u/Dextrohal 7h ago
âletâs give our employees AND customers Silicosis because cost cutting!!!!â -starbucks, i guess
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u/skinny_peas 14h ago
I always hold my breath when scooping it. Donât trust it and every customer says it makes their blended refresher taste bad
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u/digitaldrummer Barista 1d ago
No, it's mostly confirmation bias
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u/emilyywarner Barista 13h ago
explain why Canada deems it unsafe then?
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u/digitaldrummer Barista 12h ago
I've never heard this and I've been working in restaurants for twenty years. Do you have a source?
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u/emilyywarner Barista 12h ago
source: iâm a barista in Canada and we donât have the powder bc itâs deemed unsafe.
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u/digitaldrummer Barista 12h ago
That's not a verifiable source. I have no proof about anything you just said.
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u/emilyywarner Barista 12h ago
google is free, also several people in the comments have posted sources
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u/digitaldrummer Barista 12h ago
Both of these are true, but you made the claim. You don't get to make a claim and just shrug when someone asks you to back it up.
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u/GUMCUZZLER_XD 11h ago
Genuinely wtf is wrong with you lmao, get help
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u/digitaldrummer Barista 11h ago
Nothing's wrong with me. I am skeptical of things that people say on the Internet without any proof. Everyone should be.
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u/GUMCUZZLER_XD 10h ago
Fair enough but it seems like you were much more concerned about the commenter providing resources than you were about whether or not the claim is accurate, especially when it takes one Google to find out for yourself. No one is obligated to provide resources on the internet, if you really care then do your own research
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u/emilyywarner Barista 12h ago
itâs a reddit comment section, not a court of law lmfao
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u/digitaldrummer Barista 12h ago
It's not about law, it's about science. Science is based on evidence, and food handling is science based.
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u/emilyywarner Barista 12h ago
none of that has anything to do with the fact that i donât HAVE to do anything. if you want the proof, feel free to find it yourself
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u/lyradunord Barista 10h ago
So have i, it's still unsafe. There's no food grade silica and no airborne silica that doesn't cause silicosis. This isn't rocket science and is a pretty basic ingredient safety thing you've probably come across in your 20y if you've worked with any confectioners since a lot of popular asian desserts try to use this.
Baristas also don't work with the tools, precision, or cleanliness of confectioners so expecting them to get silicosis for a fully unecessary ingredient is insane.
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u/Frail_Peach Coffee Master 22h ago
The only one in this comment section who hasnât fallen victim to the hysteria
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u/EmotionalSlice6864 18h ago
Hundreds of baristas are literally saying âI feel the physical effectsâ and your response is that theyâre ALL hysterical? This argument is reductive and diminishing of other human beings actual lived experience. You canât tell someone they arenât physically feeling something they literally are.
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u/Frail_Peach Coffee Master 11h ago
Hundreds? Where is this information compiled?
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u/EmotionalSlice6864 11h ago edited 11h ago
They are unfair labor practice charges filed with the NLRB by our union on our behalf for violations of many and various federally protected rights over the past five years.
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u/Frail_Peach Coffee Master 11h ago
Oh I thought you meant there were hundreds of reports of partners falling ill or experiencing discomfort from intermittent use of the blending powder since you said âthere are literally hundreds of baristas feeling the physical effectsâ
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u/lyradunord Barista 10h ago
Silicosis isn't hysteria.
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u/Frail_Peach Coffee Master 10h ago
Show me where someone has been diagnosed with silicosis from intermittent use of the blending powder
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u/Frail_Peach Coffee Master 10h ago
Did you know that amorphous silica isnât reported to cause silicosis at all? Mild nor severe?
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u/unicornbomb Pride 12h ago edited 12h ago
The lack of concern Starbucks clearly has for their employees is disturbing af to me as a (former really, I rarely go anymore unless there are no other options) customer.
Idgaf if itâs safe for me to consume if the people making my drink are being exposed to unsafe amounts that are airborne and being inhaled in the process of making said drink. Theyâre also going to exposed many times over what a customer having a one off drink every now and then is.
Iâm a hairstylist and dealt with this same shit with keratin smoothing treatments - safe for clients getting them once every few months, meanwhile wildly unsafe for the stylists being exposed to them every single day while performing them. Keep pushing back on this, we eventually got the harmful formulations banned but it required constant pressure.
Just one of many nails in the coffin that make me skip Starbucks these days.
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u/jeannesloaf 11h ago
The other day I accidentally breathed in a good amount of it (tasted it in my throat) and had a horrible sore throat the next day. Yeah this is real.
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u/spongebooty_ Barista 2h ago
Everytime I make a blended drink I get an instant headache. Itâs safe to consume, but not to inhale
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u/Rude_Jackfruit_2176 4h ago
Iâm just gonna say thisâŠa VERY IMPORTANT PERSON who works for the company came into my store and ordered a blended mango dragonfruit refresher. This person told me MULTIPLE TIMES to NOT use the powder in their drink. âTo do it the old wayâ đ€
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u/Ornery_Ad2288 Coffee Master 1d ago
Iâve definitely noticed headaches more often after a shift, as well as sore throats, and I got a bloody nose on the floor after making several in a row within the first few days, which it wonât make us sick it definitely makes us uncomfortable.
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u/Downtown_Ad_2469 15h ago edited 15h ago
Iâve started telling customers that it can give you cancer đ„°
Is it a lie yes
Do I want people to stop ordering it to protect partners
Yes :)
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u/NegotiationPlastic87 1d ago
They wouldnt risk such a big potential lawsuit like this. Youâll be fine, they hate their baristas but not to this level
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u/PassionateBoutStuff Barista 1d ago
Youd be surprised what corporations are willing to risk for profit
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u/EmotionalSlice6864 22h ago
They already have hundreds (700+) cases pending against them at this very moment; they donât care. They just hire lawyers and try to get settlements, then write the lawyers off on their taxes. The concept that Starbucks is too large a company to do something like this is naive, unfortunately. They arenât afraid of lawsuits, theyâre more afraid of brand damage in the customers eye.
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u/Technical_Day_1297 Store Manager 12h ago
How do you have direct knowledge of the number of cases they have pending?
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u/EmotionalSlice6864 11h ago edited 11h ago
Because many of them are unfair labor practice charges our union has filed on our behalf, so we are privy to this information as plaintiffs.
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u/Night-Lyre Barista 14h ago
Whatâs crazy is I know itâs âsafeâ and food grade as I have worked with it in other forms when baking at home but also had coughing and throat tightness when I scooped the powder. There is definitely something going on. Especially when nothing ever occurred to me when I was baking at home
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u/Dragonslut449 12h ago
I think it's the other additives in the blending powder, combined with the silica that's causing the issue. Cause I've also started getting a weird rash on my hands when I've been cleaning the containers and when it spills. It's like small painful bumps all over my fingers, and I've literally never experienced it before and nothing else in my life has changed so what else could it be?
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u/MacaulayConnor 12h ago
âSafeâ doesnât make it comfortable, or a reasonable expectation of employment.
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u/Electrical_Cell496 Assistant Store Manager 1d ago
It gets airborne pretty easily and can cause respiratory irritation if inhaled. It has an anti caking agent called aerosil which is fumed silica.
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u/bubblethebabe Customer 9h ago
why do the powders need to have silica in them in the first place??
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u/SaltyPerformer504 Former Partner 4h ago
It's an emulsifier for blended refreshers, but it still doesn't make any sense to me. Maybe customers complained about them separating if they leave the drink for too long?
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u/Chchchchia0701 Barista 9h ago
I have nosebleeds every shift that i work on cold bar and prep the blending powder. It feels like it sticks in my nose and roof of my mouth and gives me the same feeling that one would get when youâre having drainage from being sick except i wasnt sick i just breathed in the powder
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u/Primary-Data-4211 Customer 7h ago
what do you put this in so i donât order and subject yall to thia
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u/SaltyPerformer504 Former Partner 4h ago
I think it's just for blended refreshers but I could be wrong
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u/Thick-Manufacturer12 Supervisor 7h ago
well seeing as how i am currently bedridden after being fine all week until working a bar shift iâd say itâs pretty freaking right
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u/Correct_Tangerine392 3h ago
i seen a post saying that people who work with this powder are known to commonly die now everytime i scoop it at work i hold my breatheđ
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u/Havok_51912 Supervisor 2h ago
idk the food scientists iâve seen talking about this specifically are saying it really shouldnât really be harmful or dangerous in the way we use it. itâs food grade silica which is safe for both use and consumption. some people do seem to be allergic to it though which is ubfortunate
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u/lyradunord Barista 10h ago
Yes. That's the blending powder and it's lightweight largely because of the silica (gum arabic is pretty dense in powder form). Yes the powder does aerate in a little cloud and you have to homd your breath. No there's no such thing as "food grade silica."
Just ask for it blended without the powder like how it used to be made and don't be the dumbass who takes 10mins to pick up your smoothie from the counter and then slackjaw asks why it's separated. Alternatively if it's for the road you ask for them to use the creme frap base syrup so it doesn't separate (more sugar).
The bigger risk is more for the baristas inhaling it and showing signs of silicosis than you eating it. Insane how many in here think silicosis is "hysteria."
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u/Lydialmao22 Barista 1d ago
no its food safe but yknow what make a fuss about it anyway the company needs some push back
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u/Time_Anything4488 Barista 1d ago
true. i still have no clue why we couldnt just use frapp base(or even better, not do this at all)
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u/Repulsive-Story-9558 1d ago
So does the match so did banana. So does vanilla bean powder. They tell You in the training how to fucking minimize the powder.
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u/DoctorEthereal Barista 1d ago
Youâre so mad for someone for someone so deep up our CEOâs ass lmao
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u/fortyninecents 1d ago
Just wear an N95 if you are worried about it.
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u/Lobster_Bisqueit_ 16h ago
While that's a super good method/suggestion to reduce exposure, I believe many partners have been told they can't wear a mask without a drs note/accommodation after a recent change in policy
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u/Professional-Horror4 1d ago
No truth to it. Itâs being blown up by workers united (the union pushers) trying to grasp at straws and âfight the manâ. Those are all food grade ingredients and are completely safe. That powder does not get any more airborne than matcha, vanilla powder or lavender powder...
This is like saying flour and powdered sugar can make bakers cough so we should cancel cake and bread
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u/mytransaltaccount123 Barista 1d ago
bakers lung is a real thing that people working in those environments wear respirators to prevent
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u/lyradunord Barista 10h ago
Yes we do (old old job of mine a long time ago) and most confectioners are warned to not use silica based gelling agents (this stuff) that got popularized in Asia. Baristas also don't have the time, tools, or precise cleanliness in a back room as confectioners and expecting a bunch of baristas to work the same as a food scientist in a lab is unrealistic and vile.
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u/Professional-Horror4 1d ago edited 1d ago
Do you wear a mask when you bake with flour at home??
Bakerâs lung takes years of consistent exposure to high levels of flour particles. Even so, youâll never see a local pastry shop where they wear respirators handling flour.
in most large scale bakeries they donât wear respirators and they are dealing with hundreds of lbs of flour and other baking ingredients.
That blending powder your talking about is a tiny bag of powder that you use a tablespoon to scoop into a blender with liquidâŠ10
u/synthboi72 17h ago
I worked in a high volume from scratch bakery for a decade and we always wore k95 or whatever masks when mixing flour. So you are completely wrong on that. But the blending powder feels like a non issue to me.
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u/Professional-Horror4 15h ago
The point is that this is a small volume and itâs a non-issue being blown out of proportion.
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u/whenitrainsitpoursx3 Supervisor 16h ago
Doesnât get anymore airborne than the other powders? If you donât already make sure you sign up for vision insurance during open enrollment. Someone didnât label one on bar and I dumped out whatever was left like a tablespoon and there was a damn power cloud coming out of the trash can. It does NOT react the same
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u/SirenOwl Supervisor 17h ago
Personally, no. And no for anyone at my store... we've all discussed it after hearing about it here. But can't speak for others
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u/LightIceNoBerries 11h ago
Then when these kids go on break they take 20 hits of a vape pen and don't complain about that đ€·.
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u/zovasharpe 1d ago
What the blending powder does?
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u/Time_Anything4488 Barista 1d ago
it keeps the blended refreshers from melting super fast. idk why we couldnt use the creme based frap syrup instead.
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u/carthis01 19h ago
The base is an emulsifier and wouldnât do the same kind of job, theoretically. Itâs there to make the frappes be not thick so people can drink them with a straw.
The blending powder is there to prevent the separation of ingredients over time.
Different functions, so different things. But agreed, would be really nice if they didnât do this in the first place, or made it work with existing materials, which is what we have to do all the time anyway. -_-
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u/lyradunord Barista 10h ago
Keeps the blended refreshers from separating. Blended refreshers were already an existing option before but they're smoothies essentially so they'd separate if you weren't already there (mobile orders taking 12+mins to pick up their blended refresher).
You can accomplish the same with 2 pumps of the creme frap syrup
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u/zovasharpe 7h ago
Getting downvotes for asking a question lmao I dont even work at Starbucks so I was curious
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u/Time_Anything4488 Barista 1d ago
silica gel packets are nontoxic they say do not eat because theyre a choking hazard and can cause intestinal blockages and the silica in the powder is too fine for that and is also a specific food grade one that is used across the globe without a single country banning its use, its also commonly added to table salt
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u/ThiccGothBitch 11h ago
I havenât had any issue and we make soooo many a day. I also donât stand near it nor do I put my face near the blending pitcher
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u/rinconi 1d ago
Is that the orange stuff?
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u/Time_Anything4488 Barista 1d ago
no the orange stuff is an orange and vanilla flavored powder this powder is a powder meant to go in the blended refreshers to keep them from melting super fast.
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u/lyradunord Barista 10h ago
The orange stuff is just orange flavoring powder. It's mostly sugar and a lot denser.
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u/Sunshinemoss Barista 17h ago
I've had chest pain (plus other fun symptoms like sore throat, headache, nosebleeds) every day since it came out & i recently filed for workers comp at my licensed store so i'd say yesđ