that being said, going to a vendor who treats you better because you project authority is elitist.
Dad, who passed some years back was a Marine then a NYPD cop in the south Bronx. The shop owners all loved him. truth be known they loved his presence. Once he retired and showed up in the old neighborhood for Tires or to buy furniture, or whatever, he was not treated like he had been and those marvelous prices went away....
e·lit·ism or é·lit·ism (-ltzm, -l-)
n.
1. The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources.
That is such a bizarre statement that I hardly know what to say. The thought of deliberately showing up some place in uniform in order to "project authority" never even crossed my mind.
Being military means that if I go to any commercial establishment during duty hours, I will be in uniform. That is unavoidable unless I want to spend an inordinate amount of time changing clothes each time I enter or leave post. When I go to an establishment, I would like to NOT have to deal with anti-military zealots. I know for a fact that the local Starbucks are friendly to military (meaning they treat me like any other customer, aside from the occasional military discount); I do not know if the same is true about some of the other coffee establishments, some of which (judging by the décor) are far more liberal than Starbucks.
Like many other military personnel, I am self-conscious about going to a civilian business while in uniform, and it is something that I avoid whenever possible. Maybe your dad had some elitist ideas about wearing a uniform; please do not project his attitudes on everyone who wears one.