Edhat Staff
(stock photo)
All Starbucks coffee shops will close at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday for sensitivity training, except for a select few.
Starbucks made the announcement earlier this month that they will close their stores and offices to discuss how to make their locations “a place where all feel welcome” with their 170,000 employees.
The announcement came on the heels of heavy criticism after an incident where an employee called law enforcement to arrest and escort two African American men out of a downtown Philadelphia store for simply sitting inside for a meeting without making a purchase.
The coffee-chain condemned the arrests and announced changes to their policies nationwide.
giants‘ executive chairman Howard Schultz called the training the beginning of a “new chapter in our history.”” data-reactid=”28″ type=”text”>In an open letter to Starbucks customers released this morning, chairman Howard Schultz called the training the beginning of a “new chapter in our history.” The arrests of Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, both 23, “prompted us to reflect more deeply on all forms of bias, the role of our stores in communities and our responsibility to ensure that nothing like this happens again at Starbucks,” Schulz said.
For several hours this afternoon, we will close stores and offices to discuss how to make Starbucks a place where all people feel welcome.
Thank you for your patience and support as we renew our promise to make Starbucks an inclusive gathering place for all.
See you tomorrow.
— Starbucks Coffee (@Starbucks) May 29, 2018
However, not all Starbucks locations will be closed Tuesday afternoon. About 7,000 licensed Starbucks stores found in hotels, airports, college campuses, commercial buildings and grocery stores have the option to remain open. Starbucks said in a statement that the training content will be shared with these stores “so they may have the option to make it available to their employees at a later date.”
Target, the big mass merchandizer, put a statement on its website saying that the Starbucks cafes in about 1,500 of its stores will remain open all-day May 29.
If you’re needing your afternoon caffeine fix, here are the local Starbucks stores that will remain open on Tuesday, May 29th:
We refuse to support this “phony baloney” racist organization. When I go out for coffee, all I want or expect is..x..coffee. Please keep your social lessons to yourselves. My prediction is that their failed attempt to transform their workers into robotic clones will be follwed by a masssive downturn in sales. We go to the French Press, SB Roco, and Handlebar…no preaching at those places.
Wait, Starbucks is “racist” for closing down for sensitivity training? Waste of time, yeah, but racist? Not sure….
The P C left has lost it. Again.
….maybe racist is the wrong word to use, but maybe there is a better word to describe Starbucks having two black men arrested….for doing nothing wrong. Innsensitive? No. Unfortunate? No. Discrimminitory? Maybe.
Starbucks didn’t have anyone arrested, the stupid, racist manager did. But closing an entire corporation to “train” employees not to be racist, is pretty ridiculous. Just my opinion though.
Can customers attend? This should be most hilarious event in years. They should sell popcorn.
I wonder how much are they paying people to go in and tell employees, “hey now, come on, don’t be racist.” I mean seriously, what on earth are you going to “train” people on?
This whole things makes me not want to go to Starbucks. That place is hit with way to much political bs. Can’t we just let them sell coffee and move on?
So, did it work? Is Starbucks racist-free now?
Let EVERYONE in, NOT the ones who BUY anything, THEY’re NOT important (according to Starbucks).
Isn’t that kind of a BACKWARDS business model?
Starbucks REALLY BLEW IT! They missed the mark completely. To make everyone else happy, they overlooked the most important people.
Starbuck’s Customers!
‘Goose – how so? How were Starbucks’ customers the ones who were overlooked by closing down to do sensitivity training?
Much more important is their announcement that now you don’t have to BUY ANYTHING to sit in there OR use their bathrooms. I don’t patronize this chain, BUT I am delighted that now the bums and transients can have a place to poop other than the sidewalk, and to hang out other than the public library. May they attract all the flotsam and be their non-profit holding playpen.