Starbucks Gets Sensitive On Us

Starbucks will be closing its 8,000 U.S. stores and its corporate office for half a day on May 29 to conduct racial-bias training for all of its employees. Starbucks? One of our most progressive companies of this political-correct era stubbed its toe in one store in Philadelphia a few weeks ago. Didn’t they realize that blacks make up 43.3% of the Philadelphia population as compared to whites at 36.6% of the population.

Spiker Insights

Starbucks is certainly setting a positive example of accountability when everyone from the Federal Government, to various activists who will no doubt file legal action and call for boycotts of all Starbucks. Starbucks could have opted to offer the training in phases on off hours, but they apparently felt they needed to send the message that they were taking this one employee screw-up seriously. Some have calculated it will result in $12 million in lost revenues, just for the day. Who knows how much more it will cost when the protests and boycotts play out over the spring.

This sad situation illustrates the importance of a robust and thorough training program, where every little detail now needs to be covered. I don’t know anybody that could have foreseen this situation of two lingering, non-paying store visitors taking up badly needed seating spaces for paying customers, and stalling the staff with promises of another guest to join them sometime “this morning.”

It’s at this time in Starbucks’ training of their staff, to remind each and every employee what would Howard Schultz, the Chairman of the Board, do in this situation?