[Maru]

Starbucks' new policy: Buy something or get out
S: https://www.fox26houston.com/news/st...r-leave-policy

The Brief

• Starbucks now requires customers to make a purchase to stay in its stores or use its restrooms.
• The updated policy bans disruptive behavior, smoking, vaping, and panhandling.
• The new rules reverse the open-door policy introduced in 2018 after a high-profile incident.

LOS ANGELES - Starbucks has announced a major policy change, requiring customers to buy something if they wish to stay in its stores or use restrooms. The new rules, which Starbucks says will be posted in all company-owned stores in North America, also aim to prevent disruptive behavior and ensure safety for staff and paying customers.

The Associated Press reports that the change reverses the company’s 2018 open-door policy, which was implemented following backlash over the arrest of two Black men at a Philadelphia store. Starbucks says the updated code of conduct is part of its effort to create a more comfortable environment for everyone.

Why did Starbucks reverse its open-door policy?

The backstory:

Starbucks introduced its open-door policy in 2018 after a high-profile incident in which two Black men were arrested at a Philadelphia location while waiting for a business meeting. The incident, caught on video, sparked widespread criticism and prompted then-Chairman Howard Schultz to implement the policy to make stores more inclusive.

However, the policy led to safety concerns for employees, with reports of drug use and other disruptive behaviors. In 2022, Starbucks closed 16 stores in response to repeated safety issues, citing incidents that endangered staff and customers.

Not surprising either that after Trump has been reelected that all these companies are suddenly doing a reversal.

[Benjamin]

I don’t disagree with it. It’s a business. Either buy something or go hang out somewhere else.

[Ammi]

…I didn’t realise that it wasn’t a policy already for the most part…but is there any flexibility in that…as in if a child needed to use a restroom, would they be allowed without the parent purchasing…?…

[Maru]

Originally Posted by Ammi

…I didn’t realise that it wasn’t a policy already for the most part…but is there any flexibility in that…as in if a child needed to use a restroom, would they be allowed without the parent purchasing…?…

Starbucks (the company) hates any kind of controversy, so basically the customer could do a lot without "getting in trouble". All you have to do is complain and they will remake a drink, etc. The staff are trained to tolerate and accept a lot by SOP.

The staff don't monitor the bathrooms that much as they're too busy and would get in trouble for wandering off like this. But, if they get a complaint from a customer or notice someone is just loitering for hours and keeping in the bathroom, I think that would be very different than a child coming in. Most places with a posted sign aren't going to have that problem if it is a child or someone who is disabled. I wouldn't be surprised if some locations got a key though. A lot of convenience stores in really bad areas or prone to theft do this.

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Maru

Starbucks (the company) hates any kind of controversy, so basically the customer could do a lot without "getting in trouble". All you have to do is complain and they will remake a drink, etc. The staff are trained to tolerate and accept a lot by SOP.

The staff don't monitor the bathrooms that much as they're too busy and would get in trouble for wandering off like this. But, if they get a complaint from a customer or notice someone is just loitering for hours and keeping in the bathroom, I think that would be very different than a child coming in. Most places with a posted sign aren't going to have that problem if it is a child or someone who is disabled. I wouldn't be surprised if some locations got a key though. A lot of convenience stores in really bad areas or prone to theft do this.

…oh thank you for clarifying that, Maru…I mean, to some extent there should be an open door policy in that there has to be some flexibility but they also have to balance that either running a business and making their premises ‘user friendly’ for the paying customers as well…with Starbucks specifically and the ones that I know of locally…?..they seem to be struggling in that they’re very rarely busy and actually seem quite ‘un-busy’ a substantial amount of the time…

[Maru]

Originally Posted by Ammi

…oh thank you for clarifying that, Maru…I mean, to some extent there should be an open door policy in that there has to be some flexibility but they also have to balance that either running a business and making their premises ‘user friendly’ for the paying customers as well…with Starbucks specifically and the ones that I know of locally…?..they seem to be struggling in that they’re very rarely busy and actually seem quite ‘un-busy’ a substantial amount of the time…

Americans aren't super rigid when it comes to following rules. We're very good at not doing what we're told for one.. and also relaxing the rules so that other people can also ignore them ... so there's that culturally... I'm sure SB employees, being from a flexible organization, are trained to expect some misadventures with the bathroom and customers in general... but yeah, the policy is there probably so they can deal with actual problems and deter people using the facilities as the main stop with signage. Most will not mind that much in emergency cases... maybe you have that one manager or bored Karen who might care. But that's so much energy and there's so much to do even during "quiet" times, it's usually too much of a hassle... the bathrooms aren't going to be located up near the food, so they have to go way out of their way to check the bathroom and so it'd be incidents only without a key...

[Oliver_W]

I seem to remember some entitled bloke had to be escorted out of a Starbucks few years back for taking up a table space and refusing to buy anything