I wonder what these cities where Starbucks is closing stores all have in common?
From Yahoo:
“Starbucks is shuttering 16 existing locations.
The company announced Tuesday, per The Wall Street Journal, that cafes in Los Angeles; Seattle; Portland, Oregon; Philadelphia; and Washington, D.C., would permanently close by the end of July following safety concerns.
“After careful consideration, we are closing some stores in locations that have experienced a high volume of challenging incidents that make it unsafe to continue to operate, to open new locations with safer conditions,” a spokesperson told Insider in a statement.
They continued, “We look forward to continuing to serve these local communities and encourage our customers to visit us at our other stores in these areas, which can be found on the Starbucks App or Starbucks Store Locator.”
Insider and Wall Street Journal report that Starbucks’ decision follows incidents regarding drug use by customers and other members of the public in certain locations.
A public letter from Starbucks senior vice presidents of U.S. operations Debbie Stroud and Denise Nelson shared the company’s desire to make its locations safe for its guests and employees.
“We read every incident report you file – it’s a lot,” the letter said, in part. “We want you to know that creating a safe, welcoming, and kind third place is our top priority.”
The letter said that the programs and benefits “to ensure you feel more supported and empowered” include “robust safety trainings for all partners” and the ability to modify operations, including “closing a restroom, or even closing a store permanently, where safety in the third place is no longer possible.” It also said that benefits to “support your mental health” and “help create emotional and financial safety” are available, among other support programs.”
Read the whole story here.
Such a shame. Our cities should not be closing stores due to local safety issues while trying to create a “planet positive impact” experience.
If kindness was all around us, why the need to close these stores? Respect and the desire for us all to thrive should be a priority.
Keep the faith that we can all Build Back Better Together at some point in the future.
DCG