Starbucks has introduced that it is going to be closing 16 completely different U.S. places.
In an official announcement reported on Tuesday by the Los Angeles Times, the corporate said, “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.”
Starbucks cited that the corporate is worried over the protection of its workers, explaining that they’ve been affected by disruptive conduct by members of the general public in sure places, in response to The Wall Street Journal.
Which Starbucks Stores Are Closing?
In whole, 16 shops throughout a number of states might be closing:
- Six in Los Angeles
- One in Philadelphia
- Two in Portland, Oregon
- One in Washington, D.C.
- Six in Seattle
All of those shops might be formally closed by the top of July.
Why Is Starbucks Closing Certain Stores?
The espresso big listed its workers’ private security as the primary motive for this transfer.
Debbie Stroud and Denise Nelson, Starbucks’ senior vice presidents, wrote a letter stating that workers are being affected by societal issues, together with drug use and psychological well being points.
In the letter, they said that workers are “seeing firsthand the challenges facing our communities—personal safety, racism, lack of access to healthcare, a growing mental health crisis, rising drug use, and more. With stores in thousands of communities across the country, we know these challenges can, at times, play out within our stores too.”
Joe Raedle
Stroud and Nelson additional added that “we want you to know that creating a safe, welcoming, and kind third place is our top priority. Because simply put, we cannot serve as partners if we don’t first feel safe at work.”
The firm can be contemplating closing restrooms to the general public, which might reverse a coverage enacted in 2018.
Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, wrote in an announcement how the transfer is a part of “reinventing Starbucks” and that the corporate is specializing in “safety, welcoming and kindness for our stores.”
Starbucks has confronted backlash from some workers for this transfer, as they allegedly weren’t consulted on the closure of those shops.
Mari Cosgrove, an worker at one of many Seattle shops that’s shutting down, stated to USA Today that the workers “think it is not fair that we were not allowed to be a part of this decision about our working conditions, nor for Starbucks to claim they could not provide a safe experience for our workplace.”