Starbucks to Close 8,000 U.S. Stores for Anti-bias Training
Starbucks will close down more than 8,000 company-owned branches in the U.S. for an afternoon next month to educate its employees on “unconscious bias” following discrimination against two black men in one of its stores.
On May 29, nearly 175,000 staff, including future recruits, will receive training. According to Bloomberg, the closure will affect half of its domestic stores and could cost around $17 million in lost sales.
The two African American men arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks on April 12 met with company CEO Kevin Johnson afterwards. Johnson, who condemned the “reprehensible” arrests on ABC’s Good Morning America, arrived in Philadelphia the same day amid growing controversy over the incident.
A Starbucks spokesperson said Johnson apologized to the men in a private meeting, but provided no further details.
The two men were arrested for trespassing after a manager called the police to report that they were sitting in the store without placing an order. The men said they were waiting to meet a friend. However, the police found no evidence that a crime was committed, and no charges were filed.
Shortly after the arrests, a video of the incident posted on Twitter by Melissa DePino, who witnessed the event, led to millions of internet views and sparked an immediate controversy. The video led to protests from local activists, who occupied the store’s service area.
Johnson, who apologized at the time of the arrest, also released a video on the Starbucks website promising to personally address the situation.
