News & Blogs Starbucks bathrooms will be open to anyone

[Preacher]

http://money.cnn.com/2018/05/10/news/companies/starbucks-howard-schultz-bathrooms/index.html

Starbucks' Howard Schultz: Our bathrooms are open to anyone who needs them

by Rob McLean @robertmcleanMay 11, 2018: 5:55 AM ET

Starbucks bathrooms will be open to anyone who wants to use them, whether they're a paying customer or not, Chairman Howard Schultz said Thursday.
Schultz made the announcement following the uproar over the way two black men were treatedat a Starbucks (SBUX) in Philadelphia last month.


The men asked to use the bathroom, but an employee told them it was only for paying customers. When they then sat in the store without ordering anything, the manager called police, and the men were arrested for trespassing. No charges were filed.

Starbucks has since apologized to the men and announced plans for extra racial bias training for its employees.

"We don't want to become a public bathroom, but we're going to make the right decision 100% of the time and give people the key, because we don't want anyone at Starbucks to feel as if we are not giving access to you to the bathroom because you are less than. We want you to be more than," Schultz said during a talk at the Atlantic Council in Washington.

Schultz said the company currently has a "loose" policy of only allowing paying customers to use the bathroom, with the decision ultimately left to the store manager.

But he said the policy and the decision by the Philadelphia store manager last month were "absolutely wrong in every way."

"It's the company that's responsible," he added.

Starbucks didn't immediately respond to a request for further details about the change announced by Schultz.

Starbucks has said it will close its 8,000 company-owned stores in the United States on the afternoon of May 29 to educate employees about racial bias.

The training for about 175,000 workers "will be the largest kind of training of its kind on perhaps one of the most systemic subjects and issues facing our country," Schultz said.



CNNMoney (New York)First published May 10, 2018: 11:20 PM ET

 

[Anagor]

I heard about this incident in Philadelphia and that was really sad.

But I can only say good things about Starbucks.

DISCLAIMER: I am not paid to write that and I have no connection to Starbucks whatsoever.

So often I used Starbucks (UK) for charging my phone and getting online. No problems. I was never treated badly, on the contrary.

Often enough I looked like a fuckin tramp in ragged clothes and my backpack. I was always welcome

I paid for the cheapest coffee they had and staid for hours. Went to the toilet and as I came back I had a free refill waiting for me at my table.

Staff was always nice to me.

Once I had no money and asked the girl at the till if I could charge my phone because I had to make an urgent phone call. First, she did not understand what I was about then I told her again and she said "yes ... yes of course .. no problem".

In London I went to the Starbucks every morning for two weeks to go to toilet and to charge my phone and to get online. After a few days .... every day my (cheapest) coffee was already waiting for me when I came there and the guy at the till asked me how I am and said "take care" as I went to sit down.

So, I'm really a fan of Starbucks. Not because of their coffee (overpriced and not soooo good) but because I was alsways treated as a valued customer.

A shame what happened there in Philadelphia ...

Just saying.

 

[roughdraft]

i find it odd that the entire corporation and all its employees are seemingly fit in to be associated with one person's actions...yet however something like...'opening doors to everyone' comes about.. it is ultimately a very good thing

 

[marmar]

I heard about this incident in Philadelphia and that was really sad.

But I can only say good things about Starbucks.

DISCLAIMER: I am not paid to write that and I have no connection to Starbucks whatsoever.

So often I used Starbucks (UK) for charging my phone and getting online. No problems. I was never treated badly, on the contrary.

Often enough I looked like a fuckin tramp in ragged clothes and my backpack. I was always welcome

I paid for the cheapest coffee they had and staid for hours. Went to the toilet and as I came back I had a free refill waiting for me at my table.

Staff was always nice to me.

Once I had no money and asked the girl at the till if I could charge my phone because I had to make an urgent phone call. First, she did not understand what I was about then I told her again and she said "yes ... yes of course .. no problem".

In London I went to the Starbucks every morning for two weeks to go to toilet and to charge my phone and to get online. After a few days .... every day my (cheapest) coffee was already waiting for me when I came there and the guy at the till asked me how I am and said "take care" as I went to sit down.

So, I'm really a fan of Starbucks. Not because of their coffee (overpriced and not soooo good) but because I was alsways treated as a valued customer.

A shame what happened there in Philadelphia ...

Just saying.

Wow! Well I guess the location of a Starbucks and thus the people that work there makes all the difference.
In big cities of usa, like NYC, Philly, whatever, they are big assholes in all the chain places. I'd say McDonald's would be my personal favorite for bathroom and WiFi. Their coffee is 1.09 too. But they can be big assholes also. It probably all comes down to the people traffic in the place. Too many homebums and junkies od-ing in their bathrooms probably is a reason of them not welcoming travelers at all.

 

[Anagor]

Wow! Well I guess the location of a Starbucks and thus the people that work there makes all the difference.
In big cities of usa, like NYC, Philly, whatever, they are big assholes in all the chain places.

Well, it may be different in the States ... in UK I was always treated as a welcomed customer, regardless how I looked like.

McDonalds is different ... never had really seriiously bad experiences but (especially at night or early morning) I was told I could not use the toilet quite often.

Once in London I was denied entry to a McDonalds cause the way I looked like (big backpack, looking "homeless"). My mate was allowed in (cause he looked a bit more decent) but then the head of Security threw him out as well. And we did not want to use the toilet, we did not even want to stay in there. All what we wanted was 2 cheeseburgers to take out.

Made me really angry. Even one of the securities said he thinks it's wrong and uncalled for but ... he had his orders.

 

[Dayoldpizza]

I was a customer a few years back in downtown redding, pack & dog in toe. Actually i was rather clean, fresh from trim season stacked with cash. I was there to get caffinated and search craigslist for vehicle .. At 630 i purchased, sat outside smoking bowls and hanging with my dog, a small starbucks so i wouldnt use the ole service dog schennnenigens. . . but on my 3rd piss break inside the manager said * hey you used the restroom too much, you have to leave*
I countered i am a customer i have been sitting outside using the wifi drinking my coffee, i even got a refill*
Crickets... Everyone in the line stares at me as if i am the problem..
Manager responds * no your not you need to leave or im calling the cops*

Usually i would of said do it. Lets make a fucking scene. But i had over 3k in my pack, a half lb of herb, just wasnt worth it. And the redding area is seedy so i kinda got the whole homles vs manager problem .

I looked at all the employees who served me and took my cash *you all know i paid for my drinks, you seen me out side with my dog,i am a customer, this is wrong and im calling the general manager whos the manager and whats your name* ....
It was the lady who was calling me out, i found that out when she started getting in my space .,,,

I used thier wifi, googled the starbucks customer service line, after 5 minutes i as on the phone with the vmail... Next day a nice older lady from starbucks who oversaw the northern cali sbucks called me, i esplained my case, how i was not from there and was treated terribly based on class seperation and judgment. The lady called me back 2 days later to say that they fired 2 of the employees, the assistant and the manager, this wasnt the first call they had about this happening.
I wish someone recorded it, maybe things would of changed sooner.

I havnt been a patron since, besides NOW using the restroom as my shower since it s a single occupency room always... And for dumpstering thier hummus and veggie throw aways...

 

[Rhubarb Dwyer]

I've had a lot of luck with McDonalds.
Cheap coffee with one free refill(not every location does that).
My only issue is the lack of power outlets. They've been eliminating them everywhere. One of them had an ATM, so I scooted it forward and plugged in for a while...until they kicked me out.

 

[Dayoldpizza]

Carrting a utility mount for a light bulb with 2 prong outlets on the base was a great thing to have packing around .,,any regular light becomes an outlet