Investing.com – Starbucks (NASDAQ:) launched a new code of conduct this month, aimed at improving safety and experience for both customers and employees across North America, according to a Monday report by the Wall Street Journal. The revised policy included a change in company policy that had been in place for almost seven years, which allowed the general public to use the cafes and their facilities, regardless of whether they had purchased them.
The new policies also include posting signs in stores that prohibit harassment, violence, threatening language, excluding alcohol, smoking, and abuse, according to employee notices seen by The Wall Street Journal. This updated code of conduct for customers is part of a broader effort by Starbucks to make its stores more welcoming. The company is looking to bounce back from declining customer traffic and declining sales.
Starbucks North America President Sara Trilling, in a letter sent earlier this week, said, “There is a need to reset expectations about how our spaces should be used, and who is using them.” Managers emphasize the need for customers to have a clean, safe environment, and share that employees have expressed concern about the chain-to-all policy.
As of 2018, Starbucks has allowed access to its cafes and bathrooms regardless of purchase. This policy was a response to a 2018 incident at a Philadelphia company, where two men were arrested after trying to use the bathroom while the other was sitting at a table, even though he didn't make a purchase. The men were reported to the police as trespassers by staff after they refused to leave when they were refused access to the toilet. The incident sparked widespread criticism, leading Starbucks to temporarily close all of its US stores for racial profiling. The men later sued the company and settled an undisclosed amount.
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