Five weeks after two black men waiting for a colleague were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks after asking to use the bathroom before they’d made a purchase, the Seattle-based coffee empire is eliminating the policy that allowed the incident (and others like it) to occur, and replacing it with a new approach.
Starbucks announced a new policy Saturday that allows anyone to sit in its cafes or use its restrooms, even if they don’t buy anything.
Starbucks said it has told workers to consider anyone who walks into its stores a customer, “regardless of whether they make a purchase.”
The company said anyone can use its cafes, patios or restrooms without buying anything, but it noted workers should still call the police if someone is a safety threat.
“We are committed to creating a culture of warmth and belonging where everyone is welcome,” Starbucks said in a statement.
The previous policy’s hazy rules left employees frustrated, and gave bad apples the leeway to flex their “discretion” in harmful ways.
Starbucks baristas and store managers have long found the coffee company’s guidelines on how to treat lingering nonpaying guests vague at best. One company executive told the Journal the guidance on nonpaying guests had long been a gray area, which the Philadelphia incident brought to the forefront.
As anyone who’s ever been desperate for a bathroom can attest, being forced to wait in line and make a purchase can feel like agony. The awkward plea one must make in order to secure bathroom access ahead of a planned purchase is humiliating. Even then, at most places, the staff can and does refuse, for any reason, not all of which are spurred by biases addressed in diversity training. At least at Starbucks, people now know they can potty before ordering their coffee, and take a seat if they have an easier time finding parking than their companions.
It’s not a perfect solution, and this writer would DEFINITELY have exploited this loophole as a teen who waited for a lot of buses back in the day, but for a lot of pee-dancing, punctual folks who’ve been boycotting, it might just be enough to bring them back through the mocha mermaid’s doors.