Starbucks bringing in tough new measures in crackdown on 'three types of customer'

US workers have been given new guidelines on how to eject customers.
-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited


Starbucks is set to install panic buttons for staff as it cracks down on customers who sit in its shops or try to use its toilets without buying anything. US workers have been given new guidelines on how to eject customers.

The customers at the centre of the new measures from the hot drinks giant are those who stay in the stores for a “prolonged” amount of time, attempt to use toilets or fill up water bottles without making a purchase, Business Insider has reported.

Brian Niccol, the chief executive, is trying to turn Starbucks back into a ‘community coffee-house’. One worker told Fortune magazine: “We know that these situations are going to happen more frequently in our store.”

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Mr Niccol’s predecessor, Laxman Narasimhan, was ousted last year after less than two years in the role. In an open letter to customers following his appointment, Mr Niccol admitted the business was not “always delivering”, saying: “It can feel transactional, menus can feel overwhelming, the product is inconsistent, the wait too long or the hand-off too hectic. These moments are opportunities for us to do better.”

It comes weeks after Starbucks has said that people using its coffee shops in North America need to buy something, U-turning on a policy that allowed anyone to use its toilets even if they had not made a purchase. The world’s biggest coffee chain this week published a new code of conduct to be displayed in every US and Canadian shop saying “Starbucks spaces are for use by our partners and customers – this includes our cafes, patios and restrooms”.

Starbucks said it was making the changes because “we want everyone to feel welcome and comfortable in our stores”. A Starbucks spokesman said: “The operational updates being introduced on Jan 27 are for North American stores and are not being implemented internationally (including the UK) at this time. Across Starbucks global markets, licenced and joint venture partners operate stores with locally relevant policies”.