Starbucks will close 8,000 stores for a day of bias training
Starbucks will close 8,000 stores for a day of bias training
After the arrest of two black men who sat in a Philadelphia Starbucks without buying a drink, Starbucks is going through a public relations tailspin — and the company can’t seem to say mea culpa fast enough.
CEO Kevin Johnson announced today that Starbucks would close its 8,000 company-owned stores on May 29 so that the approximately 175,000 employees could attend a day of bias training. But will that be the end of the company’s attempts to restore its image?
“Definitely not,” said Bloomberg’s Leslie Patton, who spoke to Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal in an interview. “And you know, I think the company probably realizes that, too. And for the large part, they’ve been really proactive in reaching out to different communities and opening stores in low-income areas. But they’re going to have to continue to do that and give everyone updates, and they’re going to be held accountable to see if this is actually happening.”
Click the audio player above to hear the full interview.
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