Starbucks said buy something or leave: How people feel about it
It has been over three months since Starbucks reversed its open-door policy, requiring customers to make a purchase to use the coffee chain’s bathrooms, internet, get water, and use the chain’s lobby areas.
Starbucks announced a policy in May 2018, defining a customer as anyone who enters Starbucks − whether they buy something or not. That policy was reversed in January.
While some customers understand the change, others feel it’s inhumane. And some Starbucks employees feel the policy puts a strain on already overworked and underpaid workers.
Starbucks previously said the company wants to give customers a "third place" to go when they need it. Per the company's website, third places are not home, nor are they work. They're more like "somewhere in between."
A Starbucks spokesperson said in order to give customers a "third place" to frequent, the company must be clear about what it expects when customers come to its spaces.
"We have been listening to partners and customers to understand what the company can do to keep customers coming back time and again and make partners feel as though they have the best job in retail," the spokesperson said. "It starts with the coffeehouse experience-- creating and maintaining a warm, welcoming and inclusive place where customers can comfortably gather and partners are empowered to focus on providing exceptional service.”
The company also said the policy change is "consistent with other retailers and restaurants in the industry."
In addition to reversing its open-door policy, Starbucks also announced on Jan. 27 that customers who have their first drink in the lobby can get free refills on hot or iced brewed coffee or tea, a potential incentive for customers to stick around while enjoying their beverage.
Here’s how some customers and employees feel about spending money to take a load off at Starbucks.
Customer cites ‘gray area’ and ‘human element’ to Starbucks pool of patrons
Cat Wack, 35, lives in the Glen Allen, Virginia area, about 14 miles northwest of Richmond, the state capital. She works from home and sometimes needs to get out of her home office.
When asked about the policy on April 18, she said she had mixed feelings.
“I'm more comfortable with it than not,” she told Paste BN on April 18. “It's a business, and so there’s this unspoken but implied social contract to use their space that they pay to maintain. You are a customer, and you pay for the goods and services to use that space.”
When she visits Starbucks, she makes sure she buys a drink, but she acknowledges that there’s a lot of “gray area” too, particularly when it comes to what she calls the “human element.” Some people come into Starbucks because it’s a hot day and they need to cool off, or they don’t have the means to buy anything, she said.
Jim Black, 70, visits Starbucks in Glen Allen. He is retired and said on April 18 that the policy doesn’t impact him, but it could be tricky for students with limited incomes.
His daughter, 29-year-old Janna Weston, feels similarly.
“You go where you can to get work done,” she said. “Starbucks can be kind of pricey at times. I could see for students in college how that might be a barrier to them.”
Water is a human right, customer says
Mitchell Baumann, 39, went to a San Antonio Starbucks last month and had a “heartbreaking experience,” he told Paste BN on April 18.
He was planning to use a gift card at the coffee shop on March 14 but couldn't find the gift card, he said. He couldn’t find it and asked for water instead of a menu item.
“I can’t give you any water,” the barista told him.
Baumann assured the worker he planned to buy something, he just needed to step out of line and adjust his bank account. Still, the barista wouldn’t budge, making him feel “so tiny and small.”
Baumann has suffered from homelessness before; the experience made him wonder what would happen if he ended up unhoused again and simply wanted a small cup of water or a place to sit.
After being denied water, he went to his car and started writing a post on Facebook. Employees came out and offered him water but he was too upset and declined. He said in his social media post that he understands bills need to be paid, but denying people a drink of water goes against Starbucks’ claim to be inclusive.
Barista: Starbucks told workers the open-door policy rollback will create a more ‘exclusive’ feel
Zarian Pouncy, a 31-year-old barista at a Las Vegas location, said the policy change was part of an effort get Starbucks "back to its roots" and make coffee houses "feel a little more exclusive,” he told Paste BN on April 17.
He was told that if a customer walked in, baristas could greet them, and if they asked to use the restroom or get water, direct them to the front register. That approach hasn’t always worked out due to long lines though.
To implement the policy, staff members were told to keep an eye on visitors, and check in to see if individuals are waiting on mobile orders, meeting someone, or other scenarios.
Employees have to turn away people who may not have money, barista says
Pouncy said the open-door policy reversal could lead to incidents like one that occurred in Philadelphia in April 2018, where two Black men were arrested for trespassing. A manager at the store called the police when the two men, who were waiting for a business meeting with a third person, didn’t order food or drinks. The company reached a financial settlement with the men and apologized.
Pouncy also said the policy reversal impacts inmates released from a nearby detention center. Some don’t have money, some need a sip of water, and others need to charge dead cell phones, he said.
Other customers have become irate, he said.
“A man was throwing $100 bills at me saying ‘Just let me use your restroom,’” Pouncy said.
The supervisor on duty apologized for Pouncy and let the customer use the restroom, which made Pouncy feel unsupported.
On the flip side, Starbucks pointed to some employees who support the policy. Rachel McVay, a store manager in Bryan, Texas, said the company's code of conduct gives baristas clarity on creating a welcoming environment and prioritizing customers.
“They’re able to communicate to the customers in a clear way that is also empathetic and builds trust,” McVay said, per Starbucks.
The company said it wants everyone to feel welcome and comfortable, and by setting clear expectations, Starbucks team members can better handle disruptive behaviors they've seen at their locations.
Those who want to visit, use the restroom, work, and meet friends can all do so if they pay for a cup of coffee, and they get free refills, the company said. The company added that it is OK for customers to use the restroom or log onto the company's Wi-Fi before they make purchase.
‘Customers see right through it’
Jason Woods, 30, works at Starbucks in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and said the policy reversal is a distraction from more issues Workers United, an American Labor Union, has been trying to change. Issues he'd like to see addressed are better pay and healthcare protection for staff, including trans and queer people, he said.
Woods said employees have been “threatened with discipline” if they do not make people buy items before using Starbucks facilities. Some irate patrons have hurled slurs and threats at him, he said.
“There's some people who understand but most of it has been very negative,” Woods said, adding that the most supervisors can do is fill out an incident report and have follow-ups.
He called the policy “anti-consumer.” He thinks it is an attempt to “nickel-and-dime people.”
“All of the policies that they’re implementing are fake, ingenuine, and customers see right through it,” he said.
This story has been updated to add information and correct an inaccuracy. Starbucks Workers United only represents American workers.
Contributing: Natalie Neysa Alund, Jonathan Limehouse, Zlati Meyer
Saleen Martin is a reporter on Paste BN's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.