Starbucks Is Now Officially A Glorified Homeless Shelter

I get a lot of crap for it – but I do go to Starbucks.

Why? Well because I have no “office” and I travel a lot.

Starbucks has the fastest internet of all the coffee/cafe chains. (Believe me, I’ve tried EVERYTHING. Don’t come at me for this unless you work remotely at a job that requires you to have 15 tabs open at all times. Panera WiFi is slow AF. Thanks.) So for about 4 bucks I usually get 4 hours of internet and 3 refills. Most locations are nice and clean. I DEFINITELY get my money’s worth. If I find an alternative that suits my needs as well as they do, I’ll switch over.

Well… this new policy changes EVERYTHING for me… because I really have no interest in trying to get work done in a public rest stop.

Starbucks is now open to anyone and everyone. You don’t have to be a paying customer. For all intents and purposes, Starbucks is now a homeless shelter. Not necessarily the most productive environment to try to get work done.

According to BPR:

Political correctness and racial pandering don’t come without consequences, which Starbucks may soon learn firsthand.

The coffeehouse chain announced a new policy Saturday in response to the incident last month in Philadelphia, were two black men were arrested after refusing to leave. The new policy allows “any” guest to use its facilities, to include restrooms, whether or not they make a purchase, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The men arrested in Philadelphia were non-paying customers who said race was a contributing factor in them being asked to leave. There was no evidence to support the claim, but the national media ran with the story, resulting in Starbucks shutting down operations at more than 8,000 stores to rush its employees through diversity training.

An email to employees Saturday, Starbucks said “any person who enters our spaces, including patios, cafes and restrooms, regardless of whether they make a purchase, is considered a customer.”

Expect much longer lines at Starbucks restrooms. They are now public showers.

It seems as though the real issue was no real standard policy across all cafes. Would it then have been so scandalous to set a single policy of facilities only for paying customers? This is a perfect example of being “so open minded your brains fall out.” https://t.co/AhkhfWOLxE

— Matt (@matt0999) May 20, 2018

EXACTLY.

Nice business model, Starbucks.

And listen… this is not to deny the humanity of the homeless. Homelessness is a problem that MUST be addressed. However, this won’t solve anything. This will only increase friction between paying customers who are willing to pay for way-too-expensive coffee to be able to use fast wifi and clean facilities, and those looking for an air-conditioned place to nap.

If Starbucks think one won’t affect the others’ experience… they are on a different planet.

Reality may not be “nice” …but it’s reality.

I wonder if all the California liberals who talk “compassion” are going to be THRILLED when there are no available seats at their local Starbucks because 50 people are taking a nap there.

We’ll see…

1000’s of new state of the art homeless shelters open across the US https://t.co/OZgXR1vMIt

— Mitch Hallford (@MitchHallford) May 19, 2018

You have to believe that they thought this through carefully, and are willing to take the hit on financials and customer satisfaction. And there will certainly be a hit. https://t.co/Pfvgqr4JTV

— Dean Frazier 🇺🇸 (@DPFrazier) May 19, 2018

Have fun, Starbucks managers worldwide. https://t.co/u45bUSihmF

— Jim Treacher (@jtLOL) May 20, 2018

“Non-customers” already use my local Starbucks as a bathing facility before emptying the cream dispensers and sleeping. This is a big mistake.

— Todd Stump (@toddwstump) May 20, 2018

I’m curious about a business model that does not require selling products

I’m also wondering how inviting a Starbucks full of homeless folks will be to paying customers https://t.co/8v6bQPCM8t

— Jim Hanson (@Uncle_Jimbo) May 20, 2018

Time will tell.