Starbucks to encourage baristas to discuss race relations with customers

[KamaAina]

http://fortune.com/2015/03/16/starbucks-baristas-race-talk/

CEO Howard Schultz is encouraging his employees to bring up the hot-button issue — his latest foray into controversial topics.

Starbucks SBUX 0.39% CEO Howard Schultz has never shied away from involving his company in controversial debates, whether those debates are about same-sex marriage, or gun control, or U.S. government gridlock.

But the executive, who oversees a coffee empire with 4,700 U.S. stores, has now taken on arguably the most polarizing political debate in the United States: race relations.

Starbucks published a full page ad in the New York Times on Sunday — a stark, black, page with a tiny caption “Shall We Overcome?” in the middle, and the words “RaceTogether” with the company logo, on the bottom right. The ad, along with a similar one on Monday in USA Today, is part of an initiative launched this week by the coffee store chain to stimulate conversation and debate about the race in America by getting employees to engage with customers about the perennially hot button subject.

Double nonfat soy white privilege latte!

[Yo_Mama]

1. I read this story and just shook my head.

I just don't know what to think about this.

[DinahMoeHum]

2. Have fun reading and adding to the hashtag!

Lots of snarky "oh snap"s here!

https://twitter.com/hashtag/RaceTogether?src=hash

[tammywammy]

3. I worked for Starbucks many years ago for 3 years.

This is the last thing I'd have wanted to have a "discussion" on hot topics with customers. I just wanted their order make it and get back to all the other crap I had to do.

It was bad enough the occasional customer that tried to preach to the barista and left tracks in the bathrooms.

And as an occasional customer, I don't really want a hot topic conversation with the workers either.

[bravenak]

4. I feel bad for them.

[KamaAina]

5. Why? Aren't all baristas race relations experts?

[bravenak]

6. Why, sure. But the pay is terrible.

[B2G]

7. What could possibly go wrong? nt

[alp227]

8. Sinking even lower than Chick fil a.

[benld74]

9. I stopped going to *bucks at the end of 2014

Regularly went mainly for the wife, as I am her latte boy on weekends, and the caffeine helps her with migraines. Our bucks was once really good in service, etc, but they have cratered. TEHY made too many mistakes for my taste, AND still didn't offer free drinks because of it. I complained to corporate, got $15 on my card but have NEVER went back and never will

[Voice for Peace]

10. I see lots of snarky cynicism and have no idea what they're envisioning.

However in my opinion this can only be a good thing.

Yes. Open up this conversation. Baristas should be well
trained in listening skills, they may get a double grandé
earful.

"Shall We Overcome?" yes, let's. everybody can try a
little harder: to listen, to feel, to try and understand
how to be a human being.

[Nye Bevan]

11. "One caramel macchiato! Now be sure to check your privilege, and have a nice day!" (nt)

[B2G]

15. Suddenly 'do you want cream in that?' sounds like a trick question. nt

[BubbaFett]

12. Almost as comical as McDeath asking me to call my dead mother to get a free burger.

[Starry Messenger]

13. I dislike this new trend of making counter people perform.

I went to Panera the other day and the blast of official goodwill nearly sent me back out the door. Hi, how are you, is fine. Needing to know if I'm in a good mood is not necessary.

On Gawker someone else made the point that CEOs would make better inroads on race related issues if they stopped with the media stunts and just gave heavily to civil rights orgs. I like the sound of that.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

16. I get the same thing at Jersey Mike's.

Just give me my Mini Original Italian without the interrogation about my day.

[salin]

14. Yes, because asking low wage hourly workers to facilitate

challenging conversations makes so much sense.

"So, I asked the customer what she thought about the Black Lives Matter movement, and she started swearing at me and telling that 'OBummer' was the biggest racist in america, and then she through her soy latte in my face!"

Going to give the barristas some training to deal with foxinsanitysyndrome?

[FSogol]

17. "Do you like your coffee black" is not a race discussion.

[NaturalHigh]

18. This is one of the stupidest ideas I've ever heard of.

On the rare occasion that I visit Starbucks, I want my order correct and handed to me quickly so that I can go enjoy it somewhere else.

[olddots]

19. I understand the bosse's point

he wants his multi national uber corp to be like a mom & pop one of a kind coffee place but it can't
happen . Big business gets to a polnt where it becomes anti people ,robotic and rotten .

[HappyMe]

20. This is a bad idea.

Why should people making coffee have to take this on. Most customers just want to get their coffee and get out.

[lindysalsagal]

21. Like they're not already working hard enough for minimum wage. He should post his ideas

himself around the business, if he really wants to have his say: Important quotes about tolerance on the napkins or hot-sleeve thingys would do alot more good, in my opinion.

People should have their bigotry challenged passively, or it will just make it worse. You put people on the defensive, and it backfires.

I believe in chipping away a little at a time, and letting people challenge their own internal thoughts themselves.

I just found out my company hired a black man for a management position. This is not really an integrated town, so, I'm loving it. Not sure this guy is ready for the silent bigotry he's going to attract. Only one way to find out!

I'm gonna root for him. This is progress!

[daredtowork]

22. White flat...

Black dynamic?

[AverageJoe90]

23. As noble of an idea as this is.....

I'm afraid it might not work too well, especially in areas that aren't particularly liberal, such as Orange County, Calif., or pretty much anywhere south of the Ohio outside the major cities(and some parts of the Tenn/N.C. Appalachians, i.e. Chattanooga and Asheville, and southern Florida). A better idea might just be to donate a portion of any proceeds to Civil Rights groups.

[Enrique]

24. their communications VP has deleted his Twitter account

http://www.mediaite.com/online/starbucks-svp-deletes-twitter-account-after-actual-minorities-ask-him-about-race-issues/

[Iggo]

25. Aw, billionaires. They're so cute!