Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz blames Democrat-run cities for store closures
Category: News & Politics
Via: vic-eldred • 2 years ago • 50 commentsBy: Ariel Zilber (New York Post)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said Democratic mayors and city councils have "abdicated their responsibility" in fighting crime and addressing mental illness, which has forced his company to shutter stores due to fears over employee safety.
Schultz made the comments in leaked video that was posted to Twitter over the weekend by Ari Hoffman of KVI-AM talk radio based in Seattle.
Last week, Starbucks announced it was closing 16 restaurants in various cities across the country due to what the company said was employee complaints of drug use and violent crime on the premises.
Schultz said he believes the Seattle-based coffee chain will have to close "many more" locations.
"This is just the beginning," said the interim chief executive, who came back to run the company earlier this year following the retirement of his predecessor, Kevin Johnson.
Schultz blamed elected leaders of the Democrat cities where the stores are closing "at the local state and federal level, these governments… and leaders, mayors & governors & city councils have advocated their responsibility in fighting crime & addressing mental illness. pic.twitter.com/M8vTJgchCE
— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) July 13, 2022
"There are gonna be many more [store closures]."
The leaked video of Schultz shows him addressing Starbucks employees. He told them that the company was "beginning to close stores that are not unprofitable."
Schultz said he was "shocked" to hear from employees that "one of the primary concerns that our retail partners [baristas] have is their own personal safety."
"And then we heard about the stories that go along with it about what happens in our bathrooms," Schultz said.
Last week, Starbucks announced it was closing 16 stores nationwide, including in Seattle, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and Portland, Ore.
In 2018, Starbucks implemented an "open bathrooms" policy after a store manager had two black men arrested for not ordering coffee while sitting down in a Philadelphia location.
Video of the arrest went viral, and Starbucks apologized following intense backlash.
Now the company is giving store managers discretion to alter the policy due to complaints that Starbucks bathrooms are a magnet for drug abusers and homeless people.
In the video leaked over the weekend, Schultz cited the "issues of mental illness, homelessness, and crime."
"Starbucks is a window into America," Schultz said. "We are facing things in which the stores were not built for."
Schultz then took Democrat-run cities to task for not providing solutions.
"In my view, at the local, state, and federal level, these governments across the country and leaders — mayors, governors, and city councils — have abdicated their responsibility in fighting crime and addressing mental illness," he said.
Schultz added: "We are going to have to refine and transform and modernize many of the things we do to meet the needs of our customers in a very changing operating environment in which customer behavior is changing."
Starbucks said the store closures were due to employee complaints about rising crime and drug use on the premises.
He said that "demand for Starbucks coffee" both domestically and internationally has "never been greater" and that the company is shifting to a strategy of drive-thru and mobile app sales, which have accounted for much of the chain's pandemic-era sales.
The Post has sought comment from Starbucks.
Starbucks said the store closures were due to employee complaints about rising crime and drug use on the premises.
No shit!
There are 15,000 (give or take) Starbucks locations in the US.
So they are closing roughly 1 out of every 1000 locations. And this is supposed to be a major news story? It is ridiculous.
I also see nothing in the story that indicates that Schultz said the words "Democrat - run cities".
There are 104 Starbucks in Portland Oregon. Evidently they are closing ONE of them for being dangerous.
It is silly that this is being presented as some horrific trend.
There is a horrific trend among Democrat run cities. Just look at Chicago, Baltimore, LA, etc.
16 stores out of 15,000 is not any sort of trend at all. Neither is one out of one hundred as is the case in Portland.
Exactly and the local patrons don't really need over priced coffee and in this economy the baristas will easily find other employment. Maybe a vaping or tattoo shop will replace it. We are a mobile, ever changing economy.
do you easily amuse yourself ?
And you willingly remain ignorant of the criminal trends in Democrat run cities. All the while you demand you be taken seriously? LMAO.
Yes, it's a gift.
And Portland is more of a beer town anyway.
The Downtown Portland Business Survey found that almost 40% of business owners currently located in the downtown core plan to relocate. A whopping 80% do not plan to relocate within downtown Portland.
I have to correct one thing, I said one was closed in Portland (out of 104) when it is actually two.
There are 466 Starbucks locations in the Los Angeles area. So 1.3% of them are closing. Objectively this isnt even worth discussing , but of course we will have to anyway because the right has found a new chew toy.
There are 358 Starbucks in Chicago and suburbs. Not one of them is closing because of danger. My my.
I wonder how many national chains or offices close some up on a yearly basis, because of security concerns, without trying to make headlines about it? I suspect more than a few. And I suspect it was happening before Biden became president.
One thing we don't have to wonder about is why stores are fleeing big blue cities.
Starbucks didn't try to make headlines. The video was leaked.
And yes, the fact that other companies are no doubt quietly closing locations because democratic cities are lawless doesn't help your case.
That's because there are no Starbucks in:
West Garfield Park
East Garfield Park
Washington Park
Englewood
West Englewood
North Lawndale
Riverdale
I wouldn't imagine gang bangers have an affinity for over priced coffee.
Gang Bangers? Are you judging people that you don't know?
Very true.
He does say "many more" will be closed, but then that's a highly nebulous statement itself.
There is a point to be made that businesses do not want to invest in locations where crime is problematic, or where issues like drug abuse and homelessness make operations more difficult.
I also understand him feeling protective of his employees. I'm certainly protective of mine. If they don't believe they are safe, that's a problem.
That photo was taken during the riots in CA in 2020. Hardly recent.
Gee, what a surprise!
The people in those communities cant afford 4 or 5 dollars for a cup of coffee.
A couple years ago Whole Foods opened up a store in Englewood. They announced a couple months ago it is closing. Im sure its not making enough profit by Whole Foods standards, and we know its all about profit. People in Englewood cant afford Whole Foods prices in any sort of mass way.
Two years ago isn't that long ago. And, why would that criticism even matter? Crime in Democrat-run cities certainly hasn't improved since 2020.
Everything is fine now?
That's not good enough? The riots that democrat mayors endorsed and allowed to rage.
How can any democrat not feel a sense of guilt?
I see.
I thought you cared about those communities?
I'm so sick of arrogant assholes blaming Democrats for everything.
What do you expect them to do? Take responsibility???
Which ones are responsible for security at Hollywood and Vine, Hollywood and Western, Little Tokyo, Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood or the Santa Monica Pier?
What about all the other democratic run cities that Starbucks is not closing?
Rather disingenuous and a global statement for wanting to cut losses.
No, easier to blame all their fuck ups on us.
Why should Republicans take responsibility for the increasing crime rates in cities/states run by Democrats?
You mean like Boston?
It's blue, but safe!
Amazing isn't it?
Gee, that's a shocker.
I thought you weren't supposed to change the title of an 'article'
He's being accused of closing stores where there is union activity.
So that's the real story here.
Thanks EG!
Maybe, maybe not. We'll see.
That's the real story I'm sure.
The very first fucking sentence in your article...................
"Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said Democratic mayors and city councils have "abdicated their responsibility" in fighting crime and addressing mental illness"
Let's see the quote. What you are showing is not a quote.
Seriously, they are closing 16 stores across the country. That is not even a minor blip. 'Why do you people want to argue about the obvious?
As in real estate John, it's location, location, location. Get it yet?
I understand that the western suburb of Beaverton is absorbing many of the closing businesses in downtown Portland.
Nearly two years after COVID-19 shut down the city’s core, new data indicates that large numbers of visitors and workers still haven’t returned to downtown Portland.
The number of downtown visitors is off by 40% compared to prepandemic times, and the number of people working downtown is two-thirds lower. That’s according to a new study issued Wednesday by the Portland Business Alliance, which drew on aggregated smartphone location data.
A very fair assessment.
You can't see that?
That randomizes the fact that the target stores are in shitholes and the likely real reason - that they have become underperformers. Companies who claim to champion employee safety are usually shocked when the sun rises.
chultz said he was "shocked" to hear from employees that "one of the primary concerns that our retail partners [baristas] have is their own personal safety."
Shows you how out of touch these idiots are.
I guess they didn’t think that one through.
I honestly could care less if every Starbucks closed down but this isn’t only Starbucks. Walgreens, CVS etc… are also closing down locations.
He never said democratic-run cities. This is what he said:
You are interpreting what he actually said. Ironic since this crap came from the NYP, our rag paper, and not one single store is closing in NYC, a democratic runned city.
I thought you weren't supposed to change the title of the 'article'. Isn't that against the rules here?
I guess that depends on who is posting the 'article'.