New York sources reported that Starbucks will temporarily shut down about 8,000 company-owned locations across the US on Tuesday to offer 175,000 employees mandatory anti-bias training. As per report the participating stores will close around 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. However, the outlets in hotels, grocery stores and airports will remain open.
Accordingly Starbucks had announced the training soon after two black men were arrested at a Philadelphia outlet in April. Moreover a store manager called the police because the men were sitting in the store without placing an order. They were arrested for trespassing. Furthermore the incident sparked an outcry prompting CEO Kevin Johnson to apologize.
Further during the training on Tuesday, workers at each location will
break into small groups to learn together. Moreover the Starbucks Chairman
Howard Schultz, Johnson and musician and activist Common will serve as virtual
guides. Employees will talk about their own experiences, and watch a film about
bias and the company explained that each store will get a tool kit to help
guide the training.
