Starbucks will require customers to make a purchase before staying in its coffee shops or using its bathrooms, effective January 27th, according to the company’s new Code of Conduct. The change aims to prioritize paying customers and create a better environment for everyone.
The policy prohibits behaviors such as discrimination, harassment, smoking, and panhandling, and will be displayed in every store. Violators may be asked to leave, with employees able to call law enforcement if necessary.
To prepare for the new policy, store managers have 40 hours before its implementation, during which time they can train staff on the changes. This training period also includes preparing staff to ask customers if they want their drink to stay or go and offering unlimited free refills of hot or iced coffee to those who order a drink to stay.
The new policy reverses a previous policy introduced in 2018, which allowed people to use cafes and bathrooms without making a purchase. This change comes as the company responds to declining sales, falling stock prices, and grumbling from activist investors.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/14/business/starbucks-bathroom-purchase-policy.html