Needle disposal boxes coming to some Starbucks

Needle disposal boxes coming to some Starbucks

The newest amenity coming to Starbucks is a depressing one: needle disposal boxes.The company says that they will be installed at some locations because employees have found discarded bloody needles and syringes in bathrooms, USA Today reports.

Starbucks will start paying employees to volunteer 20 hours a week

Starbucks will start paying employees to volunteer 20 hours a week

Starbucks is paying employees to give back.The company announced on Thursday that it is testing a program that will allow some employees to spend half of their workweek at a local nonprofit.With the help of Points of Light, a nonprofit volunteering group, Starbucks picked 36 Starbucks Service Fellows in 13 cities for the pilot program.

Court: Starbucks, others must pay workers for off clock work

Court: Starbucks, others must pay workers for off clock work

SAN FRANCISCO — Starbucks and other employers in California must pay workers for minutes they routinely spend off the clock on tasks such as locking up or setting the store alarm, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday.The unanimous ruling was a big victory for hourly workers in California and could prompt additional lawsuits against employers in the state.The ruling came in a lawsuit by a Starbucks employee, Douglas Troester, who argued that he was entitled to be paid for the time he spent closing the store after he had clocked out.Troester said he activated the store alarm, locked the front door and walked co-workers to their cars — tasks that required him to work for four to 10 additional minutes a day.An attorney for Starbucks referred comment to the company.

Starbucks, citing environment, is ditching plastic straws

Starbucks, citing environment, is ditching plastic straws

SEATTLE — Starbucks, citing the environment threat to oceans, will ban plastic straws from all of its stores globally in less than two years.The company becomes the largest food and beverage company operating globally to do so.Starbucks said Monday that it is making available a strawless lid at 8,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada for certain drinks.Starbucks Coffee Co.

Starbucks employee fired after mocking stuttering customer

Starbucks employee fired after mocking stuttering customer

PHILADELPHIA — Starbucks says an employee in Philadelphia has been fired after reportedly mocking a customer with a stutter.The coffee chain says the behavior did not reflect the experience customers should have and the employee is no longer with Starbucks.A customer posted Sunday on Facebook that his friend stuttered when giving his name.

Starbucks training a first step, experts say, in facing bias

Starbucks training a first step, experts say, in facing bias

SEATTLE -- Starbucks, trying to put to rest an outcry over the arrest of two black men at one of its stores, is closing more than 8,000 stores for an afternoon of anti-bias training, a strategy some believe can keep racism at bay.After the arrests in Philadelphia last month, the coffee chain's leaders apologized and met with the two men, but also reached out to activists and experts in bias training to put together a curriculum for its 175,000 workers.That has put a spotlight on the little-known world of "unconscious bias training," which is used by many corporations, police departments and other organizations to help address racism in the workplace.

New Starbucks policy: No purchase needed to sit in cafes

New Starbucks policy: No purchase needed to sit in cafes

NEW YORK — Starbucks announced a new policy Saturday that allows anyone to sit in its cafes or use its restrooms, even if they don't buy anything.The new policy comes five weeks after two black men who hadn't bought anything were arrested at a Philadelphia Starbucks.Company executives have said its previous policies were loose and ambiguous, leaving decisions on whether people could sit in its stores or use the restroom up to store managers.Starbucks said it has told workers to consider anyone who walks into its stores a customer, "regardless of whether they make a purchase."The company said anyone can use its cafes, patios or restrooms without buying anything, but it noted workers should still call the police if someone is a safety threat."We are committed to creating a culture of warmth and belonging where everyone is welcome," Starbucks said in a statement.The two men who were arrested April 12 in Philadelphia were awaiting a third person for a meeting.

Starbucks changes bathroom policy following racial firestorm

Starbucks changes bathroom policy following racial firestorm

WASHINGTON — Starbucks is opening its bathrooms to everyone regardless of whether they've bought anything following the arrest last month of two African American men at one of its coffee shops in Philadelphia.Chairman Howard Schultz says he doesn't want the company to become a public bathroom, but feels employees can make the "right decision a hundred percent of the time," if that choice is removed at the store level.One of the men arrested on April 12 was denied use of a bathroom before sitting down to await a business meeting.

Nestle takes over sales of Starbucks in the grocery aisle

Nestle takes over sales of Starbucks in the grocery aisle

SEATTLE — Nestle is paying more than $7 billion to buy the rights to sell Starbucks coffee and tea in supermarkets and other stores outside its coffee shops.The deal comes with a huge price tag for Nestle, but it could pay off big for the Swiss company.

'Failed miserably:' 2 black men arrested at Starbucks get an apology from police

'Failed miserably:' 2 black men arrested at Starbucks get an apology from police

PHILADELPHIA — Rashon Nelson initially brushed it off when the Starbucks manager told him he couldn't use the restroom because he wasn't a paying customer.He thought nothing of it when he and his childhood friend and business partner, Donte Robinson, were approached at their table and were asked if they needed help.

Starbucks to close 8,000 stores on afternoon of May 29 for racial bias training

Starbucks to close 8,000 stores on afternoon of May 29 for racial bias training

NEW YORK — Starbucks, moving swiftly to confront a racially charged uproar over the arrest of two black men at one of its stores in Philadelphia, plans to close more than 8,000 U.S. stores for several hours next month to conduct racial-bias training for nearly 175,000 workers.The announcement Tuesday comes after the arrests sparked protests and calls for a boycott on social media.

Starbucks to train workers on 'unconscious bias,' CEO says

Starbucks to train workers on 'unconscious bias,' CEO says

PHILADELPHIA — Starbucks wants to add training for store managers on "unconscious bias," CEO Kevin Johnson said Monday, as activists held more protests at a Philadelphia store where two black men were arrested when employees said they were trespassing.Johnson, who has called the arrests "reprehensible," arrived in Philadelphia this weekend after video of the arrests gained traction online.