Starbucks is closing 16 of its stores nationwide, including one in Washington, D.C., after store managers reported an increase in drug use among customers in major cities across the United States.
Six of the stores will be closed in Los Angeles, six in the coffee giant’s hometown of Seattle, two in Portland, Oregon, one in Washington, D.C., and one in Philadelphia by the end of the month. The employees of the affected stores will be reassigned to other stores in the area.
Although the company is only closing 16 out of its nearly 9,000 stores nationwide, the closures come as employees report feeling unsafe in the stores because employees say they are witnessing an increase in drug use, thefts, and assaults, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“We read every incident report you file — it’s a lot,” U.S. operations leads Debbie Stroud and Denise Nelson told U.S. employees Monday, according to the outlet. “We cannot serve as partners if we don’t first feel safe at work.”
The corporation is also giving managers greater control over the hours of their stores, seating arrangements, and the power to restrict access to the bathrooms in order to alleviate some of the safety concerns. Employees will also be trained in how to handle active shooter scenarios and how to deescalate conflict with customers, a Starbucks spokesperson told the outlet.
“Like so much of the world right now, the Starbucks business as it is built today is not set up to fully satisfy the evolving behaviors, needs and expectations of our partners or customers,” Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz told employees Monday.
More than 6,600 Starbucks employees have attempted to unionize in 30 states. Employees in 133 locations have unionized so far, citing concerns over benefits, operations, and staffing. Fifteen cafes have rejected an attempt to unionize, while 11 others are currently facing challenges. An outlet in Buffalo, New York, was the first to unionize last year.
