Customer Captures Anti-Gay Comments at Starbucks

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At a Long Island Starbucks, a customer apparently overheard a manager speaking with an employee (Jeffrey) and then making disrespectful comments about him to other employees. The customer's blog post about the incident got Starbucks' attention.

Starbucks' response, "Our Dedication to Embrace Diversity,"  states, "We are disheartened by the allegations reported in an East Coast Starbucks store and are taking immediate measures to investigate and take any steps necessary to make this right. The actions reported do not correspond with our values, who we are as a company or the beliefs we try to instill in our partners."

Starbucks LI

Discussion Starters:

  • How, if at all, does the customer's alleged experience and Starbucks' response affect your perspective of Starbucks as an employer or as a company?
  • If you owned the Long Island Starbucks store, what, if anything, would you do in response to the customer's blog post?

Assignment Idea:

  • The customer's blog post doesn't follow principles of business communication. Rewrite Missy's blog post to improve focus and organization.