Starbucks

[Stuart]

So what do yall think about what Starbucks is doing, and will it have a positive impact on business or turn out to be a Target type f**k up?

per Breitbart, the most trusted name in news

"Starbucks will close more than 8,000 stores nationwide on Tuesday to conduct anti-bias training, the next of many steps the company is taking to try to restore its tarnished image as a hangout where all are welcome.

After the arrests of two black men in Philadelphia last month at one of its stores, 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. The training is typically designed to get people to open up about implicit biases and stereotypes in encountering people of color, gender or other identities.

The Perception Institute, a consortium of researchers consulting with Starbucks, defines implicit bias as attitudes — positive or negative — or stereotypes someone has toward a person or group without being conscious of it. A common example, according to some of its studies, is a tendency for white people to unknowingly associate black people with criminal behavior.

Many retailers including Walmart and Target said they already offer some racial bias training. Target says it plans to expand that training. Nordstrom has said it plans to enhance its training after issuing an apology to three black teenagers in Missouri who employees falsely accused of shoplifting.

Anti-bias sessions can incorporate personal reflections, explorations of feelings and mental exercises. But one expert says training of this kind can have the opposite effect if people feel judged.

According to a video previewing the Starbucks training, there will be recorded remarks from Starbucks executives and rapper/activist Common. From there, employees will “move into a real and honest exploration of bias” where, in small groups, they can share how the issue comes up in their daily work life.

Starbucks has described it as a “collaborative and engaging experience for store partners to learn together.” ”

Developed with feedback from the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Perception Institute and other social advocacy groups, Tuesday’s four-hour session will give workers a primer on the history of civil rights from the 1960s to present day. Workers will also view a short documentary film.

Alexis McGill Johnson, Perception’s co-founder and executive director, says anti-bias training is about awareness.

“The work that we want to do is not say you’re a bad person because you have a stereotype about a group, but say this is why your brain may have these stereotypes,” she said.

Johnson declined to elaborate on the details of the Starbucks training. But she said Perception’s workshops typically include mental exercises to show participants how bias creeps into situations. A session can include personal reflections, she said, such as, “I was socialized to think about a group this way.”

Johnson said the real work is for employees to apply what they learn in their everyday lives. She likened it to exercising a muscle. Some ways to practice counter-stereotyping, she said, are to look for something unique about a person that is beyond their social identity.

“It could be having a question that elicits something more interesting than, say, the weather or the traffic,” Johnson said, stressing the need to “go well beyond the superficial.”

In the Philadelphia incident, Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson were asked to leave after one was denied access to the bathroom. They were arrested by police minutes after they sat down to await a business meeting. The incident was recorded by cellphones and went viral.

Nelson and Robinson settled with Starbucks this month for an undisclosed sum and an offer of a free education. They also reached a deal with the city of Philadelphia for a symbolic $1 each and a promise from officials to establish a $200,000 program for young entrepreneurs.

Starbucks has since announced anyone can use its restrooms even if they are not buying anything. According to documents Starbucks sent to store workers, employees should also think carefully when dealing with disruptive customers. A guide advises staff to consider whether the actions they take would apply to any customer in the same situation. They should dial 911 only if the situation seems unsafe.

Starbucks said the arrests never should have occurred and announced the mass closures of its stores for the afternoon of training.

Calvin Lai, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, said people should not place high expectations on this one day.

“We find that oftentimes diversity training has mixed effects, and in some cases it can even backfire and lead people who are kind of already reactive to these issues to become even more polarized,” Lai said.

One afternoon wouldn’t really be “moving the needle on the biases,” especially when it’s a company with as many employees as Starbucks, he said. “A lot of those employees won’t be here next year or two years or three years down the line.”

Starbucks has said Tuesday’s sessions serve as “a step in a long-term journey to make Starbucks even more welcoming and safe for all.” It is working with volunteer advisers including Heather McGhee, president of social advocacy organization Demos, and Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

“One of the things Starbucks has to wrestle with is how to incorporate this kind of training into the onboarding of every employee,” Ifill said.

That takes a sustained effort, McGhee added.

“We have really made it clear that one training is not enough, and this needs to be part of an ongoing review of their policies,” McGhee said. “They really need to commit.”"

[Zarniwoop]

It’s called virtue signaling.

And it’s stupid

[Stuart]

I think what happened is horrible, but I think their response is going to turn it into a rest stop....

[Mountaineer Buc]

It's a PR stunt to cover up what a shitty employee did.

Don't care.

[Zarniwoop]

It's a PR stunt to cover up what a shitty employee did.

Don't care.

^


Employees are going to make stupid decisions. You can't prevent it. No need to train 10,000+ employees (or however many they have) not to make those same stupid decisions. 99.9% weren't going to be that dumb anyway.

[Mountaineer Buc]

It's a PR stunt to cover up what a shitty employee did.

Don't care.

^


Employees are going to make stupid decisions. You can't prevent it. No need to train 10,000+ employees (or however many they have) not to make those same stupid decisions. 99.9% weren't going to be that dumb anyway.

I didn't say it was a good idea.

[Zarniwoop]

^


Employees are going to make stupid decisions. You can't prevent it. No need to train 10,000+ employees (or however many they have) not to make those same stupid decisions. 99.9% weren't going to be that dumb anyway.

I didn't say it was a good idea.

I didn't say you did

I was agreeing with what you wrote

[Buc2]

It's dumb and nobody will care.

[NYBF]

Stu cares.

[Stuart]

Stu cares.

I care about my cafe vanil frap light no whip and whatever might slow the deliveriy of noted item.

[Zarniwoop]

Clearly Starbucks thinks their customers care otherwise the wouldn’t have shut all their stores for an entire day and passed on all that revenue

[Mountaineer Buc]

Clearly Starbucks thinks their customers care otherwise the wouldn’t have shut all their stores for an entire day and passed on all that revenue

It's like from 2-3pm or something. Not the whole day.

[Tbayfan]

I hear the ones in grocery stores are open. Kinda kills the buzz to get your Starbucks at Piggly Wiggly, I’m sure.

[deltbucs]

It's a PR stunt to cover up what a shitty employee did.

Don't care.

[RedLeader]

an obvious over-reaction to a hyper sensitive and aggressive liberal media establishment.

[PrimeMinister]

It's a PR stunt to cover up what a shitty employee did.

Don't care.

Mostly this.

[Caradoc]

Implicit bias has been thouroughly debunked, but it feels good to a certain population to run with this nonsense.

https://www.reddit.com/r/KotakuInAction ... ery_fires/

Just in case you thought that the apex of insanity had been reached: you were wrong:

So in Portland, Oregon, a race pimp who happens to be a proud black wamen walked into a bakery six minutes after it had closed. Her name is Lillian Green and she is... an Equity Director for the state of Oregon. Thought that would surprise you.

Since she arrived six minutes after closing time, she was informed that the place was closed. Instead of being embarrassed by this, she cried racism and demanded that the two employees who told her that the place was closed be fired. The owner, an absolutely pathetic, spineless worm by the name of John Blomgren (picture is from the site of the bakery, pls no bully mods) actually gave in to that, despite pointing out that there was nothing racist about what happened. Here I will quote the statement released by the bakery. You have to read it to believe it.

The original Facebook post has disappeared, but the indefatigable Andy Ngo had taken screenshots. It also turned out that there was an archive of the Facebook post, which I of course won't link to. Aside from not knowing what commas are, the owner shows an absolutely alarming amount of crazy.

Money quote:

In this situation it doesn’t really matter that the two staff members working are not themselves racist because the call they made to deny Lillian service caused her to feel like she had been discriminated against. Sometimes impact outweighs intent and when that happens people do need to be held accountable. Since both Lillian and the clamoring public were demanding that these staff members be fired that it is what we did putting these two young women out of work.

There is more at the link, including the most sniveling, self-loathing "apology" and virtue-signalling nonsense I've ever read. Makes Starbucks look like a model of restraint.

[Ken Carson]

I read the link, and the bakery was in the wrong. They allowed people to come in after the turned off the sign and be served (who happened to be white). When the black woman walked in, the told her that they were closed and the two white women who just walked in (after they were closed) were the last to be served.

I don’t necessarily agree with firing the employees, or the long-winded apology, but those employees made a bad situation.

[Stuart]

I read the link, and the bakery was in the wrong. They allowed people to come in after the turned off the sign and be served (who happened to be white). When the black woman walked in, the told her that they were closed and the two white women who just walked in (after they were closed) were the last to be served.

I don’t necessarily agree with firing the employees, or the long-winded apology, but those employees made a bad situation.

c'mon, they had to say no more at some point. We've ALL had it happen to us.

should we scream when they close the cashier line we just walked up too since there is someone still being checked out?

[Ken Carson]

I read the link, and the bakery was in the wrong. They allowed people to come in after the turned off the sign and be served (who happened to be white). When the black woman walked in, the told her that they were closed and the two white women who just walked in (after they were closed) were the last to be served.

I don’t necessarily agree with firing the employees, or the long-winded apology, but those employees made a bad situation.

c'mon, they had to say no more at some point. We've ALL had it happen to us.

should we scream when they close the cashier line we just walked up too since there is someone still being checked out?

I don't disagree that the line was likely arbitrary, but it gives off a really bad look.

[Stuart]

c'mon, they had to say no more at some point. We've ALL had it happen to us.

should we scream when they close the cashier line we just walked up too since there is someone still being checked out?

I don't disagree that the line was likely arbitrary, but it gives off a really bad look.

depends on your paradigm though.

[Mountaineer Buc]

You pronounce that "para-dig-um", don't you?

[Stuart]

You pronounce that "para-dig-um", don't you?

naw man, all those self help books are read to me on you tube so as i get the pranunciacion write

[Deuce]

c'mon, they had to say no more at some point. We've ALL had it happen to us.

should we scream when they close the cashier line we just walked up too since there is someone still being checked out?

I don't disagree that the line was likely arbitrary, but it gives off a really bad look.

So what if the black woman was first and the white couple was denied? How is that better?

[Zarniwoop]

I don't disagree that the line was likely arbitrary, but it gives off a really bad look.

So what if the black woman was first and the white couple was denied? How is that better?

I’m sure a scenario like this plays out everyday across retail stores all across America. Workers will make exceptions for someone arriving at 9:03 pm but not at 9:05 pm.

[Stuart]

Here's how I see it.

The majority of America has been white. As a melting pot, the demographics are changing and America is not so white anymore. It's a lot more mixed race, a lot more gay concious and more in general, more latinos etc.

The "white" America we have known will be coming to a close, although it will take years and years. The news and politicians are selling racism. The corporations are trying to cater to those coming of age as are the politicians.

It's a difficult time , but as much as my brothers of color, latinos, lgbt would ask me to see their side, I would ask that they see what they are being peddled by the corporations and politicians. it's they who are seeding this hatred. and the low life scum who are feeding the media with the BS stories. The legit ones need to be told and addressed.

It's our job to see through the bull$hit as much as possible, get along and live our daily lives.

[Deuce]

Here's how I see it.

The majority of America has been white. As a melting pot, the demographics are changing and America is not so white anymore. It's a lot more mixed race, a lot more gay concious and more in general, more latinos etc.

The "white" America we have known will be coming to a close, although it will take years and years. The news and politicians are selling racism. The corporations are trying to cater to those coming of age as are the politicians.

It's a difficult time , but as much as my brothers of color, latinos, lgbt would ask me to see their side, I would ask that they see what they are being peddled by the corporations and politicians. it's they who are seeding this hatred. and the low life scum who are feeding the media with the BS stories. The legit ones need to be told and addressed.

It's our job to see through the bull$hit as much as possible, get along and live our daily lives.

I also don't see how the "the world is out to get you" message from the media is helping any minority.

No one I associate with around my age (30) really cares about race. The lgbt (mostly t) stuff is still getting there but it'll be no big deal with a little time. It just doesn't make sense to me how this is still such a big topic.

[RedLeader]

Lol..

[Ken Carson]

I don't disagree that the line was likely arbitrary, but it gives off a really bad look.

So what if the black woman was first and the white couple was denied? How is that better?

Then there would have been no public reaction based on any real or perceived racism. It’s actually substantially better...

Again, I’m not saying I agree with the firing of the employees or the need to write a massive apology... But those employees deciding that 9:06 is a lot different than 9:03 created a problem. Both parties showed up after closing, but one got served and the other didn’t. It doesn’t have to be racism... it’s actually bad customer service to allow one customer an exception but not another.

[Buc2]

So what if the black woman was first and the white couple was denied? How is that better?

Then there would have been no public reaction based on any real or perceived racism. It’s actually substantially better...

Again, I’m not saying I agree with the firing of the employees or the need to write a massive apology... But those employees deciding that 9:06 is a lot different than 9:03 created a problem. Both parties showed up after closing, but one got served and the other didn’t. It doesn’t have to be racism... it’s actually bad customer service to allow one customer an exception but not another.

So, by not locking the door at 9:00, they should have stayed open all night. Got it.