Starbucks to encourage baristas to discuss race relations with customers

http://fortune.com/2015/03/16/starbucks-baristas-race-talk/

39 45 11 years ago

blhack• 11 years ago

I cannot even imagine a way that this could possibly go well.

anigbrowl• 11 years ago

I could see it going OK, but I'm not sure about what sort of follow-through is possible in the context of a coffee purchase. I do think Schulze is ultimately trying to move away from the notion of Starbucks as a place where people make simple transactions for coffee (that could be fulfilled just as well by an industrial robot) and more like small community centers, in line with the historical role of coffee shops. He's onto something, and he's iterating.

tomjen34• 11 years ago

That would make sense, but then you talk with the strangers not with the barista.

Of course in this modern age the strangers are on their computers/phones/ipads so I don't know how well it will go.

eqdw2• 11 years ago

and more like small community centers, in line with the historical role of coffee shops.

People have been talking about this recently, and I've even gone to a handful of local cafes that explicitly state this as their purpose, but I've never felt that this was achieved. I've never been to a cafe where I felt comfortable chatting up strangers. If this is what Starbucks is doing, and they do it successfully, I'll go out of my way just to go to their cafes.

kstrauser• 11 years ago

Best case scenario: the employee and customer feel a little uncomfortable at being expected to discuss a delicate subject with a stranger.

Worst case scenario: one says something the other disagrees with, and the screaming and recriminations begin.

lafar6502• 11 years ago

How nice, baristas will now have an option to discuss race relations with their customers. How come they didn't have such an option before?

IgorPartola3• 11 years ago

I don't get the impression that they didn't. The difference is that now they have a reason to discuss it. "Hey, did you know about the Starbucks initiative to discuss race relations? What do you think of blah blah blah?" This is much more approachable and understandable by the customer than a random barista asking the same question alone. The latter is much more like the crazy person that's talking to you on the bus: you don't get what their motives are, why they chose you specifically, etc. so you are not going to like it. I think the bit about "having the option" basically means they have the option to not do it, as in it's not a mandate that they have to.

balabaster4• 11 years ago

It still seems a bit weird... I go to a barista to get coffee (well, tea in my case), I don't go there for extended political discussion. I'm fully behind equality on every front, race, religion, sex, whatever; but when I go to get a drink, I honestly don't care what the barista's political opinions or affiliations are. It's also not my concern to have them probing what my political opinions are... I have them, I'm happy to discuss them - endlessly, in an appropriate forum; but I came in to get a drink, not to get sucked into a political debate - no matter how much I may agree (or not in other cases... ahem, GMO labeling/Monsanto) with it.

bentcorner• 11 years ago

I'll have a tall drip coffee with room, a toasted bagel and some awkward conversation please.

bashinator• 11 years ago

I love room in my coffee.

kps• 11 years ago

Cream in that? Yes, make it a III on the Fitzpatrick scale.

rhino369• 11 years ago

Making customers uncomfortable is always a bad plan. I don't want to contemplate the fact that I work in a mostly white office building above an entirely black starbucks, while getting a cop of coffee.

And I used to be a cashier. I'd rather die than start a talk about a touchy political issue with customers.

Talking about politics and/or controversial topics, which race relations is IMO, is impolite in public. If I owned a coffee shop, I sure as hell wouldn't want my employees making an effort to talk about stuff like that to customers.

IgorPartola3• 11 years ago

I don't know if it will bring them more or less business, but it's certain to bring on change. I see the "national conversation about race" mentioned quite a bit. What that means is talking heads on TV preaching their message from either side of the issue (racism is prevalent vs racism is dead). Racism is a real issue that affects people every day, and the powerful do not have a monopoly on it. When a company or a government discriminates against a minority, that is racism that is much easier to spot than the subtle racism you see elsewhere. It is imperative to reach these people, to highlight it on a personal level. I guess discussing this issue over coffee is as good a way to do that as any.

kuni-toko-tachi2• 11 years ago

No it's not. If I go to Chic Fila I don't need a church sermon. If I fill up my tank at Exxon, I don't need a lecture on why I'm not driving an electric vehicle. If I buy a book at Barnes and Noble, I don't need to be questioned on why my selection doesn't vibe with the cashiers political opinion.

It is not your job at any of these places to gauge whether I need a dose of your political nonsense. You don't know me, you don't know who I've hired, who my friends are, my roommates, my past relationships, my religion, my orientation. And it's none of your damn business either.

During the nonsense in NYC over Michael Brown there were a handful of rabble rousers whipped up into a frenzy by an irresponsible media and irresponsible political leaders. The vast majority of the city were on the subway, black and white together friends and coworkers, living their lives in harmony, talking, laughing, and being a community.

vezzy-fnord2• 11 years ago

Well, they do reserve the right as private institutions to push agendas if they so desire.

IgorPartola3• 11 years ago

So when they ask if you'd like to discuss their new initiative, you can't say "No, thanks"? How is any of this different from the "Would you like to donate a dollar to the X foundation?" Here they aren't even asking for money.

balabaster4• 11 years ago

Now if they can only get on the right page about GMO labeling and ditch their quasi-association with Monsanto and they'll be back in my good graces.

josephpmay• 11 years ago

GMOs are perfectly safe. Stop believing the scare tactics and read the actual science.

balabaster4• 11 years ago

It's got nothing to do with the scare tactics and "actual science," the fact is, GMO crops are showered with pesticides that are finding its way into our food. Those pesticide laden crops are then classified as "generally considered safe," bypassing all further independent scientific testing, allowing us to consume them unabated. Food allergies and intolerance has increased exponentially since this started. This may or may not be related. I'm sorry, but I can't get behind "generally considered safe" until proven so - and it hasn't been, and in fact there's plenty of anecdotal evidence that draws healthy skepticism.

Beyond that, I've got my own internal debate about whether or not GMO crops are safe without the pesticides... I mean, they may be... I've read the science and I've read the skepticism regarding the science. They're both about as conclusive to me as the argument that says that science negates all possibility of divine intervention and I can't honestly say, all things considered, that either negates any possibility of the other.

Until someone can conclusively prove to me that GMO is 100% safe, I will continue to consider that they may be unsafe and will, where possible, avoid them.

Anyway, that has nothing to do with my argument. My argument is that people have a right to know what they are consuming so they can make informed decisions. Starbucks are standing with Monsanto and protesting against GMO labeling. I will stand against anyone that argues against my right to know what I am eating. It's your choice to eat GMO and I respect that, completely. It's my choice to avoid eating GMO. Either way, you have a right to know what you're eating.

tomjen34• 11 years ago

Maybe, so.

Still why the issue with labeling your products? They label products with aspartame even though that one is more safe than sugar.

jarin• 11 years ago

You know what, I think this will still be less awkward than that singing at Coldstone Creamery.

vezzy-fnord2• 11 years ago

I can't imagine this working for the simple reason that an interaction with a Starbucks barista (or really any person providing service for a major food and drink chain) is entirely passive, mechanical and strictly limited to the transaction being made. I'm sure you could throw in a few seconds of smalltalk out of courtesy, but nothing remotely resembling a profound conversation in race relations.

Now, this definitely could work in small coffee shops, which often serve as informal gathering places for certain groups in a given municipality or social circle. But then you wouldn't need to set up any particular campaign to encourage racial conversations - you already discuss everything to your heart's desire to begin with.

The highly blunt way this is being presented and the inappropriate setting is bound for awkward situations galore.

kuni-toko-tachi2• 11 years ago

So to get a cup of coffee you need to nod in stupefied agreement to whatever some jackass barista is spouting of whatever left wing indoctrination is the theme of the week, while making sure that you nods are sincere enough in case some social justice warrior isn't Youtubing you so you don't lose your job? Why not just ask people to put a picture of Lenin on their wall and in their cubicle?

VLM• 11 years ago

Anyone know how much an ad "article" like this costs?

mathgeek3• 11 years ago

Amazing what you can do when your brand is synonymous with a chemical that so many people are addicted to (either chemically or mentally). That's not a knock on Starbucks or on the campaign... just an observation.

s3cur3• 11 years ago

I'm... not sure what they hope to accomplish with this. What would it mean to discuss "race relations" with your barista?

Barista: "Would you like to talk about race relations?"

Me: "Sure. Um... racism exists, and it fucking sucks."

Barista: "...Yep."

Me: "..."

On the one hand, I applaud them for doing something. On the other, I'm not sure what effect this could have.

bbcbasic• 11 years ago

I'm... not sure what they hope to accomplish with this.

A good PR campaign? They are in the news. People may go to Starbucks to see this in action etc.

DanBC• 11 years ago

It'll backfire if white people are over-represented in management and black people are over represented in low wage barista level.

robert_nsu• 11 years ago

Will it get me my coffee any faster?

Will it make me feel better about an incident in elementary school.

Will Starbucks pay their baristas hazard pay when someone inevitably gets offended?

No. So, can someone explain why this would be a good idea?

seivan• 11 years ago

Although I suspect we're blowing this out of proportion and certain parts are not direct quotes but interpretations I don't want identity politics with my coffee. I used to be left, but with the current identity-politics and left-wing extremism growing in Sweden I've becoming increasingly conservative, and I'm only 26. Didn't expect it so soon.

frandroid• 11 years ago

If you were expecting it eventually, maybe it was there all along...

cicero• 11 years ago

Many people become conservative as they get older, so maybe he is just comparing himself to the norm.

theorique2• 11 years ago

The culture swims continuously left, so a liberal in his 20s, who does not change a single viewpoint, finds himself a conservative in his 40s, and a reactionary in his 60s.

tomjen34• 11 years ago

Great. Now he is going to get flack from the left for not doing enough and from the right for doing too much. In addition he will be annoying customers and slowing down his service lines.

mindslight• 11 years ago

Unfortunate. Framing these recent events as "race relations" just works to divide us on the issue of unaccountable police.

theorique2• 11 years ago

Here's the perfect conversation with my barista:

Barista: What can I get you?

Me: I'd like a tall iced americano please.

Barista: OK, that's $2.75

Me: Here you go <hands card>

Barista: Thanks.

Barista: Tall iced americano for theorique.

Me: Thanks.

Barista: Have a good one.

Me: You too.

The lack of race relations discussion is not a bug but a feature.

Starbucks to encourage baristas to discuss race relations with customers

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