BUY SOMETHING OR GET OUT, STARBUCKS GET TOUGH

IMAGINE walking into a fast food outlet in Harare, taking a seat and the management tells you to either buy something or you leave the shop.

Or, you want to use a toilet in that shop and the management there tells you that you must first buy something or you will not be allowed to relieve yourself.

It sound a bit bizarre, doesn’t it?

But, that is a strategy which the company, which runs one of the world’s leading coffee shops, is now implementing.

Starbucks, which has over 40 000 shops and is found in 88 countries, is reversing rules for its cafes in North America which allowed people to use their facilities even if they had not bought anything.

The changes, which are set to come into force from January 27, are a U-turn from a policy introduced six years ago that allowed people to linger in Starbucks outlets and use their toilets without buying anything.

The move is part of the “Back to Starbucks” strategy — a plan announced by the firm’s new boss as he tries to tackle flagging sales.

Starbucks said there was no change to its policy outside North America, where customers can continue to use the facilities without buying anything.

The world’s biggest coffee chain says its new code of conduct — which also addresses harassment and bans smoking and outside alcohol — aims to make its stores more welcoming.

“Implementing a Coffeehouse Code of Conduct… is a practical step that helps us prioritise our paying customers who want to sit and enjoy our cafes,” a Starbucks spokesperson told BBC.

“These updates are part of a broader set of changes we are making to enhance the cafe experience as we work to get back to Starbucks.”

The company said the new rules would be displayed at every store and staff would be instructed to ask anyone who violates the code of conduct to leave.

That includes allowing employees to call the police when necessary.

In 2018, Starbucks decided to allow free access to its coffee shops and toilets after the controversial arrest of two men at one of its Philadelphia cafes. —H-Metro Reporter/BBC