Name:   MartiniMan - Subject:   Starbucks crazy new policy Date:   5/22/2018 9:37:24 AM

I have been watching with mild amusement as Starbucks flips and flops back and forth on their new policy.  So they got a lot of bad press with the two guys that got booted and as typical of many large corporations they totally overreacted.  I have no comment about their decision to reward these guys because I don't often buy their product.  Paying hard earned money for overpriced, burnt coffee is not my idea of a wise spending decision.  Then they got some flack for having the temerity to state that their restrooms are for paying customers only.  For those that travel internationally they will be well familiar with our enlightened democratic socialist paradises in Europe that do exactly the same thing and often charge for using the restroom.  It makes perfect business sense to do so, but not with the liberal brain surgeons at Starbucks.

So then they decided to open their stores and restrooms to anyone and announce it to the world.  I am sure when they made this "enlightened" decision they were all congratulating each other for their compassion and open minded persepctive.  Fair enough, except as with most liberal ideas they failed to actually think this through.  The sad reality is that there are millions of homeless in this country, many because of mental health issues or some form of addiction.  And yes, there are lots of them that have just fallen on hard times for one reason or another and we see them all the time in the homeless shelter we support.  But opening your stores to these people is not a good business strategy.  The homeless have a communication system second to none and I can assure you they will flock to Starbucks stores to get out of the weather, use the restroom, etc.  And many of them have extremely poor personal hygiene habits and that alone will drive away paying customers.  But when the mentally ill homeless start camping out in Starbucks stores, and I can assure you they will, it is going to be a disaster.

My prediction is that after some time and a whole host of incidents and possibly lawsuits as a result of this misguided policy they will quietly revert to their original, rational policy.  While their warped values are important, nothing will trump the bottom line.