Starbucks is one of the world's great corporate hegemonic success stories; for a time in the early 2000s they were opening about one store every 12.2 seconds, unveiling new locations at such rapid speeds that you could hear the sonic booms in every urban center.
So to see this is... well, it's not a good sign:
Starbucks said it would permanently close six stores each in the Seattle and Los Angeles areas, two in Portland, Ore., and single locations in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. by the end of the month.
The company said it received reports from workers about incidents that they said involved drug use by some customers and in some cases, members of the public, in certain locations. Starbucks said it would transfer employees to other locations when it permanently closes the stores.
"We read every incident report you file — it's a lot," wrote U.S. operations leads Debbie Stroud and Denise Nelson in a message to U.S. employees Monday. "We cannot serve as partners if we don't first feel safe at work," they said, referring to the company's term for employees.
Huh. It's weird. Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, DC, and Philly are shining examples of leftist utopia.
And Starbucks simply does not close stores. I wonder if there's a connection.
For decades they've been engaged in such an aggressive expansion that they've almost resembled...well...you know...an evil empire:
It's worth pointing out that that the stores remaining open will be making some drastic changes, too:
Starbucks also said that it would give store managers leeway to close restrooms, limit seating or reduce operations in response to safety concerns. The moves are part of policies aimed at addressing workers' concerns, including about their safety on the job, the company said.
It definitely seems to be the case that Starbucks is desperate for you to feel like this when you come into one of its shops...
...and not this:
Of course some better crime policies by our Democratic city leaders couldn't hurt either.
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