Starbucks Closed

I could not wait until March to post my thoughts on some timely discoveries.  I am a current Master of International Management student at Portland State University, and a former Spanish, Japanese and English teacher, as well as a former barista.  My most recent observations involve both past and present experience with my former employer: arguably the world's largest, most favored and yet scrutinized, and self-proclaimed "premier purveyor of the finest coffee."   You got it, that's Starbucks.

This evening, many of my friends, classmates and acquaintances are attending a training session.  I was enjoying chatting with my friends in the lobby of the Pioneer Courthouse Square location, when one of my former supervisors informed me that the store would be closing for a three hour training session.  When I left the building, I was surprised to note that there were two separate news channel crews stationed outside.  I was approached by one of the news reporters and asked a few questions.  I was certainly caught off guard, and have since had time, however brief, to reflect on the situation.

I am curious about today's nation-wide closure, and have a few thoughts I would like to share on this issue.  First, I would like to state that I think this training session is the most Starbucks-like, company-wide action I have observed in a while.  By Starbucks-like, I mean that this action is directly supported by the Starbucks' Mission Statement. Additionally, I think that it is an indication that the company recognizes that by moving their focus from the people to the product, employees and customers alike have lost out on both accounts.  I see this training as an effort to move the focus back to the people who make the "Starbucks Experience" possible: both the customer and the barista.  I believe this closure is a brilliant way to facilitate re-centering for employees, by allowing the people who do the work to regroup, communicate, and rejuvenate enthusiasm for customer service and the personal connection; the qualities that make Starbucks stores the social gathering place that they are.

Click here to read the Seattle Times' article, describing the closure.