A simultaneous training session for 175,000 employees, across more than 8,000 stores — that’s what Starbucks is doing today, urging its workers and managers to discuss racial bias and respect following the arrest of two black men at a Philadelphia store last month.
For the sessions, many Starbucks stores will shut down in the afternoon and stay closed for several hours. A sign at one location in Chicago, for instance, says the store would be locking its doors at 2:30 p.m. and reopening on Wednesday. Other stores have posted similar notices.
The plan covers only Starbucks-operated stores; nearly all of the 7,000 Starbucks-licensed coffee shops — in places like supermarkets, hotels and airports — are likely to remain open, the company says….