Starbucks Opens Its Restrooms to the Public

Once upon a time-- that would be in April of this year-- a hapless manager in a Philadelphia Starbucks called the police to report two men who were not customers, but who wanted to use the restroom. The men had been asked to leave, but had refused.

By the way, the men were African-American.

At the time, Starbucks only allowed paying customers to avail themselves of the facilities. Such is the policy in many establishments.

But the white manager of the Philadelphia Starbucks was instantly branded a racist. And was fired.

Starbucks pledged to overcome all traces of racism. It set down a new policy, effectively opening restrooms to the general public.

How’s that working out? Glad you asked. Legal Insurrection reports the glad tidings. The first comes from a New York Post report. Post reporters checked some local New York City Starbucks. Here is what they found:

…A half-dozen toilets were locked or barricaded for no clear reason. Others were closed for prolonged “cleaning,” which an insider said was needed after extreme soiling caused by drug-using, incontinent vagrants.

“Letting everybody in has resulted in nobody getting in,” an employee at one branch fumed.

“Rest Room closed,” declared signs at 399 Seventh Ave. (entrance on West 32nd Street) and at a branch at Pearl Street and Maiden Lane. At 252 W. 31st St., the road to relief was blocked by garbage cans. Furniture and boxes formed a barrier at 61 W. 56th St.

A rope and traffic cones barred the way at 38 Park Row. When a desperate visitor asked if the loo would reopen any time soon, a barista directed him to a Dunkin’ Donuts nearby.

Hmm. Restrooms for all meant restrooms for no one. Why could have imagined such an outcome? And yet, the outcome feels eerily similar to the experience of Starbucks in Seattle… As you know, the Starbucks home base is in Seattle. We read the story in Business Insider:

Several Starbucks workers in Seattle say that they’re encountering hypodermic needles on the job nearly every day and that they’ve had to take antiviral medications to protect themselves from HIV and hepatitis.

Three employees at the coffee giant in northern Seattle told the local news station KIRO 7 that visitors would dispose of the needles in store restrooms, often in tampon-disposal boxes, and that workers would then come in contact with them while cleaning and were sometimes accidentally poked.

KIRO 7 said the three employees provided hospital, pharmacy, and insurance receipts showing that they took antiviral medications to protect against HIV and hepatitis after being poked by needles at work.

Read it and emote. The ever virtuous Starbucks is exposing its workers to dirty needles, putting them at risk of contracting HIV and hepatitis.

But, at least they are not racist.