"After roughly 15 months of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, I sat with my laptop outside a Starbucks in West Palm Beach. It seemed like a little thing, but when I realized how long I had been surviving off of drive-thru and pickup, I started to cry. Writing at Starbucks, or sometimes local coffee chains, had been part of my routine for years. It was something I did multiple times a week, often enough that I knew the staff and many of the regulars."
"In each conversation, two truths emerged: First, Starbucks is a beloved brand with wonderful people. We are woven into the fabric of people's lives and the communities we serve. Second, there's a shared sense that we have drifted from our core. We have an opportunity to make the store experience better for our partners and, in turn, for our customers,"
After roughly 15 months of COVID-19 lockdowns, a return visit to a Starbucks prompted an emotional response rooted in loss of routine and social contact. Regular visits to Starbucks and local coffee shops had been a frequent habit that fostered familiarity with staff and other customers. Post-pandemic behavior saw reduced use of stores as third places, with many customers relying on drive-thru and pickup. New Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol conducted a listening tour, finding that Starbucks remains beloved but has drifted from its core. Niccol intends to improve the store experience for partners and customers and to revive stores as gathering spaces characterized by connection, joy, and great coffee.
Read at Centre Daily Times
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