Read the Open Letter from Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman, president and ceo, respectfully requesting customers not to bring weapons into our stores.

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Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Few topics in America generate a more polarized and emotional debate than guns. In recent months, Starbucks stores and our partners (employees) who work in our stores have been thrust unwillingly into the middle of this debate. That’s why I am writing today with a respectful request that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas.

From the beginning, our vision at Starbucks has been to create a “third place” between home and work where people can come together to enjoy the peace and pleasure of coffee and community. Our values have always centered on building community rather than dividing people, and our stores exist to give every customer a safe and comfortable respite from the concerns of daily life.

We appreciate that there is a highly sensitive balance of rights and responsibilities surrounding America’s gun laws, and we recognize the deep passion for and against the “open carry” laws adopted by many states. (In the United States, “open carry” is the term used for openly carrying a firearm in public.) For years we have listened carefully to input from our customers, partners, community leaders and voices on both sides of this complicated, highly charged issue.

Our company’s longstanding approach to “open carry” has been to follow local laws: we permit it in states where allowed and we prohibit it in states where these laws don’t exist. We have chosen this approach because we believe our store partners should not be put in the uncomfortable position of requiring customers to disarm or leave our stores. We believe that gun policy should be addressed by government and law enforcement—not by Starbucks and our store partners.

Recently, however, we’ve seen the “open carry” debate become increasingly uncivil and, in some cases, even threatening. Pro-gun activists have used our stores as a political stage for media events misleadingly called “Starbucks Appreciation Days” that disingenuously portray Starbucks as a champion of “open carry.” To be clear: we do not want these events in our stores. Some anti-gun activists have also played a role in ratcheting up the rhetoric and friction, including soliciting and confronting our customers and partners.

For these reasons, today we are respectfully requesting that customers no longer bring firearms into our stores or outdoor seating areas—even in states where “open carry” is permitted—unless they are authorized law enforcement personnel.

I would like to clarify two points. First, this is a request and not an outright ban. Why? Because we want to give responsible gun owners the chance to respect our request—and also because enforcing a ban would potentially require our partners to confront armed customers, and that is not a role I am comfortable asking Starbucks partners to take on. Second, we know we cannot satisfy everyone. For those who oppose “open carry,” we believe the legislative and policy-making process is the proper arena for this debate, not our stores. For those who champion “open carry,” please respect that Starbucks stores are places where everyone should feel relaxed and comfortable. The presence of a weapon in our stores is unsettling and upsetting for many of our customers.

I am proud of our country and our heritage of civil discourse and debate. It is in this spirit that we make today’s request. Whatever your view, I encourage you to be responsible and respectful of each other as citizens and neighbors.

Watch Howard's video message to U.S. store partners on this important topic:

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Our Respectful Request - Starbucks Stories

Stories to inspire and nurture the human spirit

Starbucks Stories

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Starbucks Corporation

Read the Open Letter from Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman, president and ceo, respectfully requesting customers not to bring weapons into our stores.

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https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2013/open-letter-from-howard/

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Our Respectful Request

Starbucks was one of the first U.S. retailers to offer affordable and comprehensive health coverage to eligible full- and part-time partners (employees) and their families. It’s been a cornerstone of our partner-focused culture for more than two decades. As America’s health care system changes in the coming years, Starbucks is committed to continuing to be a leader in doing the right thing by ensuring that our partners have the peace of mind that comes with affordable health care.

Partners who work an average of 20 hours per week or more have the option of two quality health plans. Hourly and salaried partners are offered the same plans. For both plans, Starbucks funds approximately 70 percent of the premium costs and covers 100 percent of preventive care services. New in 2014, the company will also fund 100 percent of women’s preventive health coverage. We’re proud of our plan and believe it’s one of the many reasons people want to work at Starbucks.

To help make the complexities of the changing health care system simpler and easier to understand, we have developed tools and resources for all partners, including <a href="http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLt7Vrrx9E2DVAtb_QTdytOzXjVcuBowY">these videos</a> that explain our company’s responsibilities to our partners, as well as their options. For partners not currently eligible for Starbucks plans, we have created a new <a href="http://www.yourcoverageresources.com/page.php?cid=353VV2ZKBQFDWEB">State Marketplace Information Center </a>where they can learn about options available in the new insurance marketplace.

Our Commitment to Comprehensive Health Care - Starbucks Stories

Our Commitment to Comprehensive Health Care

Affordable and comprehensive health care for our partners and their families has been important to Starbucks for more than two decades. Here's why.

https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2013/health-care/

On August 9, 2013 we closed our Newtown, CT store early. Find out more from Chris Carr, executive vice president, U.S. Retail.

At Starbucks we are proud that our stores serve as gathering places for thousands of communities across the country and we appreciate that our customers share diverse points of view on issues that matter to them. We also believe in being sensitive to each community we serve.

Today, advocacy groups from different sides of the open carry debate announced plans to visit our Newtown, Connecticut store to bring attention to their points of view. We recognize that there is significant and genuine passion surrounding this topic, however out of respect for Newtown and everything the community has been through we decided to close our store early before the event started. Starbucks did not endorse or sponsor the event. We continue to encourage customers and advocacy groups from all sides of the debate to contact their elected officials, who make the open carry laws that our company follows. Our long-standing approach to this topic has been to comply with local laws and statutes in the communities we serve.

Thank you for your understanding and respect for the Newtown community.

Early Store Closure in Newtown, Connecticut - Starbucks Stories

Early Store Closure in Newtown, Connecticut

On August 9, 2013 we closed our Newtown, CT store early. Find out more from Chris Carr, executive vice president, U.S. Retail.

https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2013/early-store-closure-in-newtown-connecticut/

As signed by Starbucks partner, Ryan Schlecht

Recent allegations have surfaced in the media regarding the treatment of some Deaf customers in two of our New York City stores. On behalf of the over 200,000 partners (employees), we want to take the opportunity to be clear that discrimination of any kind is not tolerated at Starbucks. We take these allegations very seriously, and believe they are neither consistent with our values nor our track record of engaging the Deaf community both as partners and as customers.

We want Starbucks to be a place where Deaf people want to work and visit. We strive to provide a Starbucks Experience that is culturally sensitive and inclusive of Deaf etiquette. We are proud of our continued growth in recruiting and employing members of the Deaf community at our headquarters in Seattle, as well as in our stores in the U.S. and across the globe. We are also grateful for the <a href="http://deafreview.com/business/reviewed?what=Starbucks&amp;where=Seattle%2C+WA&amp;submit=Search+Businesses">positive feedback </a>we continue to receive from the Deaf community on our accessibility in stores, as well as the opportunity to support <a href="http://www.starbucksmelody.com/2012/08/12/signing-at-starbucks-benefit-oc-deaf/">American Sign Language interpreted store events</a>.

At Starbucks, inclusion and cultural sensitivity are core to our leadership training and foundational to the Starbucks Experience. We promote equality, inclusion and accessibility, including offering a number of ways we directly support our Deaf partners and customers.

We provide training, including American Sign Language as well as a “Creating a Deaf Friendly Environment” course, to help engage our partners in delivering an accessible environment for all.

We also provide communications equipment and resources to our Deaf partners for interpreting services such as video relay interpreting services, real time captioning, flashing strobe light signalers for emergency evacuation notice, and video captioning.

Our Starbucks Access Alliance also helps promote equal opportunity and accessibility for partners and customers.

Starbucks is a business with humanity at its soul and communities in which we have the opportunity to serve are the heart of our business.

More information on inclusion and accessibility from Cliff Burrows, Starbucks group president, Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and Teavana, can be found on our website<a href="http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/community/diversity-and-inclusion"> here</a>. We also welcome you to view a few of our Deaf partners’ stories as told <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S65xRCvV8xY">here</a>, <a href="http://deafnation.com/joelbarish/usa-tour/starbucks-deaf-barista/">here</a>, and <a href="http://deafnation.com/joelbarish/usa-tour/visiting-starbucks-hq/">here</a>.

Starbucks on Inclusion of Deaf Community - Starbucks Stories

Read about Starbucks inclusion of the deaf community.

https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2013/starbucks-on-inclusion-of-deaf-community/

Starbucks on Inclusion of Deaf Community

Posted by Ann B. - Global Responsibility manager

The effects of climate change are far-reaching, and farmers around the world are especially sensitive to the impact. Traditional farming strategies may not yield the same results, and farmers now contend with an increasing number of variables that can affect coffee production.

Conservation International’s Sumatra program manager Fazrin Rahmadani is witnessing this firsthand. “In the past, a stable climate in Sumatra minimized instances of pests and diseases, helped regulate the rainy season and made it easier to predict fertilization periods for coffee,” writes Rahmadani. Today, unexpected changes question tried and true farming methods and introduce new challenges. The coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei), for instance, has begun “expanding to higher altitudes and posing a growing threat to coffee crops.”

With the help of our partners at Conservation International, it’s our goal to help farmers address these challenges as they arise through our<a href="http://www.conservation.org/campaigns/starbucks/Pages/CAFE_Practices_Results.aspx"> C.A.F.E. Practices program</a>. Helping farmers thrive in the midst of a changing climate is fundamental to our mission statement, and helps to secure the future of the thing we are most passionate about: incredible coffee.

Read Rahmadani’s <a href="http://www.starbucks.com/blog/helping-sumatran-farmers-respond-to-climate-change/1213">full blog entry here </a>to learn how Starbucks and Conservation International are working together on a pilot approach to helping farmers respond to the effects of climate change without sacrificing the principles of high-quality, climate-friendly coffee production.

Helping Sumatran Farmers Respond to Climate Change - Starbucks Stories

Helping Sumatran Farmers Respond to Climate Change

July 23, 2012 Posted by Ann B. &#8211; Global Responsibility manager The effects of climate change are far-reaching, and farmers around the world are especially sensitive to the impact. Traditional farming strategies may not yield the same results, and farmers now contend with an increasing number of variables that can affect coffee production. Conservation International’s […]

https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2012/helping-sumatran-farmers-respond-to-climate-change/

Taiwan was previously labeled "Taiwan, Province of China" on the store locator system on Starbucks.com in deference to International naming conventions. Because Starbucks takes no position on political issues, the system has been adjusted and the store locator is now labeled "Taiwan."

Starbucks Statement re: Taiwan on Starbucks.com - Starbucks Stories

Starbucks Statement re: Taiwan on Starbucks.com

Taiwan was previously labeled &#8220;Taiwan, Province of China&#8221; on the store locator system on Starbucks.com in deference to International naming conventions. Because Starbucks takes no position on political issues, the system has been adjusted and the store locator is now labeled &#8220;Taiwan.&#8221;

https://stories.starbucks.com/press/2009/starbucks-statement-re-taiwan-on-starbucks-com/

On behalf of Starbucks more than 200,000 dedicated partners (employees), we want to set the record straight on an old rumor concerning our company’s lack of support for the military and our troops. This rumor, dating back to 2004, claims a lack of Starbucks support for the U.S. Marines, and has evolved to include a lack of support for the British Royal Marines. In both instances, the rumor is not, and has never been, true.

When Starbucks learned of the original email, we immediately contacted the author, a Marine Sergeant, who subsequently sent an email to his original distribution list correcting the mistake. Unfortunately, rumors have a way of continuing even after the truth has been revealed.

At Starbucks, we respect the efforts of the men and women who serve their country in the military – including our fellow partners who serve during this time of war. In fact, Starbucks recently made a strategic business decision to hire thousands of veterans and active duty military spouses over the next 5 years, given the unique skills and talents we’ve seen them bring to our workplace. Like Starbucks, the members of the U.S. military and their spouses share our passion for mission-driven leadership and service, and they exemplify the kinds of partners Starbucks wants to have as part of our team. In addition to our strategic hiring focus on veterans and active duty spouses, we have also made a commitment to expand our community store model with five military communities over the next five years in the U.S. Starting with stores in Lakewood, WA near Joint Base Lewis-McChord and in San Antonio, TX near Joint Base San Antonio, we will convert existing stores to community stores to share a portion of their profits to fund local non-profit programs that help veterans re-entering the workforce. 

Starbucks also has partnered with the American Red Cross and the United Service Organizations (USO) to provide coffee to relief efforts during times of conflict, donating more than 141,000 lbs of coffee and over one million 3-packs of Starbucks VIA®. Additionally, troops all over the world are enjoying Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew in care packages they receive not only from Starbucks, but from their family and friends as well. Last year, Starbucks provided over 220,000 3-packs of Starbucks VIA® to the USO for their care package program.

Confirmation that this rumor is a blatant untruth can be found online at snopes.com, boycottwatch.org, and truthorfiction.com. Below you will find the text from the Marine Sergeant correcting his mistake.

Almost 5 months ago I sent an e-mail to you my faithful friends. I did a wrong thing that needs to be cleared up. I heard by word of mouth about how Starbucks said they didn’t support the war and all. I was having enough of that kind of talk and didn’t do my research properly like I should have. This is not true. Starbucks supports men and women in uniform. They have personally contacted me and I have been sent many copies of their company’s policy on this issue. So I apologize for this quick and wrong letter that I sent out to you.

Now I ask that you all pass this email around to everyone you passed the last one to.

Thank you very much for understanding about this.

We have worked hard to put this rumor to rest, so that it no longer distracts from the many outstanding demonstrations our partners have made – on their own and together – to support the troops.

If you have any additional feedback or would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact us at (800) 235-2883<a href="#" style="margin: 0px; border: currentColor; left: 0px; top: 0px; width: 16px; height: 16px; right: 0px; bottom: 0px; overflow: hidden; vertical-align: middle; float: none; display: inline; white-space: nowrap; position: static !important;" title="Call: (800) 235-2883"><img src="data:image/png;base64,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" style="border:currentColor; 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See also: <a href="http://news.starbucks.com/news/starbucks-provides-coffee-to-every-u.s.-service-member-in-afghanistan">Starbucks Provides Coffee to U.S. Service Members in Afghanistan</a> (added 1/17/15)

Starbucks Support of the Troops/Military - Starbucks Stories

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Starbucks Support of the Troops/Military

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