Solve the challenge
1. I would not have instituted a corporate loitering policy. Decisions on how to manage customers and when to involve police should be made by store-level leadership, not corporate executives. Some locations are busier than others and should be able to decide whether nonpaying customers are taking up space that would otherwise go to paying customers. Managers should also have the discretion to call the police when they feel it’s appropriate. A single bad decision by one store manager shouldn’t represent the entire company, and most managers know how to apply these types of policies in a fair and nondiscriminatory fashion. The additional bias training will help prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
2. I think the new corporate loitering policy is a good idea. This type of leadership should come from the top of the organization and set the tone for what’s important to the company. A corporate policy would provide clearer guidance to store managers on how to handle nonpaying customers and would also protect the company from liability due to store managers making bad decisions. Starbucks should also provide clear and consistent guidelines for managers on when it’s appropriate to call law enforcement.
3. I think that corporate loitering policies might be a good idea, provided they do not lead to excessive lost business for particular stores. For example, a good policy might state that loitering is welcomed as long as there are no paying customers waiting for a seat. If paying customers don’t have anywhere to sit, then nonpaying customers should leave to make room for them. I think all employees should participate in unconscious-bias training to ensure the policy is applied fairly and consistently.
4. Invent another option.