The arrests of two nonpaying customers at a Starbucks Corp. cafe earlier this month has raised questions among some employees about how to handle such situations.
Starbucks Chief Executive Kevin Johnson said it was wrong that a Philadelphia manager called the police on two black men who asked to use the bathroom without purchasing anything and then allegedly refused to leave when asked.
Interviews with current and former Starbucks SBUX, -2.06% managers and baristas across the country suggest that the company’s guidelines on how to treat lingering nonpaying customers in general are vague at best—if they exist at all.
The people interviewed say they were unaware of a written policy on how long customers are allowed to stay in a Starbucks cafe without buying anything.
An expanded version of this article appears at WSJ.com
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