Starbucks Shut Down For Tuesday Night Training

SEATTLE — You won’t be able to get a cup of coffee at any of the more than 7,000 Starbucks locations across the country Tuesday night. The company is closing the doors at all of its stores – including more than 20 in the greater Spokane area – to undergo an in-store education and training event for three-and-a-half hours Tuesday night.

More than 135,000 employees are expected to participate in the event, which lasts from 5:30 to 9 p.m. A Starbucks press release points out that the program amounts to nearly half a million hours of training in one night.

According to Starbucks, the event is “designed to energize partners and transform the customer experience.” They further claim “the comprehensive educational curriculum [aims] to provide a renewed focus on espresso standards that will help ensure the exceptional quality of every beverage.”

The release makes no mention of trying to re-energize sales that have been lagging in recent months, however a November Business Week article
cited that the company is suffering through “flagging growth, increased competition, and a declining stock price.”

Stores with evening hours will re-open at 9 p.m.