Starbucks CEO's Barista Attire Obsession Misplaced Amongst Coffee Giant's Greater Problems – CoffeeTalk

Starbucks has taken a quirky history, the coffee shop, and brought a level of corporate uniformity to it. This can be a positive as local coffee shops often have poor training, inconsistent recipes, and questionable coffee. However, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol has gone too far in homogenizing the coffee chain’s experience by instituting a new dress code that limits what workers can wear under their green aprons to a solid black shirt and khaki, black, or blue denim pants. This change from the past when baristas could wear any colored shirt and a wider range of pant colors, including brown, navy, and gray.

This move removes some of the personality from the chain’s workers, which harms the Starbucks experience. While Starbucks is a national chain, its stores are local businesses, part of the community. Baristas build relationships with customers through their personalities. Starbucks has worked to bring new technology to Starbucks cafes that make it easier to produce drinks, which should, in theory, free up workers to build meaningful connections with customers.

While there might be some tiny percentage of the coffee chain’s audience that gets offended when a barista uses their clothing to express something personal, most cafe visitors either did not notice or simply noted it as part of the unique person taking care of their coffee order. Forcing employees who do a difficult, physically intense job to give up some of their personality hurts Starbucks. Coffee is a beverage about connections and connecting with store workers is part of that process.

Retail leaders agree with Starbucks, but unions representing Starbucks workers think this issue should be collectively bargained. Global Data Managing Director Neil Saunders, Cathy Hotka, and Georganne Bender disagree, arguing that every business has the right to implement a dress code that represents their brand. Paula Rosenblum, however, understands the business the coffee company is in and believes that putting every employee in the same clothes just emphasizes the sea of sameness. Allison McCabe backs that up, stating that Starbucks benefits from its workers being people with personalities, not robots who hand you coffee.

In a world that is becoming increasingly automated, human interaction and a chance to build connections with customers has actual value. Niccol is seeking to get rid of that because some tiny percentage of customers might be offended by a rainbow shirt or some other subtle personal expression. Dialing that back by making everyone dress the same makes it easier for customers to opt for other drab, soulless chains where workers act like drones.

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