Starbucks

Starbucks CEO Asks Employees to Be ‘Sensitive' to Customers After Chaotic Day at Stock Market

CEO Howard Schultz sent a memo to his 190,000 employees Monday cautioning them to be extra "sensitive" to customers affected by the stock market plunge

After a turbulent day of trading at the stock markets, the CEO of Starbucks told all employees of the global coffee chain to do their part in calming nerves caused by the chaos.

CEO Howard Schultz sent a memo to his 190,000 employees Monday cautioning them to be extra "sensitive" to customers affected by the stock market plunge.

"Today's financial market volatility, combined with great political uncertainty both at home and abroad, will undoubtedly have an effect on consumer confidence and perhaps even our customers' attitudes and behavior," Schultz wrote.

"Our customers are likely to experience an increased level of anxiety and concern. Please recognize this and — as you always have — remember that our success is not an entitlement, but something we need to earn, every day. Let's be very sensitive to the pressures our customers may be feeling, and do everything we can to individually and collectively exceed their expectations."

Despite the "financial market volatility," Schultz also assured employees that Starbucks will be just fine, saying his confidence in the company and its employees "has never been greater."

This latest move by Starbucks marks another of the company's "social good' initiatives.

Under Schultz's leadership, Starbucks has taken up several such initiatives, including the recent controversial "Race Together" campaign in which baristas wrote the phrase on paper cups to encourage them to discuss diversity and racial inequality. The campaign was discontinued after some customers expressed opposition.

In 2012, Starbucks also asked baristas to write "Come Together" on coffee cups in the D.C. area to encourage unity during fiscal cliff talks.

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