Almost every Starbucks closed from 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm this past Tuesday. They stated that they were going to re-train their employees on how to make better and higher quality espressos.
Apparently, Starbucks customers have been complaining about the quality of customer service as well as the quality of their espressos. Espresso machines need minimual human interaction. But, Starbucks says that the espresso machine is only part of what makes the drink, the Barista is the "artist". The 3 1/2 training session was intended to address these issues.
But why couldn't they have done this before opening? or after closing? Or even in smaller increments throughout the week? Ultimately, this seems to be a way for Starbucks to generate publicity for their quality. But why does Starbucks need publicity? According to the New York Times, "the company is closing 100 American stores because of sluggish sales, and expansion plans have been scaled back."
The fact that Starbucks across the nation closed at the same time did create some publicity. There were even articles and blogs discussing if this was a publicity stunt - which is even more publicity. Although the company would have lost some money in sales, they saved some money on advertising.
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