Source: Starbucks
In an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus, Starbucks said the company’s baristas will no longer be making drinks in customer-provided mugs and tumblers. The Seattle-based coffee giant said this measure would immediately go into effect across its U.S. and Canadian locations.
Starbucks customers receive a 10-cent discount off any beverage if they bring in their own mug. The use of customer drinking vessels was started as an environmentally-conscious initiative to reduce waste. According to company materials, the program has prevented millions of pounds of paper from ending up in landfills.
“We are taking guidance from the CDC and local health authorities, we have increased cleaning and sanitizing for all company-operated stores to help prevent the spread of all germs, adding paid time for our partners supporting this work,” Starbucks executive vice president Rossann Williams said in an open letter to stakeholders yesterday that detailed the company’s response to the virus. “We are pausing the use of personal cups and ‘for here’ ware in our stores. We will continue to honor the 10-cent discount for anyone who brings in a personal cup or asks for ‘for here’ ware,” she said.
The company did say customers could bring in their own mug for the discount, but the beverage will not be filled in that mug for safety reasons.
Starbucks declined to comment about how long it would suspend the bring-your-own-mug program. The company’s share price was down 4.82 percent at post.
_____
Source: Equities News
Read Next
