Investing.com — Starbucks (NASDAQ: ) introduced a new code of conduct this month, aimed at improving the safety and experience for its customers and employees across North America, according to a Wall Street report Monday. Journal. The changed behavior includes a change in the company’s policy that has been in place for almost seven years, allowing the general public to use the cafes and their facilities, even if they have purchased.

The new policies also include posting signs in stores that prohibit harassment, violence, threatening language, except for alcohol, smoking, and panhandling, according to employee notices seen by The Wall Street Journal. This new code of conduct for customers is part of a broader effort by Starbucks to make its stores more welcoming. The company is looking to recover from declining customer traffic and falling sales.

Starbucks North America President Sara Trilling, in a letter sent earlier this week, said, “There is a need to reset expectations of how our spaces are used, and who uses them. .” Executives emphasized the need for customers to have a clean, safe environment, and shared that employees also expressed concerns about the chain’s open-to-all policy.

Since 2018, Starbucks has allowed access to its cafes and bathrooms regardless of purchase. This policy is a response to an incident in 2018 at one of the company’s Philadelphia locations, where two men were arrested after one tried to use the bathroom while the other was sitting at a table, even though no purchased. The men were reported to the police as trespassers by the employees after they refused to leave when they were refused to use the restroom. The incident resulted in widespread criticism, leading Starbucks to temporarily close all US stores for racial sensitivity training. The men later sued the company and settled for an undisclosed amount.

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