After an invigorating week of baristas discussing race relations in contemporary America with their caffeine-hungry customers, the much-maligned Starbucks campaign is turning it down from 11. Servers will no longer write “Race Together” on your coffee cup while maintaining awkward eye contact after Sunday. Is the company backpedaling after the mostly negative response from its customers (and the unclean toilet bowl that is the internet)? Not at all, because this was all part of the plan, apparently.
The company had planned all along to end the cup messages on Sunday and continue the campaign more broadly, Starbucks spokesman Jim Olson said. (Via AP)
Really now? After all the fuss, this was only supposed to last a week? Yup, though the company’s move on Sunday immediately struck most as a sign of the campaign’s failure. No to, according to Olson and other Starbucks employees.
The phase-out is not a reaction to that pushback, Olson said. “Nothing is changing. It’s all part of the cadence of the timeline we originally planned.” (Via AP)
Okay, we believe you. No need to get so defensive. Can I just have my coffee now?
(Via AP)