'We Close at 3': Starbucks Shuts Down All Stores Nationwide, Leaving Customers Turning Away

Starbucks Korea early closed all of its stores nationwide at 3 p.m. on Monday.

This was to take full responsibility for a marketing controversy that occurred last month and to conduct company-wide training to enhance employees' historical awareness and social sensitivity.

This is the first time Starbucks Korea has closed its stores early since opening its first Korean branch near Ewha Womans University in 1999.

Some 2,160 Starbucks Korea stores nationwide had posted notices since June 16, stating, "We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the shortened operating hours.

We will strive to provide a better customer experience."

At 2:45 p.m. on Monday, customers were seen sitting at about five tables across the second and third floors of the Starbucks Namyeong-dong branch in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

With 10 minutes left before closing, a Starbucks employee went around the tables, announcing, "We close at 3:00. There are 10 minutes left."

As if they knew the circumstances, the customers stood up from their seats without any particular complaints or objections.

Subsequently, at the Sookmyung Women's University Station branch, not far from the Namyeong-dong branch, there were no customers inside the store around 3 p.m.

With one minute left before closing, a middle-aged woman in her 50s walked in, asked, "Is takeout possible?" and ordered an iced Americano.

Ten Starbucks stores in the area from Gangnam Station to Sinnonhyeon Station began to see customers leave from around 2 p.m., becoming quiet.

At these stores, some customers were seen turning away after reading the notice as they tried to enter, while others left after being informed by staff that only about 35 minutes of operating time remained.

An office worker surnamed Yoo (35), who came out of the Starbucks K-Square Gangnam branch, said, "My clients are concentrated around Gangnam Station, so I often work at Starbucks.

I wandered around for a while because I didn't know which other cafe to go to."

The Starbucks Sinbundang Station branch, located inside the subway station, lowered its shutters at 3 p.m., and at the same time, the lights inside the Starbucks Gangnam R branch were turned off.

After closing, Starbucks partners (employees) across the country watched the prepared training video on monitors provided by the headquarters.

Around 3:10 p.m., employees at the Starbucks Gangnam Vision Tower branch were also seen changing into casual clothes and preparing to watch the training.

Those on leave must watch the video online later to complete the training.

The video is a recording of lectures delivered on June 17 by Oh Je-yeon, a history professor at Sungkyunkwan University, and Koo Jeong-woo, a sociology professor at Sungkyunkwan University, to Starbucks Korea headquarters employees and executives of E-Mart affiliates, titled "The Correct Historical Awareness a Corporation Should Have" and "Social Sensitivity and Ethical Standards," respectively.

A Starbucks Korea official explained, "The training will be conducted as a 'Brand Value Workshop' where we communicate not only about historical awareness and social sensitivity but also about the values and missions that Starbucks aims for," adding, "Through this training, which takes about three hours, we will strive to prevent a recurrence of the 'Tank Day' incident."

In addition, Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin, the parent company of Starbucks Korea, is also scheduled to watch the same training video with the heads of affiliates ahead of the presidents' meeting scheduled for Wednesday, June 24.

Furthermore, Starbucks Korea plans to completely overhaul its marketing decision-making system.

In the future, the company plans to mandate the application of a social sensitivity checklist at all marketing planning stages and establish a multi-verification system to completely rebuild its risk prevention framework.

Previously, Starbucks Korea was embroiled in controversy last month during a tumbler promotion event for using the phrases "Tank Day" and "Thump on the Desk!", which were criticized for mocking the May 18 Democratization Movement in 1980 and the torture and death of student activist Park Jong-chol in 1987.
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.