Grocery stores are an essential business. They need to stay open and should be paying employees hazard pay. Starbucks is not an essential business. They need to close down and provide pay. Other companies will follow suit. It is only a matter of days before there is a country wide lockdown.

I also want to point out that your post history has you claiming to be an ER nurse yesterday and that you weren’t a barista on this sub.

Restaurants, unless you’re a big chain, have a very small profit margin. Many of them are still doing take out/delivery in an effort to not go out of business/pay employees. Starbucks doesn’t have that necessity. They can afford to shut down and pay us and are choosing not to.

I agree with you. I will continue to work, without complaint, wash my hands as much as I can and try not to panic. We are not unique in this situation.

I will say this: the fact that the leadership refuses to close, despite the circumstances and the fact that so many other places are beginning to close, along with the public statement that we are “essential” is total bullshit and speaks a lot about the culture of the company.

I’m also relieved to still have a paycheck right now. I’m sure we’ll close soon, and I’m insanely stressed about what comes next. Even if we get 14 days catastrophic pay if we close (and the reports on here in conflicting about whether or not people are getting that), that’s still only two weeks pay. What happens next?