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Starbucks staff are unhappy with the company after it confirmed plans to cut roughly 900 US jobs and close stores, with some taking to LinkedIn to publicly criticize their employer.
Over 100 stores across North America will be shuttered as Starbucks aims to lower costs by $1billion.
It marks the second round of redundancies at the coffee chain this year, after 1,100 corporate roles were eliminated in early 2025.
Frustrated current and former staff have posted on social media, branding the restructuring a “race to the bottom” and suggesting that Starbucks has abandoned its “intentional and powerful culture” in favor of cost savings.
Starbucks CEO confirms ‘necessary’ job cuts
The layoffs, which will chiefly affect those in “non-retail roles,” come as the firm attempts to turn around slumping sales with its ‘Back to Starbucks’ plan.
On Thursday, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol sent a letter to his workforce, stating that the company needs to “reinforce what we see is working and prioritize our resources against them.”
“I know these decisions impact our partners and their families, and we did not make them lightly,” Niccol’s memo continued. “I believe these steps are necessary to build a better, stronger and more resilient Starbucks that deepens its impact on the world and creates more opportunities for our partners, suppliers and the communities we serve.”
Employees have been quick to voice their frustration with the decisions, however, as criticism of Back to Starbucks continues to mount.
Starbucks Workers United, a union representing Starbucks staff at stores across the US, said job cuts are a clear sign that “things are only going backwards.”
“Fixing what’s broken at Starbucks isn’t possible without centering the people who engage with the company’s customers day in and day out,” it said.
Despite agreeing to return to the bargaining table in 2024, the union has yet to reach its first collective agreement with Starbucks, leading to major strikes last December and rows over company policies, including controversial changes to its dress code.
‘I’m angry’ – Starbucks staff react to closures & job cuts
Some Starbucks staff have taken protests into their own hands, publicly criticizing their employer on social media.
In one LinkedIn post, Katie Herod, Strategy Principal, Global Coffee & Sustainability, said she was “angry” at the company for abandoning the people-first culture that has previously made it so successful.
“While I am so fortunate to still have a job today, I'm angry. For 50 years, Starbucks has been a different kind of company - one that delivered long-term value to its shareholders by investing in and lifting up its people through generous benefits, an intentional and powerful culture, and a steadfast dedication to its craft,” she wrote.
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"But two rounds of layoffs in six months signal a shift,” the post continued. “A race to the bottom line, with jobless partners as collateral damage. Every partner leaving today is a piece of the fabric that makes this company inimitable, but the fabric is getting thin.”
Herod pleaded with Starbucks leadership to “protect the soul of the company.”
“Protect its people. Protect its coffee. Protect its humanity,” she wrote. "A good culture trumps a good strategy any day, and a good culture is only possible with good people. I'm watching a lot of good people walk out the door today, and I'm heartbroken and I'm worried.”
Her post drummed up plenty of support from other current and former Starbucks staff.
Rachel Jackson, Senior Strategy Manager at Starbucks, commented: “As a fellow partner witnessing the exodus (forced or otherwise), it's clear it's about maniacal focus on driving shareholder value.”
“Sadly, people no longer matter. As you [Herod] astutely pointed out, it's about a race to the bottom line,” she agreed.
Some former workers affected by the first round of layoffs earlier this year also warned Starbucks’ leadership that their cost-cutting exercises could be irreparably damaging its culture.
“As someone that was let go in May during the first massive layoff, that “leadership” team has a LOT of work to do to bring back any trust from current partners, or talented workers looking at Starbucks as a future employer,” wrote Greg Clauson, a former systems engineer at the coffee chain.
