What is Starbucks coffee's purchase-to-sit rule about?

Starbucks customer service confirmed that stores operate a purchase-to-sit rule, though staff are not required to force customers to buy. The policy drew attention after videos circulated online showing employees asking non-paying visitors to leave, including an elderly customer in one store and passersby at a branch in Xi'an. Both incidents led to arguments and, in one case, a police call.

The rule responds to seat squatters occupying tables during busy hours, which affects the store environment for paying customers. It also raises a broader question about where commercial premises end and public space begins. Starbucks has not announced a nationwide change, and enforcement appears to vary by store and by how full the seating area is at the time.

Recently, videos of Starbucks staff getting into arguments with non-paying customers have been exposed one after another on social media, sparking widespread attention. On one side, an elderly person was asked to leave for not making a purchase and got into a quarrel with the staff; on the other, a store in Xi'an was accused of frequently driving away passersby who hadn't bought anything. Starbucks customer service responded that stores do have a "purchase to sit" rule, but they won't force customers to buy. Behind this new rule lies the real dilemma of store environments being affected by seat squatters, and it also reflects the discussion about the boundary between commercial premises and public space. As a coffee lover, what do you think of Starbucks' approach?

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A few days ago in the afternoon, a video of an elderly person arguing with a Starbucks employee spread rapidly on social media, sparking a great deal of discussion.

In the footage, two elderly customers got into a conflict with the staff. The elderly person was extremely agitated, loudly demanding: "Can't old people like us come in to rest our feet? Do we have to buy something? You people look down on the elderly!" During this, the staff tried several times to explain and calm them down, but the two elderly people would not accept it and continued to shout angrily.

According to the person who filmed the video and eyewitnesses present, the elderly woman in the video may have been unable to find an empty seat to rest because the store was crowded and noisy, so she asked the staff for help. Because the staff did not respond in time, the elderly woman threw cups, straws and other items onto the floor, and then the argument shown in the video occurred.

Someone at the scene of the conflict called the police. After the police arrived, they tried to communicate with the elderly people, but eyewitnesses said that the agitated elderly people even scolded the police as well. Regarding this incident, a Jimu News reporter asked the store's staff about the situation. The staff member said the store was quite busy at the time and she was not clear about the specific cause and details of the argument, but as far as she knew, the two elderly people indeed had not made any purchases in the store.

Similar situations are not isolated cases. Just a few days earlier, another netizen posted a video saying they had personally seen Starbucks staff at a Xi'an store drive away three groups of customers one after another. According to the person who filmed the video, the man in the video had been sitting for less than a minute when a Starbucks staff member came out to ask whether he had made a purchase, clearly told him that he could not sit without buying anything, and then asked him to leave.

(Video from Lengnuan Video Weibo)

The filmer also mentioned that there were many empty seats in the outdoor area at the time, but as soon as someone sat down to rest, staff would come up and ask, and once they found the person had not made a purchase, they would ask them to leave. In response, Starbucks customer service said that stores do indeed have a "purchase to sit" rule, and if customers do not buy anything, staff will politely ask them to leave. But customer service also said that Starbucks will not force customers to make purchases because of this.

These two videos once again ignited netizens' discussion of Starbucks' new rule. Last week, a netizen posted on social media saying that Starbucks might roll out a nationwide "purchase to sit" rule. At that time, Starbucks customer service denied this and said customers could enter and sit whether or not they made a purchase.

Starbucks employees have also said that the stores have never had an explicit rule that customers must buy something before they can sit down. Because there is no clear regulation, and the store environment is comfortable, many passersby go in to use the seats when they want to rest their feet.

However, the consequence of making things convenient for others is that uncivilized behavior in stores has gradually increased. It is common to see customers bringing their own food into the store to eat and one person occupying multiple seats. In addition, people have also done commercial photo shoots, makeup and eyebrow tattooing in stores, causing trouble for customers who actually make purchases, and the store environment has gradually become less quiet and comfortable than before.

Therefore, as stores began requiring "purchase to sit," most netizens expressed support, believing that Starbucks is a commercial venue rather than a public space, that it is perfectly reasonable to require customers entering the store to make purchases, and that this can also discourage non-paying seat occupiers, protecting the rights of other consumers who need seats.

As a business operator, Starbucks has the right to refuse service to customers who do not make purchases, and staff mostly adopt the approach of politely asking such people to leave. However, in the view of some people, the practice of "asking people to leave" may make customers feel unhappy and also makes it hard for employees to speak up, so they suggest that stores directly post conspicuous notices to wake up those who pretend to be asleep.

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.