By Nadia Rivas
Since mid November Starbucks’s stock is expressing a major decline. This isn’t the only thing declining. Many workers walked off on the job during red cup day (when they give free red cups) because they did not want to be in the crossfire and associate with the company. The reasoning behind this whole boycott.is due to a post made by Starbucks “Solidarity with Palestine!” with an image above of a Hamas bulldozer tearing down a fence along the Gaza Strip.
It was quickly deleted shortly after. Starbucks and its union workers have since sued each other over the matter. Starbucks doesn’t want workers to use their trademark and copyright; they say The Union’s actions have led to complaints. Many Palestine supporters have gathered outside of Starbucks to protest, and Starbucks claims that they have not financially supported the Israel government or army. Some people on social media have been claiming victory due to the recent Wall Street woes and saying that pro-Palestine supporters are responsible for the decline.
The memo data shows that rather than indicating a boycott, that people are not really paying attention to what’s going on. Analysts are acknowledging that the boycott is happening online, but it is hard to see if that’s what is making the difference. Many participating in the boycott say that they see a long term effect. One of the most watched TikTok videos that now has 9.3 million views shows a barista giving out instructions on how to make one of their most famous drinks.
Starbucks has not commented regarding the video. Wyenu, the barista, later quit and continues to show her support towards Palestine, “I think this is more of a movement than a trend,” she says. Starbucks chief executive Laxman Narasimhan has come out saying people protesting the company are disrupting its stores all over the world especially in North America, he says that they have been escalating, on many numerous occasions they had to have the authorities called due to vandalism. Many have argued that the boycott will die off as new drinks come in, or new shiny cups are launched (Stanley X Starbucks). Although Starbucks won’t go out of business in the foreseeable future, the drop in sales will hopefully cause Starbucks to change their stance in the subject.