Saturday, June 4th, 2011

I’m not a coffee drinker and my visits to Starbucks are limited to when I’m with the MyUpperWest Gal and she wants a cup (does Starbucks even call them “cups” or do they have an obnoxious fancy word instead? Do they even still call it “coffee”?). If I were a regular customer, I wouldn’t be too excited by their apparent disdain for my personal belongings.

Leslie over at DNAinfo had a post yesterday about how, despite being a hot spot for theft, Upper West Side Starbucks are apparently refusing to cooperate with efforts by local police to educate their customers and employees about how to protect against theives.

Cops would like to hand out fliers, post signs, and train employees on theft prevention and store managers are saying no. The president of the 26th Precinct’s Community Council told DNAinfo: “They told me that what people did with their property was not their concern. They wanted no part of any offer of assistance.”

It’s nice to know they have their customers’ best interests in mind!

People obviously need to take responsibility for their own belongings, and I’m certainly not insinuating that it’s Starbucks’ fault that petty theft takes place in their stores. But given that thefts are a known problem there, I find it somewhat surprising that they would rebuff police efforts to help crack down on the issue.

One officer said of the fliers and signs that the NYPD wants to post in stores: “”I guess they felt like it gave their establishment a negative image.”

That may be and I suppose I can understand Starbucks’ hesitation on giving the appearance that they’re rife with crime. But you know what else gives an establishment a bad image? Having your stuff stolen while you’re there.

Filed under: Crime, Food & Drink, Shopping, Upper West Side, Upper West Side Blog No Comments »
Tags: Coffee, New York City, NYC, NYPD, Police, Starbucks, Theft, Upper West Side, UWS