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SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness
SHARK
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Who is Starbucks Standing By?What You Can DoMore Starbucks' Sponsored RodeosStarbucks’ ResponsesConsumers' Letters to StarbucksStarbucks' Employees Speak OutRodeo Controversy at Starbucks Shareholders MeetingCheyenne: Bucking Horse Injury (1)Cheyenne: Bucking Horse Injury (2)Cheyenne: Calf RopingCheyenne: Horse ShockingCheyenne: Steer RopingCheyenne: "Wild Horse" RopingCheyenne: Horse Escape AttemptBuck Starbucks Campaign ReCap
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Starbucks’ Responses to Consumer and Employee Demands for an End to Rodeo Sponsorship"Starbucks may have principles when buying coffee, but it obviously has no principles when it comes to selling it." Starbucks' Response to Consumer Inquiries, March 8, 2006: "Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company. Starbucks marketing efforts are primarily locally driven and focus on fostering positive community connections in the many neighborhoods our stores serve. We are committed to contributing positively to these communities through sponsorships, events, product donations and community giving programs. Also, we encourage our store partners (employees) to be involved in their neighborhoods in ways they feel are most important to their communities. As active members of their communities, our stores embrace, and often reflect the culture and customs of the diverse neighborhoods they serve. As a result, in communities where rodeos are an important part of the culture, Starbucks could be present through a coffee donation or other community giving activity. We work hard to support our communities in a way that is consistent with Starbucks culture and values. Our goal is to support, not to offend, our community of neighbors." February 3, 2006: Starbucks’ public position on the rodeo controversy has mutated since the beginning of this campaign, and Starbucks’ recent responses are a dose of Orwellian doublespeak. We are doing our best to keep the compassionate consumer up to date with the multitude of Starbuck's statements by posting them below, along with SHARK's response. Starbucks' Response to Consumer Inquiries, February 2, 2006: "At Starbucks, we are deeply committed to living by our six Guiding Principles, which include Contributing Positively to our Communities and Environment. One of the ways we give back is by supporting activities that are important to the communities we serve. As a result, a significant portion of Starbucks marketing efforts are locally driven and focus on connecting with the community through sponsorships, events and community giving programs. In some instances, Starbucks could be involved with an event that may be relevant to one community, but not to another. In all cases, we strive to support our communities in a way that is consistent with Starbucks culture and values. It is never our intent to offend our customers or community neighbors. As we reviewed coffee donations and other community activities, we learned that some of these events included rodeos. As a result, and consistent with our values and guiding principles, we have asked our local marketing teams to ensure that Starbucks does not affiliate with events that include rodeos." Starbucks' Response to Consumer Inquiries, February 3rd, 2006: "At Starbucks, we are deeply committed to living by our six Guiding Principles, which include Contributing Positively to our Communities and Environment. One of the ways we give back is by supporting activities that are important to the communities we serve. As a result, a significant portion of Starbucks marketing efforts are locally driven and focus on connecting with the community through sponsorships, events, product donations and community giving programs. Also, Starbucks store partners (employees) are encouraged to support and participate in their local neighborhoods in ways they feel are most relevant to their communities. For example, one store may provide a coffee donation for a local breakfast, while another might serve as a gathering place for a local group meeting or event. To us, this is the best way our stores can be welcoming and focused on what's most important to the communities they serve. Because our store partners are the best people to identify what's important to the communities where they work and live, it is very possible that a local Starbucks could be affiliated with an event, such as a rodeo, that is relevant to their community. In all cases, we strive to support our communities in a way that is consistent with Starbucks culture and values. Our goal is to support, not to offend, our community of neighbors." SHARK's Response On February 2nd, Starbucks claimed to have asked its people not to sponsor rodeos. The next day it is acceptable to sponsor rodeos according to Starbucks. And no matter what position Starbucks takes, it is all in line with the company’s “principles.” Consider cockfighters still legally operating in Louisiana and New Mexico. Suppose they are putting on an extravaganza of one of the longest standing atrocities known and condoned in those parts, and a local Starbucks partner being the “best authority on communities events” opts to share sponsorship of this event. No Problem Starbucks? Consider bullfights in Madrid or Mexico City. In some parts of the world these “traditions” are generally accepted and culturally embraced. Starbucks has stores worldwide, making a local store partner’s decision to sponsor these events a possibility. No Problem Starbucks? Of course they would want us to assume that in keeping with their “Six Guiding Principles” they do not support such animal abuse, even when they are real possibilities based on Starbucks’ latest backstepping statement. Starbucks' Response to Consumer Inquiries from late-December 2005 to early January 2006: "Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company. Starbucks has no affiliations with rodeos. At Starbucks, we are deeply committed to living by our six Guiding Principles, which include Contributing Positively to our Communities and Environment. One of the ways we give back is by supporting activities that are important to the communities we serve. As a result, a significant portion of Starbucks marketing efforts are locally driven and focus on connecting with the community through sponsorships, events and community giving programs. In some instances, Starbucks could be involved with an event that may be relevant to one community, but not to another. To learn more about how Starbucks supports our global community, please see our Corporate Social Responsibility Report at www.starbucks.com/csrannualreport." Faced with mounting demands from consumers to halt their rodeo involvement, along with proof of sponsorship of at least 4 rodeo events, Starbucks began putting out the above head-shaker. Does the company actually believe that blatant self-contradiction and lies ("Starbucks has no affiliations with rodeos.") will turn the public's eye from the truth? Starbucks' Response to Consumer Inquiries beginning in October 2005: "Thank you for contacting Starbucks Coffee Company. Starbucks is deeply committed to our Mission Statement and Guiding Principles. One of our six principles is “contributing positively to our community” and one of the ways that we contribute is by supporting events that are important to the local communities that we serve. As a part of the Cheyenne, WY community, we wanted to show our support for the Cheyenne Frontier Days celebration; a large event which includes art shows, Native American cultural events, parades, amusement rides, a rodeo and other activities. We showed our support by taking out taking out a $250 advertisement in a Cheyenne Frontier Days brochure, inviting those who attended the festival to enjoy a Starbucks beverage at our local store before or after the event. We value and appreciate your feedback, and we will continue to look for ways to support our local communities in a responsible way." SHARK’s ResponseStarbucks claims that the Cheyenne Frontier Days is a “festival” (that’s the first time we’ve ever heard it called that) and that it “includes art shows, Native American cultural events, parades, amusement rides, a rodeo and other activities.” The company makes it sound like the rodeo performances are a small part of the whole. Nothing could be farther from the truth, and Starbucks knows it. The rodeo is what the Cheyenne Frontier Days is all about. Everything else is just window dressing. There are multiple rodeo events every day for over a week. SHARK investigators documented the injured and dead animals that were regularly dragged off the arena floor. This is the sort of “festival” that Starbucks is proud to support? A “progressive company” would have recognized in a heartbeat that supporting animal abuse was in no way a responsible way to support the local community. Those of us who have for years felt good about buying from Starbucks Coffee because they were a “progressive company” have had that confidence betrayed. Here is a company that, upon looking at this situation, merely needed to say something like this: “This should not have happened, and you may rest assured that it will not happen again.” What’s even more galling is that when first contacted, the company insinuated that SHARK’s claim of an ad in a rodeo program was a work of fiction. After all, this was the progressive and enlightened Starbucks! As it turns out, we were right on the money, and now Starbucks is claiming it just doesn’t matter. After all, it was just two hundred and fifty dollars, according to Starbucks. Starbucks should be appalled that even one dollar from their company goes to the pockets of an animal-abusing industry. All the company had to do was promise to not do it again, but it refused. Starbucks is taking its customers for fools. Maybe the company figures that it has done such a great job of greenwashing itself that none of its customers will be sharp enough to see through that nonsensical statement it is putting out. But SHARK’s photo and video documentation speaks louder and clearer than corporate rhetoric. |
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