United States based chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) is yet again under siege in China following an incidence at one of its stores in China which has sparked a public outrage.
A Weibo user alleges that a number of police officers were eating outside a Starbucks store in the southwestern city of Chongqing before they were told by staff to move away. The development of this event is what has caused a backlash from users online and the state media.
This incidence quickly went viral on Chinese social media platform Weibo. State owned media, The People’s Daily newspaper, also weighed its views on the matter labeling Starbucks as ‘arrogant’.
“China is a country that is open to the world. To label a mistake as arrogance is not conducive to the bigger environment of opening-up,” said Hu Xijin, a well experienced commentator in China and a former editor-in-chief of the Global Times newspaper.
The company has termed the incidence as a ‘misunderstanding’ through its Weibo account and apologized for the inappropriate communication. Starbucks said it never chased away the policemen or even tried to file complaints against them.
