I can see how open-carry would be disruptive to their business. It's sad but true.
However, I will retract my support of Starbucks if they ever take a stance against CONCEALED carry...
This doesn't surprise me at all. Like most things championed by open carry advocates, they've left a trail of failure and blow-back in their wake. I doubt Starbucks would have created a policy if the open carry presence was limited to individuals getting their coffee as part of their normal routine. But between the big OC gatherings and the unauthorized marketing, I'm not surprised.
Open carry activists thrust Starbucks into the middle of the gun rights debate without any consent from the company. It's one thing to reward a company for not enacting an asinine policy by frequenting their locations, but it's another to hold huge open carry gatherings at Starbucks and to create a whole marketing campaign that portrays a company in an unauthorized manner.
I like open carry, and I totally understand the use it or lose it argument about cultural norms, but I think a lot of the fervent open carry advocates tend to make very poor PR decisions. That's right -- exercising your rights to the fullest and making good PR moves aren't always one in the same. It wasn't realistic to think that creating a giant unauthorized marketing campaign linking Starbucks a debate they never chose to be a part of wouldn't backfire at some point.
I didn't see anything that Starbucks has done as an attempt to "vilify" firearms. They simply don't want to be in the spotlight of this debate.
I used to be a Starbux fan, then we spent a little over a month in Italy...Starbux, I have drank better coffee out of a pan and some ole fat Sgt US Army cook has just washed his sox in the pan he made the coffee in.I will still remain a Starbuck coffee lover. If I owned a retail establishment that was not gun related, I doubt I would want people toting rifles around in my store. From a business standpoint it is very disruptive.
If that made them shop elsewhere, so be it.
Consider this the daily dose of reality.
Actually the open carry exhibition nuts caused this by using SB.I see it somewhat different while I'm not a huge open carry fan I simply see Starbucks trying to get news time the CEO could have waited 2 weeks but to appease the left and again make the news. While Starbucks has the right to do so does not mean I should agree and jump on the band wagon to demonize firearms.
Actually the open carry exhibition nuts caused this by using SB.