As the controversy over Starbucks’ \”Tank Day\” promotion spreads, an individual believed to be an internal employee posted an exposé aimed at operational staff, and the fallout is continuing to grow.
A post attributed to someone identified only as \”A,\” who is believed to be a Starbucks Korea employee, recently appeared on the anonymous workplace forum Blind.
In the post, A wrote, \”Thousands of partners are being harmed because of you. Partners who need schedule extensions are losing them and are struggling to make ends meet. Store managers have to revise their staffing and sales plans, and district managers are running between headquarters and stores trying to close communication gaps—putting themselves through extreme hardship.\”
A continued that even modest performance bonuses may be at risk and that, despite DMs’ efforts, the communication gap between headquarters and stores has not narrowed. \”Do you feel any guilt?\” he asked.
He went on, \”Why didn’t you just keep it quiet? Your petty, terrible stunt. Dozens of people now face immediate risk of being fired because of you, and partners serving customers are apologizing awkwardly for something they did not do,\” he claimed.
He wrote, \”You should never forget this. You will have to live with the knowledge that one gesture and one remark from you caused serious harm to thousands of people.\”
He added that he had stayed through difficult times—and even moments when he resented the company—because he had worked there for five years. \”It’s painful to see a company undone in an instant by one person’s action,\” he said.
\”If this reaches headquarters, please—hire the right people,\” he appealed. \”Don’t hire based on connections; evaluate character. Make sure the months and years partners have invested here are not wasted.\”
Another commenter, identified as \”B\” and also believed to be an internal employee, wrote that the staffer who planned the marketing is a female operative who \”shows no remorse and claims it wasn’t intentional,\” walking around with her head held high, according to B.
B added that only the male executives who backed that staffer have been dismissed, calling the outcome \”self-inflicted.\”
Earlier, on the 18th, Starbucks drew criticism for using phrases such as \”Tank Day\” and \”thud on the desk\” in promoting a tumbler sales event.
Critics said those expressions evoked the equipment of martial-law troops from the May 18 Gwangju uprising and the torture and death of the late activist Park Jong-chul. Jung Yong-jin, chairman of the Shinsegae Group, issued an apology.
Since then, Starbucks Korea CEO Son Jeong-hyun and a related executive have been dismissed, but online calls for a boycott continue and the controversy remains unresolved.
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