Starbucks Baristas Told to Be Kind to Worried Investors

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz hopes his customers aren't crying into their cappuccinos after yesterday's stock market plunge. In an email to all 190,000 Starbucks employees, Schultz urges workers to recognize that a lot of customers may be stressed out and in need of "very sensitive" treatment from baristas, the Washington Post reports. The "financial market volatility" coupled with political uncertainty means "our customers are likely to experience an increased level of anxiety and concern," Schultz writes, asking workers to "do everything we can to individually and collectively exceed their expectations."

Schultz also assures workers that the company will be able to weather any stock market chaos, promising great things ahead with Starbucks' "highly relevant coffee and tea innovation and differentiated customer-facing mobile and digital technologies." Schultz himself may have needed some "very sensitive" treatment yesterday: At one point, Starbucks shares plummeted around 20% before bouncing back, Bloomberg reports. (Earlier this year, Schultz was widely mocked after he decided Starbucks employees should try to start conversations about racial issues.)