"Going to Work Every Day Is Terrifying"... Starbucks Frontline Workers Vent Frustration Amid 'Tank Day' Backlash

"Tank Day" Promotion Controversy Continues
Frontline Starbucks Employees Voice Hardships
"We Bear the Brunt of Customer Anger"

Starbucks Korea is facing intense criticism for its "Tank Day" promotion held on the 46th anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, and frontline employees have voiced that they are bearing the full brunt of customer backlash.

Yonhap News Agency

Recently, on the anonymous workplace community platform Blind, a post titled "Opinions from frontline employees on the current Starbucks situation" was uploaded. Although the original post has since been deleted, screenshots of it are being circulated on social networking services (SNS).

Person A, who introduced themselves as a Starbucks store manager, wrote, "Since this marketing disaster broke out, frontline partners in the stores have been shedding tears of blood. Every time, there are revised announcements, missed notifications, reckless promotions, and now this tank incident—what on earth do the executives think they are doing?"

They continued, "There is no communication or collaboration between support centers. The disaster was caused while sitting in the support center, so why should those of us sweating and working in stores be subjected to ideological vetting and verbal abuse like, 'Aren't you all the same as them?'"

Person A also expressed, "Going to work every day is terrifying and standing at the POS feels like hell. We did not plan this marketing—why must we become punching bags for customers' anger?"

Person A criticized the head office's response as well. "They say they are self-reflecting and reviewing internal processes, but the first things they did were cutting frontline staff and reducing overtime. Even before the incident, we were told to operate stores with minimal staff, achieve high customer evaluation scores, and boost sales, all while having to avoid any incidents or missed expiration dates with insufficient people and time," they said.

At a press conference condemning Starbucks Korea held on the 21st in front of the Emart Gwangju branch in Gwangcheon-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, Starbucks tumblers and cups were placed broken and dented. Photo by Yonhap News

In addition, Person A demanded, "Withdraw the staff cuts and overtime restrictions immediately. Why should our living expenses be cut to cover deficits caused by management's mistakes? Restore staffing by time slot right now and stop the unfair tightening of working hours." They also insisted, "Do not push angry customers seeking Starbucks card or tumbler refunds onto the store POS; the head office should handle this directly by establishing a dedicated refund window online or by phone, separating it from the frontline."

Starbucks has been criticized for insulting the Gwangju Democratization Movement by using promotional phrases such as "Tank Day" and "Bang the Table!" on the day of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. As the controversy escalated, Chung Yongjin, Chairman of Shinsegae Group—the parent company of SCK Company, which operates Starbucks—dismissed Son Jung-hyun, CEO of Starbucks Korea, and issued a public apology, personally apologizing for the controversy.

Chairman Chung stated, "Starbucks Korea engaged in inappropriate marketing that should never have happened or been tolerated. On behalf of the group, I offer my deepest apologies to the spirits of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, their bereaved families, and all citizens for causing deep pain."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.