No order, no seat: Starbucks China rolls out new store policy

Taking a seat at a Starbucks in China? Just make sure you're also ordering something there.

A new policy by Starbucks China takes effect across all its 8,000 stores on Thursday, making it mandatory for people to purchase items if they want to sit in its cafes.

Starbucks China said the move was part of efforts to improve the "in-store experience" for customers. The company is facing stiff competition from homegrown brands such as Luckin Coffee.

Starbucks stores around the world have also been wrestling with non-paying seat-hoggers and other undesirable behavior from customers.

In South Korea, Starbucks has told customers to stop bringing "bulky items" into their stores, after some patrons reportedly hogged seats with printers and desktop computers in tow.

In North America, Starbucks reversed its open-door policy which for years allowed people to use their seats and toilets without buying anything, saying that it wanted to "prioritise" paying customers.

Ahead of the official announcement on Wednesday, reports of the new seating policy at China's Starbucks stores had been circulating this week - along with social media videos of what appear to be "purchase to sit" signs in Starbucks stores.

Source: BBC News World RSS (Open Press / Translated Full Text)