Starbucks

Did Starbucks founder and former CEO Howard Schultz say the "company has reached a critical point of decline amid global boycott," and did the BBC report his criticism, as a post on Instagram claimed? No, that's not true: A spokesperson for Starbucks Coffee Company told Lead Stories that this quote was "misinformation" and that there was "no record of this…

Do Starbucks coffee shops routinely add human semen to the lattes they sell? No, that's not true: This claim first surfaced in 2014 as an article on a satire website with a disclaimer identifying the website as such. The fake news story might have faded quickly except that a New York City pastor fell for the hoax and publicized the…

Is Starbucks leaving Morocco and San Francisco due to boycotts over the Hamas-Israel crisis and pro-Palestinian protests? No, that's not true: Starbucks announced the closure of seven stores in San Francisco on October 2, 2023, five days before the Hamas-Israel war began, the company spokesperson confirmed to Lead Stories. Starbucks also confirmed that the company continues to operate stores in…

Did Starbucks cancel Pride Month in its retail locations? No, that's not true: There is nothing to suggest that Starbucks, as a company, has canceled Pride Month. Starbucks has historically shown support for the LGBTQ community and has been known to actively participate in Pride Month celebrations. However, there is evidence that a tiny percentage of the company's more than…

Is Starbucks "going cashless" regarding payment options for customers as of August 2022? No, that's not true: The article seen in this particular post that includes comments made by the Starbucks CEO fails to disclose that the cashless option was concerning the 2020 pandemic -- not a permanent change to cashless payments at all Starbucks stores. Starbucks also debunked this…

Did the Facebook page Tiny House give away a home to "everyone who shared and signed 'Done' before August 5rd [sic] at 6pm"? No, that's not true: The real owners of the home have told Lead Stories that the owners of this Facebook page do not own this house and it's not in their possession. A separate Facebook user wrote…

Did a Starbucks in downtown Denver post a sign in their window that told customers it was closed to "educate white people about their racism"? No, that's not true: That sign is a doctored image that mocks racial bias training Starbucks hosted on May 29, 2018. The training was the company's response to backlash after a store manager at a…

Are Starbucks or KFC coupons offering free food products to customers in the Black Lives Matter movement real? No, that's not true: Coupons being shared on social platforms are fake. Starbucks, for one, has apologized and denied the claim. An example of the fake coupons is included a post (archived here) on Facebook from June 3, 2020: The fake Starbucks…

Did Cadbury announce that everyone who shared a link will get a hamper full of chocolate? No, that's not true: a scam website is luring visitors by promising free chocolate in exchange for completing surveys but the whole thing is a scam designed to steal personal information. The setup is similar to earlier scams targeting different brands before. The scam…

Did JC Penney announce that everyone who shares a link would get a $180 coupon? No, that's not true: a scam website is luring visitors by promising free merchandise in exchange for completing surveys, but the whole thing is a scam designed to steal personal information. The setup is similar to earlier scams targeting different brands before. The scam appeared…