Chairman: Starbucks still aims to be gathering place

NEW YORK (AP) — Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz says the company still aspires to be a place where everyone feels welcome.

As the company prepares to close thousands of stores Tuesday afternoon for anti-bias training, he said in a letter to customers that sometimes the company falls short.

The training comes after two black men were arrested at a Philadelphia store while waiting for a business associate, a situation the company has said should not have occurred.

Schultz said the training will let employees share life experiences and reflect on society’s biases as well as talk about creating public spaces where everyone feels like they belong.

He says the conversation will continue and become part of how Starbucks trains its employees.