Starbucks corporate layoffs leave a bitter taste in Washington state

The impact of Starbucks’ latest layoffs on its home state is coming into focus.

Starbucks confirmed 612 employees in Washington were laid off this week.

James Bowen is one of them.

He and his wife, who also works for Starbucks, were traveling when they discovered their jobs may be on the line.

“It was a total possibility that both of us would lose our jobs at the same time,” Bowen said.

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They obsessively refreshed their phones from the airport as they waited to board a flight home to Seattle.

“It just escalates when both of you are at risk,” he said. “It's a crazy feeling. I hope I never feel it again.”

Then, just before stepping onto the plane, Bowen got the dreaded email. His three years working on a team dedicated to bringing Starbucks’s free tuition program to workers in other countries had come to an end.

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Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said on Monday that the company would cut a total of 1,100 employees in its corporate workforce, excluding baristas and warehouse workers. The layoffs are part of his “Back to Starbucks” plan, which includes streamlining operations and simplifying in-store experience amid sagging quarterly sales.

“I recognize the news is difficult,” Niccol said in a letter to employees published on Starbucks’ website. “It is not a decision the leadership team took lightly. We understand the real effect this has on partners’ lives and their families. We believe it’s a necessary change to position Starbucks for future success — and to ensure we deliver for our green apron partners and the customers they serve.”

Starbucks declined an interview request for this story.

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The layoffs at Starbucks are just the latest in a series of job cuts that have roiled the Seattle region’s white-collar job market. This week, Expedia confirmed to GeekWire that it is laying off an undisclosed number of employees, following similar announcements from Microsoft, Amazon, and other employers in the area over the past few months.

For workers like Bowen, that means entering a job market with stiff competition.

“When you're in a pool of incredible people, you might be one of 2,000 applicants for one role,” he said. “There's nothing you can do about it. You just hope and maybe pray that the stars align, and the systems let you through and it works out.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was amended on Feb. 27 to more accurately reflect the sentiment of one of the sources.