When Starbucks decided to shut down hundreds of their stores, it not only hurt the customers, but also the employees. 400 Starbucks store locations nationwide have closed since Sept. 29. Starbucks is planning to close hundreds of stores in North America that are under-performing. These closings are happening due the CEO, Brian Niccol, trying to simplify the brand of Starbucks.
“These steps are to reinforce what we see is working and prioritize our resources against them,” said Brian Niccol in his message to Starbucks partners.
These closures have disappointed many employees around the world. Along with that, Niccol plans to lay off around 900 corporate employees. Starbucks started 2025 with 18,734 locations and will end with 18,300.
Omaha isn’t facing many closures, but there has been one. The store on 219 S 72nd St. has closed. These shutdowns have happened very quickly, sometimes not even warning the employees. It appears that the company is attempting to transfer employees from the closed stores to stores that are still open, but that doesn’t always work out. There haven’t been many transfers to the Starbucks on StonyBrook where senior Logan Greer works.
“We’re always hiring new people but no one has been transferred over from the closed Starbucks,” Greer said.
In Niccol’s message to partners he said, “We’re working hard to offer transfers to nearby locations where possible and will move quickly to help partners understand what opportunities might be available to them.”
The locations closing in Omaha don’t compare to other states, though. For example, California has faced over 20 shutdowns which affects employees and customers significantly. Along with these closures, in 2026 the company plans to open at least 1000 more locations. This is with the intention to rebuild the brand and reset it since being under new administration from the CEO.
It’s safe to say that the locations in Millard aren’t being shut down any time soon.
“We’re a new store so I dont think we’ll close any time in the future,” Greer said.
Since these shutdowns, Starbucks partners have responded with protests and public statements. Former baristas have been protesting outside of the store they used to work at to demand the company to do something about the shutdowns and their unemployment. Now and in the future, employees are hoping to be relocated to a different location.
