No purchase, no seats: Starbucks China rolls out new 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.Reports of the new policy circulated this week, along with social media videos of what appear to be "purchase to sit" signs in Starbucks stores.Many on Chinese social media welcomed the new policy."Finally, there won't be peak periods where people are just sitting there not ordering anything, drinking Luckin coffee, playing games and yelling on the phone," reads one of the top-liked comment on Weibo. "Every time I walk around, there's nowhere to sit," "There's nothing wrong with it. I'd feel awkward sitting there if I didn't make a purchase. I'd rather leave the seats for those who made purchases and need the seats," another Weibo user commented.Starbucks stores around the world have been wrestling with non-paying seat-hoggers and other undesira...