Starbucks to hire thousands of baristas, scale back automation in bid to win back customers
1. Starbucks plans to hire thousands of baristas to improve customer service. 2. The hiring strategy reverses previous automation efforts that reduced labor costs. 3. CEO Niccol cites past automation assumptions as inaccurate for desired efficiency. 4. Starbucks faces sales decline, reporting a 1% drop last quarter. 5. Company shares fell over 6.5% post-earnings due to disappointment.