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Starbucks closed down its US company owned stores for 3 hours to retrain 135,000 baristas.

From the Starbucks website - 

Starbucks is conducting an unprecedented in-store education and training event for more than 135,000 partners (employees) in U.S. company-operated stores. 

As part of this major customer-focused initiative, Starbucks is also introducing a promise to exceed customers’ expectations by delivering the perfect drink every time.

This promise will be posted in every store and all baristas pledge to uphold it.

Your drink should be perfect, every time.
If not, let us know and we’ll make it right.

This is savvy, creative marketing at its best. While banks and other organizations sometimes put a sign up, indicating they are closed for training, Starbucks has managed to turn this into an event.

What's more, while they achieve an efficient training schedule, the spin is customer oriented, rather than what suits the company.

The English coffee houses of the 1700's, known as Penny Universities were where people did business and networked.

While not much has changed in that sense, now with free wireless connections, customer loyalty to a specific coffee brand is becoming increasingly important to coffee chains, including Starbucks.

It's a very competitive market, and people like (and expect) good coffee and good service to go with their wi fi.

Starbucks has become an unofficial office for many. Starbucks training their staff is obviously a good move.  Marketing it as an event in itself and its customer oriented purpose is savvy business.

No doubt, Starbucks will be tracking consumer and media response to this initiative, to fine tune future marketing and training efforts.