Starbucks Barista May Lose Job in Stink Over Ink

A heart-shaped tattoo no bigger than a penny could cost a 27-year-old Rochester Hills woman her job as a barista at a Troy Starbucks, which has a no-tattoo policy as part of its dress code.

The woman, identified only as Kayla in a WJBK, Channel 2, report, said she had the tattoo when she was hired five years ago and it’s been a non-issue until a few weeks ago, when she was told she needed to take steps to have it removed or find a new place to work.

"It's just a little heart you can cover it up with your thumb. It's a little heart. It's not offensive to anybody," she said. "Now, I am being told after five years of having this tattoo being hired in that I have to get rid of it or resign from my job."

She doesn’t want to do that, but neither does she want to remove the tattoo.

"We have great benefits. I have health benefits, dental, vision, they offer 401K plans, retirement plans, we get stocks,” she says. But her ties may soon be severed because of a tattoo that's as puny as a penny.

Charlie Langton, a legal analyst for WJBK, said the woman may be out of luck. There’s nothing in the law that gives people the right to have a tattoo and Starbucks has a corporate policy against ink.

In a statement, Starbucks’ corporate communications director declined to discuss the specific situation, but said the company is clear about its tattoo policy, which says employees cannot have visible tattoos.

“This is part of our dress code policy and is discussed with our candidates during the interview process,” according to the statement.

The woman said she doesn’t remember the no-tattoo policy being discussed when she applied and was hired for the job.