Starbucks ain't what it used to be

[evilest]

In Cardiff (Wales) there are five on the stretch of two roads in the city centre. They're spaced pretrty much only 300 yards apart, and they're going into the new mall under construction. That's not even counting the countless other coffee chains around them.

 

[elvnguardian]

Yay...my Mcd stocks are doing fabulous.

Actually, their Iced Lattes are fantastic... my only need for starbucks was that, and now McD's has them for like half the price... and they're just as good

 

[Spiff]

Who can afford to be a regular Starbucks coffee drinker right now? Coffee is not something I want to give up my left nut for.

 

[Sausy]

Hey last year they closed a Gloria Jeans in Terminal B at Philly Airport and replaced it with a Dunkin Donuts! Also, speaking of Philly, has anyone been to a Saxby's coffee which is based in Phillly?

I like Dunkin Donuts,and they do a pretty good job with their coffee.I do like Starbucks but don't live near one so I don't go all that often.It's more about convenience with me than anything,but when I'm by the downtown mall I tend to be a Gloria Jean's customer.

 

[Rex]

Kind of surprising because anytime I pass a Starbucks they seem like they're busy and I just saw a new one open up in my city.

Honestly, I don't care if they go out of business or not. I drink coffee but I"m not addicted and I always thought Starbucks was overpriced and the atmosphere just annoys me.

 

[gsdx]

And by the way, DD was trying to talk us down with their taste tests, not how many stores we've closed or people we've laid off.

The taste tests were not the concern of this thread. The dropping stock prices, the shop closures, and they employee lay-offs were.

Whether DD or McD coffee tastes better than Starbucks coffee is of no import to me. I haven't tasted any of them. I never go to McDonald's, I know of one Starbucks in my city and it's a 20-minute bus ride to get there and I'm not that desperate for a cup of coffee when I have Maxwell House in my home, and I don't even know if Dunkin' Donuts even has shops here in Canada.

This is what the thread is about:

From Starbucks' founding in Seattle as a local coffee bean roaster and retailer, the company has expanded rapidly. In the 1990s, Starbucks was opening a new store every workday, a pace that continued into the 2000s. Domestic growth has since slowed, although the company continues to expand in foreign markets and will open a net of 900 new stores outside of the U.S. in 2009. The first location outside of the United States and Canada was established in 1990s, and they now constitute almost one third of Starbucks' stores.

By late March 2008, Starbucks had more than 16,226 stores worldwide, including 11,434 stores located in the United States. On July 1, 2008 the company announced it was closing 600 under-performing company-owned stores and cutting U.S. expansion plans amid growing economic uncertainty. On July 29, 2008, Starbucks also cut almost 1,000 non-retail jobs as part of its bid to re-energize the brand and boost its profit. Of the new cuts, 550 of the positions are layoffs and the rest are unfilled jobs. These closings and layoffs have effectively ended the company’s period of prolific growth and expansion that began in the mid-1990s.

On January 28, 2009, Starbucks announced the closure of an additional 300 under-performing stores, and the elimination of 7,000 more positions. CEO Howard Schultz also announced that he had received board approval to reduce his salary to $10,000 per year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starbucks#Brighton_store_opens_in_breach_of_planning_regulations

While you're there, you might want to read about the 23 million litres of water Starbucks wastes every day with their dipper wells and the Ethos bottled water which Starbucks tried to pass off as a 'charitable organization'.

 

[gdude30]

I don't think starbucks is really in trouble.

Even though some stores have closed the starbucks near me are still packed nearly everyday.

I do have to say that I dislike coffee to the core.

But starbucks will always be around.

Because people love their coffee. They need it. Without their coffee they would fall apart.

I still don't see what the big deal about coffee is.

 

[gsdx]

I still don't see what the big deal about coffee is.

 

[Joshua_me]

It's a real bargin if you ask me...

 

[gsdx]

^ Could someone please explain what all those 'shots' are and why the customer is being charged 40¢ for putting mocha in a mocha coffee?