Wednesday, July 2, 2008
When Starbucks announced a major downsizing yesterday, I felt a pang of guilt. I haven't darkened their doors since gas hit $3 a gallon, not that I haven't been tempted.
I read it here on MSNBC which explains that various factors - especially the weak economy - are forcing the Seattle coffee giant to shutter 8% of their ubiquitous storefronts across the U.S..
For years, I've had a bit of a love-hate relationship with Starbucks. Loved their coffee and their music; hated their ridiculously aggressive invasion of urban neighborhoods. At my daughter's college in Boston, there were two Starbucks within a block and-a-half of her dorm. Between the dual cafes, she must've spent a semester's tuition on sugar-free vanilla, no-fat grande lattes. (No wonder she had sleeping problems.) Turns out, most of the stores being closed are the ones located in close proximity to other Starbucks. (Duh!)
I used to enjoy an early morning stroll to the corner Starbucks (there's a single location in my downtown) for a hot brew of the day or my summertime favorite, a frosty Frappuccino. A former co-worker and I would regularly escape to the comfort of their big, leather chairs for our weekly meetings. It was caffeine heaven. But, at some point, I decided that $25 a week could be better spent. I purchased a coffee grinder (from Starbucks, mind you), bought some good beans at the local market and started bringing my own brew to work in my snazzy "Love Your Heart" travel mug. Apparently, I'm not alone.
For many of us, lattes have become an occasional luxury, not a daily necessity. And there are 12,000 soon-to-be former Starbucks employees that are gulping down the bitter truth today.
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