Sign of Economic Apocalypse #6 - Starbucks closing 600 shops

The $4 lattes really were the easiest things to cut out of the budget when the price of gas started going up. Buying a Brita once instead of paying for bottled water all the time rates a close second.

 

Ding ding ding.

And you could also get a Keurig, fill it with water from the Brita and be all set.

Along those lines, I'd love to know how much I've saved since I quit drinking soda and eating Yodels by the truck load. Course, I'm still fuckin broke.

 

There are like 5 or 6 Starbucks (including one in Target and one in Barnes & Noble...which are directly across the street from each other) in Lakeland, Florida...Not exactly a big city or even close to being a metropolitan area and there are a half dozen fucking Starbucks....and only one Dunkin' Donuts.

It isn't fair. If they close 6,000 then we're talking.

 

Somewhere, Peter King is weeping.

 

Tim Horton's will rule the world.

 

The chickens are coming home to roost for Starbucks.

They were willing to cannabalize their own stores in order to drive out any local shops and now that they have done that in many places, the losses are mounting.

Too bad for the employees though as for the most part I heard it was a good place to work.

 

I bet it's not the multiple stores on major city blocks that are closing. The method to that madness is that Starbucks tries to keep the lines to a minimum, so having multiple stores means shorter lines, a good thing when you have people edgy for their caffiene fix. My wife works near West Wacker in a building that has what I believe is the highest grossing Starbucks there is. They could open three more just in her building and they would fill up.

Sadly, I'm guessing what will close are locations like the one in Chicago's South Shore and other neighborhoods on the edge that saw the entry of a Starbucks as a sign of hope.

 

Fixed

 

This is what I got from Starbucks just a minute ago. I'm working on a story right now as are about 1,000 other reporters.
This is especially funny since just last week I heard a Starbucks PR honcho speak and she was talking about how "transparent" the company was. How they always let people know what was going on.

 

I guess all the barista's will have to go back working as bike messengers......

 

Where have they driven out "any local shops"? Usually the cities that have Starbucks also have more local coffeehouses than places that don't. I have two standalone Starbucks near my neighborhood, and there's been at least two local shops pop up since near there.