More Starbucks Growing Pains

In case you didn't know, all U.S. Starbucks will be shutting down early this evening. I found this memo from yesterday on their website. Here is an excerpt.
"Tomorrow evening, we will come together in an unprecedented event in our company’s storied history. We will close all of our U.S. company-operated stores to teach, educate and share our love of coffee, and the art of espresso. And in doing so, we will begin to elevate the Starbucks Experience for our customers. We are passionate about our coffee. And we will revisit our standards of quality that are the foundation for the trust that our customers have in our coffee and in all of us.

But, as I think about it, there is another perhaps equally important reason why we have scheduled this training. It’s to celebrate who we are."

So if you want something from Starbucks this evening, you'd better get it soon!

Anali's First Amendment © 2006-2008. All rights reserved.

This Post's Link

Comments

FH said…
Only my husband will be affected by this tmp. shut out!;D
Liz Dwyer said…
I heard today that their stock has been taking a slide. And people have been complaining that their coffee tastes burnt. I only drink tea and chai so I'm not sure if that's true.
1Northeast said…
Is this for real? But Starbucks is a business genius...
Lisa Johnson said…
asha - I only go there once in a while for a treat, so I was okay too. ; )

los angelista - Yeah, there stock is pretty low now. Actually it would be a good time to buy. If you like strong dark coffee, then you'll love it, otherwise it may taste burnt to you. My mom and I have this disagreement. I was so excited when I first took her there and she didn't like it. That's when I realized that she likes weak coffee. She likes Dunkin Donuts.

foodhuntress79 - Yes it's true! They only closed for three hours, but they did a big training for everyone. They've been losing a lot of money. Their stock is way down; they are laying off workers and closing stores. I think part of it is that the economy is so bad here. When people are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure, they probably cut back on Starbucks.
Nance said…
the story on this that ran on the Cleveland affiliate said that the economy is tanking and no one has the disposable income to spend over three bucks on a regular-sized coffee anymore. starbucks has to rethink their business model and is retraining as a way to do that. they are trying to come off as a "necessary" and not a "snobbery". good luck with all THAT. perhaps starbucks should go for a "pitching in and getting through this together" mentality and lower prices. yeah, and pigs fly...!!
Suldog said…
Luckily, I've never wanted anything from Starbucks :-)
Nina said…
I don't even live near a starbucks so I suppose I won't be disappointed to show up and see that they won't be open.
Mes Deux Cents said…
Anali,

Starbuck's is brilliant. They new every news organization in the country and probably in a few places around the world would pick this story up.

Talk about free advertising.
Lisa Johnson said…
nance - I heard that their new thing is that they always will get the order right. I've never had my order wrong though. I guess they are presuming that people are unhappy with the service. Kind of a strange presumption.

suldog - Really??!! Have you tried their desserts? They are incredible!

nina - They were only closed for three hours, so they're back in business.

mes deux cents - You're right! I wasn't even thinking about it that way. They saved on paying for advertising by closing! Marketing genius!
Suldog said…
Truly. It's not that I haven't been to one, or anything like that, but I grind better coffee at home. If I'm out of the house, and Starbucks is the nearest place for a cup of joe, I might go, but I've never made a trip there just to get something of theirs specifically.
Lisa Johnson said…
suldog - Okay. I believe you! ; )

Popular Posts