Starbucks To Close 600 U.S. Stores

SEATTLE — Starbucks Corp. has announced it's closing 600 underperforming stores in the United States.

The Seattle-based premium coffee company also announced Tuesday it expects to open fewer than 200 new company-operated stores in the United States in fiscal 2009.

The company says it will try to place workers from closed stores in remaining Starbucks.

Comments

[mergina]

Why wouldn't the greedy people lower their prices? Does this mean yuppies are in trouble? Does this mean they are not opening one down the street as promised? Does this mean the one they opened two blocks away from where i work is closing? Where will i get that KICK when i need it in the morning without drinking 6-12 cups of coffee? LOWER YOUR PRICES - DRAMATICALLY. Your stuff is simply not worth what you charge for it.

[kendra]

Yes, this is the correct answer. If Howard Shultz would only realize this simple fact.

Just lower the coffee prices, a bit, and they will come.

[Melissa]

I always thought it was really funny that people would spend $4 or $5 for a cup of coffee. I guess it was a status symbol.

[deadcustodian]

I always thought that they would someday come to GRINDING halt. I hate to even pay $6.99 for a large can (which used to be 3 LBS) of generic coffee, let alone whatever Starbucks charges.
As we say in our house scrooooooooom - and the horse they road in on!

[ENK727]

I agree.. I could never figure out who all these people were that were paying these insanely high prices for coffee at Starbucks. If I stopped in one once every few months that was a lot. The prices are just outrageous. You can make a great cup of coffee at home and save a bundle too.

[doctorwang]

Our economy is screwed. The first things that people will start giving up are the so called 'luxury' items.

Boutiques, high end restaurants, and specialty food purveyors (including gourmet coffee shops) are just some of the businesses that will be hit the hardest.

[TocinoHumano]

The fatal flaw of capitalism, the flaw that will ultimately destroy it, is the concept of unlimited growth--that no matter how big you are this year you MUST be even bigger next year. There are limits to everything that exists in the universe, including businesses and industries. Starbucks has come up against the immutable laws of how things work. No doubt many, many other businesses will follow suit. It's the price one pays for the greed and arrogance that make one think there are no limits to growth.

[Indubio]

Of course you're correct. This planet has finite resources and so perpetual growth is simply unsustainable. The difficulties the world is facing right now will only grow worse until humanity finds some stasis with its environment. Quite honestly, I don't see that happening any time soon.

[DrPaulProteus]

What're you, a terrorist?

[BeamMeUpScotty]

Starbucks put all their eggs in one basket - coffee, and high priced coffee at that. It should come as no surprise when people are losing their homes, cars, and jobs, and the price of everything is skyrocketing, that this would happen.

[bikerdude]

A tribute to an average product subject to overzealous marketing.­..What did they expect? When you permit your stores to open up across the street from each other, who is competing with whom? Or even why?

[ChiGuy]

PLEASE save the one at Sheridan and Colombia in Chicago!!!

[lornejl]

They over expanded, I see shops across the street from each other.

[heavyrunner]

They made a big mistake when they did not offer free WiFi at their stores. I always go to Coffee Bean or some other place with free WiFi when I am traveling.

[ResearchGuy]

They made a bigger mistake by selling bitter, burned-tasting coffee. How they stay in business selling such bad coffee is beyond me.

[6WaysToSunday]

Agree. Worst espresso in the world.

[bikerdude]

I thought it was just me. I hate their stuff. I'd much prefer Dunkin Donuts or even the new McDonald's special coffees. Actually I usually brew my own and carry a thermos cup.

[grimm]

Forget caffeine, especially after 9am. That's why most people can't sleep.

Get 8 hours of sack time. Juice and a walk or jog in the morning before work. Better yet a quick swim or workout. Take a thirty minute nap in the afternoon.

That five buck cup of drugs in the morning easily gets you a gym membership.

Quit suckling the corporate tit!

[TocinoHumano]

Thanks for the advice, but I'll take my cup of French roast in the morning, thank you very much. I brew it myself. Screw Starbucks.

[doctorwang]

What kind of a life is that? No wonder your name is grimm!

[gonavy]

That's some life you described there. 8 hours of sleep, a walk, a swim, A NAP!

You don't have kids, do you?

[Virago55]

I never liked their coffee, but I feel for the employees losing their jobs. I think they went overboard with producing too many stores in to close quarters to each other. They've become a joke because of it. I prefer Seattle's Best myself.

[matthewdsmith]

Seattle's Best is owned by Starbucks.

[Myshkin57]

Yeah... it's funny, though. My old roommate took a trip to Seattle and brought back some coffee from Seattle's Best, telling me how much better this place was than the big, corporate Starbuck's. I didn't have the heart to tell the numbskull the truth.

[jsarets]

Good. When will the rest be shutting down?

[JFaye]

In this economy, the closing of some Starbuck stores is no surprise. There are six within a five mile radius of my home ... two are just two blocks away and neither offers good parking. However, coffee is sooooooooo gooooooooood. Generally, order an inexpensive espresso and will grab a bag of the dark beans for my French Press.

Stores provide good atmosphere and most of the barristas are quite pleasant. It's my belief, Starbucks has become a part of Americana and will remain so for some time to come. Perhaps, as part of the "new" and yet to come marketing strategy, they may find it beneficial to partner with local coffee houses to combine a more neighborhood feel with local homebake treats and an excellent coffee.

Good luck to the employees who must search for jobs with the excellent health benefits Starbucks made affordable to its employees.

[TocinoHumano]

When I lived in Northwest Portland there were 6 Starbucks within 20 minutes walk of my apartment. There are two on NW 23rd Avenue, so close together that you could see one from the other.

[Thron]

So no more coffee in the ghetto. What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do? I know ! We will have to go to China. Do you know how many Starbucks are opening in that country?

[DrDidLittle]

600?

[mamacat]

I went for over twenty years without a decent cup of French-style coffee, until Starbucks came to town. I am grateful to them for making it possible to find a good cup of coffe without crossing an international border. However, there are many places around town where I can find two on the same block. They have said that they will try to find jobs for the employees in the closing stores, and that is a very good thing.

[DrDidLittle]

No way in hell is Starbucks "French-style" coffee!