Starbucks said it would permanently close six stores each in the Seattle and Los Angeles areas, two in Portland, Ore., and single locations in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. by the end of the month
July 12, 2022
"Like so much of the world right now, the Starbucks business as it is built today is not set up to fully satisfy the evolving behaviors, needs and expectations of our partners or customers."
Said Howard Schultz, quoted in "Starbucks Closing Some Stores, Citing Safety Concerns in Certain Cafes/Coffee chain said it is permanently closing 16 cafes after workers reported drug use by members of the public and crime concerns" (WSJ).
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48 comments:
It really is horrible coffee.
The only redeeming quality is the Java Chip frappuccino...not really coffee but more of a milkshake.
Damned delicious on a 95-degree day after an 8 mile walk.
Other than that they can close them all down...
How many of these stores have recently unionized?
Like so much of the world right now
7-Eleven stores across L.A. encouraged to close following deadly robberies
we USED TO live in a country, that wasn't a shithole.. I MISS those days
Are there any common elements about each of those cities?
Caffeine drug dealer will not support other drugs. Makes sense. Starbucks started as a replacement community bar without the drug alcohol.
Quick. What do these 6 cities have in common?
The fact is that before a corporation takes it on itself to close multiple properties, there's a lot of day to day bullshit that has to go on in each of the locations. I'm sure there were numerous incidents in each situation that just became untenable, even for the famously left-facing Howard Schultz and his famously woke employees. I suspect there are other locations putting up with enormous amounts of bs, insults, and some danger, but they probably selected the worst of the worse.
I wonder if Howard Schultz thinks about who he backs verbally and bankrolls for political office and if he sees any connection to say- Gavin Newsom as Mayor of San Francisco, then Governor of California- and the declining quality of life in that state. Or if, when Gavin asks, Howard will open his home to large donors for a Gavin for President party. The disconnect seems huge to me.
Coming soon there'll be incisive reporting on the newest manifestation of systemic bias: "Coffee deserts."
It took him long enough to get some common sense.
The future of the democrat party.
Howard Schultz would make a solid candidate on the democrat side. Why that will never happen.
Damn it, Not Sure, you beat me to it!
Um ... let's rephrase this so that it makes actual sense:
"Like so much of the world right now, people's behaviors, needs and expectations don't meet the standards of the Starbucks Corporation, so we're closing these stores."
It is woke people's criminal behaviors that are at issue here, not Starbucks. Change your behavior, or you don't get the (really, really bad) coffee.
More businesses need to shut down in certain cities in the United States until those people change their behavior - such as arresting people who defend themselves from hoodlums and letting the thieves steal knowing they won't be prosecuted. Looking at you, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, etc.
Another “woke” corporation collides with reality. I’d like to think that Schultz has learned something from this experience, but I doubt it; he will chalk it up to “bad luck.”
Schultz has been in and out several times as CEO of Starbucks. So I don't know whether Starbucks original corporate decision to allow non customers to use the store's bathrooms is on Schultz or not. That said the original decision was trumpeted as proving Starbuck's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Well DEI is not all that and a bag of chips--especially if you have to give "combat pay" to the baristas.
When public order disappears, so do Starbucks, 7-11s and Walgreen and CVS stores. See San Francisco's experience. See the "food deserts" in South Los Angeles.
Mugs getting mugged by reality.
Sorry.
"It took him long enough to get some common sense."
To be fair to Schultz, a lot of the problems arose from decisions made while his leadership was on hiatus.
""Like so much of the world right now, the Starbucks business as it is built today is not set up to fully satisfy the evolving behaviors, needs and expectations of our partners or customers.""
"Evolving behaviors". That's one way to put it.
Shorter article: Starbucks refuses to stand its grounds.
The restrooms, however, must remain open.
(link goes to aggregator site)
I guess promoting it as a commerce optional hangout has drawbacks. Remembering the manager who got labeled Raaaaaacccciissst for asking a non-customer to give up table.
The people have an agreement with the govt.
The people cede their power and freedom for services from govt.
The govt is breaching their responsibilities.
But we have Biden persecuting his mounted border patrol officers. Almost simultaneously we learn the Uvalde shooter was in the sights of a police officer with a rifle, who did not take the shot, because he could not get his immediate command's go ahead.
Officers doing their job on the border, are disciplined, Officers refusing to do their job are rewarded, be getting to keep their job, despite dereliction of duty.
There needs to be wholesale regime change. DC needs executive branch offices out of DC. Thats just a start, and may cause riots. But it must be done.
Coffee chain said it is permanently closing 16 cafes.............more to follow in the near future.
That's what happens in MAGA-country....oh, wait.
its just another domino is all
hey, whats that shiny thing over there?
Not closing any cafes in San Francisco? Oh, right. San Francisco has a new DA. Give her a chance.
Starbucks has 15,477 stores and we have to put up with discussions about a couple dozen store closings?
Starbucks is overpriced, understaffed, and has terrible food and their plain black coffee is too bitter to drink. Lines are incredibly long and sometimes you get everything you order.
I don't go to Starbucks stores anymore to sit and wait, and I will forever be amazed that folks accept Starbucks service terms as the only way it can be. Notice that I have not mentioned their sweetened and flavored coffee drinks selling for two arms and a leg.
As I imagine everyone has noticed--every closing is taking place in cities where Starbuck's core customer base lives. I wonder what led to such a scenario where local demand for your product isn't enough to build a viable business.
Can confirm that the Portland store at 4th and Morrison is right in the middle of a burgeoning homeless camp area. Good guess would be sales have plunged. Downtown Portlanders have a lot of options to get a coffee
He'll just build more stores in China.
I am surprised that it's only one store in Philly. I walk by one 2x a week in a prime Center City spot. Its usually about 1/2 full. I assume they have issues inside with non-customers but the real problem is that the outside is a regular 24 hour sleeping place for homeless and drug vagrants. Some mornings you almost have to walk over someone to enter. And that is a very expensive location- or it was before COVID, riots and the increase of drug addled homeless in Center City.
And that doesn't include the corner "musicians" that put on loud and unsolicited performances on every corner. Must be tough to converse in a Starbucks with a pane of glass between you and an amplified "performance" of rap....
Actual story title: Starbucks closes stores in blue city hellholes where rampant crime, lack of law enforcement threaten customers, employees.
Notice that I have not mentioned their sweetened and flavored coffee drinks selling for two arms and a leg.
2 legs if you are choosing a milk alternative.
The "evolving behaviors" of Starbucks' "partners" no longer are being met? So, will the closing stores reopen as clean needle distribution points? Or meth labs? Fentanyl injection sites? Well, at least that homeless guy made partner, so he's got that going for him.
Evolving behaviors or devolving behaviors?
" [the] Coffee chain said it is permanently closing 16 cafes ... "
As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 countries, 15,444 of which were located in the United States.
Wikipedia
Some would say that Starbucks closing 16 cafes is interesting but not material.
Of the five Seattle stores closing, one of the closures is by my old high school at 6417 Roosevelt Way. (Go Roughriders!!).
The article attempts to sell safety concerns as the reason for closing. The Roosevelt Starbucks is INSIDE a very successful Whole Foods. It's a very SWIPL neighbor hood. I fail to see the safety concerns.
SWPL not SWIPL.
What can I say?? My mother taught me to read with phonics.
My next cup of Starbucks will be my first. I'd better get on it before they're all gone.
"The Roosevelt Starbucks is INSIDE a very successful Whole Foods."
You're kidding, right? In what world would there _ever_ be a Starbucks inside a Whole Foods?
This Starbucks in in the same building - it's on the upper parking deck level. I doubt there's even a communicating stairwell with the Whole Foods.
There is on Capitol Hill, Seattle, a very progressive (i.e., socialist-voting completely woke) neighborhood a very progressive (i.e., socialist-promoting completely woke) local news-oriented blog which nearly always refused to post any comments that are not totally with the program. Yet there are interesting comments on this post about the Starbucks' closing - including the following one about the closing of a large Capitol Hill Starbucks that has been well known for years by its nickname "Gaybucks":
I worked at the olive way location for three years. I left Starbucks earlier this year. They were not lying. We found three different people , dead, in our restrooms in one week. This was becoming a regular occurrence. They’d overdose in the restrooms. It wasn’t until much later on the day that we would find out. Plus, don’t get me started on the number of times we were assaulted by the local residents of the encampments. Glad they closed. Cap Hill is an extremely dangerous and violent neighborhood. I know of several other businesses in the area that will soon be announcing closures.
He could start by firing The Girl At Starbucks That Hates You. I sure would like to hear from her about this.
Here's a throwback that's entirely relevant:
The Girl at Starbucks That Hates You:
The slouchy guy who buys the small drip coffee and sits at a table with his laptop for four or five hours was in again today: it’s bad enough that he occupies prime space for so long over a single small purchase, but the guy is a total seat-smeller, it’s gross…
When a woman leaves the sitting area he ‘accidentally’ drops a pen by her vacated seat, then when he kneels down to retrieve the pen he takes a whiff of her chair. Like he thinks it isn’t obvious: dude, you dropped the same pen eight times today, you’re a freak…
Today was even worse than normal: a mother and her cute blonde young daughter drank their beverages — don’t get me going on giving children whipped-cream-topped caffeine, I Am Only Following Orders — and, when they left, the guy went and smelled the young girl’s seat. Eww…
Our Manager says there is nothing we can do, that it isn’t a real crime or anything. The situation totally sucks: the guy will make eye contact with you, and it is so obvious that he knows we know — it is like it is some power control thing that helps him get off, I think. Yeah, I have to put up with this shit for barely a buck over minimum wage…
Marcy was talking about filming him sniff seats with her phone and posting it on the internet, but I told her the idea made me nervous: if he found out he’d know it was us, and who knows what kind of sick crap the guy might be capable of — I don’t want some freak, like, killing my cat to get at me, you know…?
So I watch the guy sniff women’s seats and then tap away at his laptop: I’d hate to see the porn he must have on that thing, I bet it’s twisted shit, like serial-killer shit. Maybe this is how it feels to be one of those people who find out the guy they always saw turned out to be a creepy strangler or something: people would then ask you why you didn’t do anything, and it’s like — Hey, I just work at Starbucks, it’s not like I’m some fucking ninja…
Yeah, yeah: No Whip.
I am Laslo.
- Krumhorn
why run shithole stores when you can own shithole country?
The Seattle commenters above pretty much said it all. The Roosevelt Starbucks is about 10 blocks from my house. I don't think I've ever gone there.
Strange. I saw the list of 6 LA locations. All decent neighborhoods or better. 1 inside a business hotel I use when going to court nearby. Seems like just a business decision. Others nearby.
Remember when Howard Schultz ran for POTUS and nobody paid any attention to him? I wonder why that was. I wonder why Democrats ignored him.
Howard Schultz, borderline. Krumhorn has the Dre superpower. He knows the best when he sees it. Althouse is limited in her ability to make the connection. Surprising for an INTJ. It isn't. Closing off information is one of her specialties.
No.
No.
No.
You're kidding, right? In what world would there _ever_ be a Starbucks inside a Whole Foods?
Mea Culpa! I have NEVER been in the Whole Foods, and there was no street presence for the Starbucks. I assumed (ass I made me) that it was in the Whole Foods.
Hell, even my usual Safeway has a Starbucks, and there is no way in hell that location supports "fully satisfy the evolving behaviors, needs and expectations of our partners or customers."
Pretty soon, there won't be ANY businesses in crappy Democrat run cities. Then the violence will move to YOUR town. You can put the blame where it belongs....on the criminally run Democrat party who ushered this hate and violence in when they elected Obama.
MAGA boomers ruin everything.
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