Now the fake account of Starbucks was now removed from the friendster circulation. Thanks to all those who helped us report it to friendster admin and to all those undying fans of Starbucks Coffee. God bless everyone :)
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Drinkers of frothy lattes, European-style macchiatos and syrupy Frappuccinos across the United States were in denial Wednesday as Starbucks fell victim to the economic downturn and announced it was closing 600 coffee shops.
"For more than a year now, we have seen the adverse impact that a slower economy and dramatic decline in consumer confidence have had on our US business," Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, who last year returned to the helm of the company, said in a statement.
"After an extensive and rigorous review of our US store portfolio, our executive and field leadership team has decided to close approximately 600 underperforming company-operated stores in the US market, which includes our previously announced plans to close 100 stores," Schultz said.
Exactly which Starbucks will be shuttered has not yet been announced, but in cities such as Washington, San Francisco or New York, losing a Starbucks here or there would hardly be felt, and seems almost an inevitability.
There are three Starbucks within two blocks of each other near the White House, with one more across a small park -- and yet another one around the corner. That's roughly one Starbucks per city block.
And yet, the manager of one of the Washington Starbucks said he did not think any of the shops in the shadow of the White House will be closed.
"I don't think it will impact the DC area that much, and not our store in particular because we're busy and profitable," he said, asking not to be named.
Chris Lombardi, a journalist who lives in New York's Washington Heights neighborhood, was convinced her local Starbucks would not get the chop either, but for a different reason.
"I'm thinking they won't close my local because there's not another one nearby, as opposed to Greenwich Village where there's one every half block," she said.
Furthermore, Lombardi's local was always packed. "Never any room at the inn," she said.
So was musician and television producer Clint Conley's local Starbucks in Concord, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, and the self-confessed Starbucks addict felt sure that would save it.
"The line of cars out the lot of our local Starbucks backs traffic up through a stop light.... That would seem to suggest our local won't be shuttered," said Conley.
"But perhaps we're all in denial," he added.
Thomasine Lewis-Tilden of California said the closures would help to restore some of Starbucks' brand integrity.
"It's mystifying that they cheapened the brand by McDonalds-izing -- building way too many stores, some so close to another that they cannibalized sales," she told AFP.
"I think cutting back and closing down stores is essential to keeping the integrity of the brand."
San Franciscan Debbie Guardian bemoaned the fate of the several thousand workers who would lose their jobs, but was not sorry that Starbucks was hurting.
"It's not their coffee I don't like but what they represent -- wiping out the small-business cafe and (saying) 'let's rule the world'," she said.
"I miss the little neighborhood cafe.... I miss those dark, speakeasy-looking cafes with wooden tables," she said, recalling an era before Starbucks began a prolific expansion that saw it explode from 677 shops in 1995 to nearly 16,000 last year.
Starbucks coffees don't come cheap, and with Americans doling out more and more money to fill up their cars, many have decided to forego their frothy coffees.
A medium cappuccino at Starbucks costs 3.69 dollars in Washington, or the equivalent of 29.50 dollars per gallon.
Gasoline seems a bargain at 4.08 per gallon.
Twenty-eight percent of US motorists have stopped going to Starbucks or other coffee houses entirely, and 21 percent are going less often due to skyrocketing gas prices, a survey conducted last month by Kelley's Blue Book showed.
For Conley, giving up coffee is as much out of the question as is giving up driving.
"I wish it were as easy as cutting back, but I am deep in the grips of caffeine addiction," Conley told AFP.
(CNN) -- In an effort to alleviate problems facing the company, Starbucks announced that it will close 600 company-run U.S. stores over the next year. Most of the stores are near another Starbucks and aren't profitable.
CNN.com asked iReporters to respond to the news that the coffee giant, known for its saturation of the market, is shuttering some retail locations.
iReporter mattwilliams says he's happy to see some Starbucks go, opening the market for independent coffee shops. Rusty1978 says he can't imagine how Starbucks is in financial trouble, given that his local store is always packed. Cval predicts more people will give up their lattes as the economy tightens.
Below are a selection of iReport responses, some of which have been edited for length and clarity. iReport.com: Share your thoughts on Starbucks here
Stefan: Starbucks Coffee, no doubt, has been a powerhouse phenomenon in the American barista world. The coffee super-giant has not only introduced, but set a national trend in coffee drinking for years to come ... they have created a culture.
Everywhere you look, from street corners, to bookstores and now even supermarkets, there is a Starbucks coffee shop or stand. So what will we do if we no longer have our daily dose of super-charged joe? Go somewhere else.
Since they started becoming a national chain, there has been a rush of smaller coffee shops trying to duplicate the relaxing, welcoming feel of Starbucks, and some do well and even exceed the patron's expectations, offering sofa's, tables, background music and even free internet.
But what about the coffee? As for those specialty drinks, many small coffee shop owners have started sending their employees to barista school, where they learn how to make the "perfect" cup of coffee / espresso with those perfect little beans. ... It is possible we may see a new coffee shop in town; and maybe, just maybe, the "next big thing".
FlashBauer38: I am glad to see Starbucks finally realized you only need one store per city block. I personally do not like or go to Starbucks. I normally get my coffee from Dunkin Donuts on the way to work or buy grounds from them to make at home ... for a reasonable price. I already have to spend $4 a gallon on gas, why would I spend $4 for 12 oz of coffee?
cval: You're kidding me, right? Anyone heard of the Mr. Coffee machine? You can get one for $15, and set it to have your coffee ready for you when you roll out of bed, then it turns off an hour later so as not to burn your house down should you forget to turn it off. Starbucks has always been a luxury item, when people need to get back to basics to survive.
Maybe people are just realizing this, and it is way overdue if you ask me. It's as expensive as smoking, think of all the money you can put into savings if you brew your own coffee.
Johnmcook: "My Starbucks", in the Uptown section of West Village is much more than a place to get a cup of java. It is a real part of the community, a busy, urban, somewhat trendy area near downtown Dallas.
I know each employee by name and they know me. I keep track of their progress through college, another's budding music career, and will attend another's wedding. When on the patio with my Chihuahua, they bring him water to help beat the heat or whipped cream as a treat ...
If you have ever spent time in the UK... you understand the social importance of meeting at the local pub... my Starbucks is the equivalent of that. You come there to get your favorite coffee but you leave with and come back for ... so much more.
rusty1978: Well, amongst all the Starbucks frowners around, I must say it's strong coffee and that's how I like it. I've got a Starbucks in commercial space in my building -- so convenient. I love the Verona, Gold Coast and Kenya blends.
I just can't believe they're not doing good business as most every store is always packed with people -- and they've even raised their prices last year, so I can't understand the closings at all. Someone please explain. Yes, I prefer strong Starbucks coffee in the morning!
mattwilliams: Could I live without Starbucks? The answer is a resounding YES! I live in a small tourist town on the coast of Georgia. Our many different local restaurants provide unique dining experiences with their atmospheres and menus. This is something I fear is being lost because of big chains like Starbucks coming in and replacing local, unique businesses with the same atmosphere and dining experience one could have in Anytown, USA.
So rather than make every little getaway town in this country the very same one Starbucks at a time, I say boycott them all and shut them all down! That won't happen because Starbucks has become part of a routine for so many people.
What would be nice is for the average American consumer to wake up and try to have a unique experience in his or her hometown. Rather than going to that same Starbucks that is so convenient with its drive-thru and perfect location on the way to one's destination, why not take a detour and find a mom-and-pop coffee shoppe, like our own Palm Coast Coffee or Daddy Cate's, and support their brave attempt at making the landscape of where one lives unique.
Nblomq: Definitely a Starbucks Junkie! I moved from Georgia to Arizona last fall, and the first digital picture I sent my girlfriends once I arrived in Tucson was a picture of my first official visitor to my new home ... a Starbucks Chai!
grdpxjmpr: I absolutely could live without Starbucks.
Reason 1: I don't like the taste of Starbucks coffee, especially since they had their closure back in February to make their coffee shop more like a coffee shop. The coffee they have started using since then is terrible.
2. If the Starbucks chain would close some stores, it would allow mom-and-pop-type places to get a footing in the market or allow local smaller chains to expand.
3. Buying beans for home and making your own coffee is substantially less expensive than getting coffee every day from Starbucks. In this economy, being able to pinch pennies helps.
MrRealtor: I hate to say this, but I just like a good ole cup of coffee, and that cannot be found at a Starbucks. Even their most mild coffee is terribly bitter. Will I miss them? No. I would miss a 99-cent cup of coffee from 7-11 worse than a $4.50 cup of yuck from Starbucks.
Blueken: In my entire life, I have had exactly one coffee from Starbucks. Nothing special. I'm not a coffee snob, of course, but I do like a pure Kona roast. I get my caffeine fix at the local gas station. Fresh brewed, $1.49. I predict overpriced microbrew beer is the next to take a hit as the economy gets real.
IchDenke: Yep, Starbucks is too pricey, too burnt and too mega for me! Gimme a hometown-y joint that ain't too expensive and supports our veterans like Just Plain Joe's, and I'm OK! :)
Just send all your pictures for the LOYAL FANS album of Starbucks Coffee at iloveu_starbucks@yahoo.com and we will upload it as soon as possible. Thank you and keep loving Starbucks ! :)
copy and paste the codes below to your page, website, blog, email, etc. and show your support to starbucks and help the official friendster fan page of starbucks coffee to gain more fans and supporters!
keep loving starbucks! :)
<div style="text-align: center; width: 150px;"> <a href="http://profiles.friendster.com/starbuckscoffeee" style="color: #528bc0; font-family: verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10px;" onmouseover="this.style.color='#ff6619'" onmouseout="this.style.color='#528bc0'"> <img src="http://images.friendster.com/images/friendster_logo1.gif" alt="" border="0" width="100"/><br/> <img src="http://photos-134.friendster.com/e1/photos/43/11/54021134/1_204109023s.jpg" alt="" border="0" width="100"/><br/> </a> </div>
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) is a transnational coffee and coffeehouse chain company based in the United States. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world,[1] with 15,011 stores in 44 countries.[2] Starbucks sells drip brewed coffee, espresso-based hot drinks, other hot and cold drinks, snacks and items such as mugs and coffee beans. Through the Starbucks Entertainment division and Hear Music brand, the company also markets books, music, and film. Many of these products are seasonal or specific to the locality of the store. Starbucks brand ice cream and coffee are also sold at grocery stores.
From Starbucks' founding in Seattle, Washington, as a local coffee bean roaster and retailer, Starbucks has expanded rapidly. In the 1990s, the company was opening a new store every workday, a pace that continued into the 2000s. Domestic growth has since slowed, although the company continues to expand in foreign markets and is opening 7 stores a day worldwide. The first location outside of the U.S. and Canada was established in 1996, and they now constitute almost one third of Starbucks' stores.[3] As of November 2007, Starbucks had 8,505 company-owned outlets worldwide: 6,793 of them in the United States and 1,712 in other countries and U.S. territories. In addition, the company has 6,506 joint-venture and licensed outlets, 3,891 of them in the United States and 2,615 in other countries and U.S. territories. This brings the total locations (as of November 2007) to 15,011 worldwide.[2] Starbucks can be found in many popular grocery chains in the U.S. and Canada, as well as in many airports. Starbucks was recently ranked number fifteen on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's list of Top 25 Green Power Partners for purchases of renewable energy.[4]
Starbucks' corporate headquarters are in Seattle, Washington, United States. As of January 2008, the members of the company's board of directors are Howard Schultz (Chair), Barbara Bass, Howard Behar, Bill Bradley, Mellody Hobson, Olden Lee, James Shennan, Jr., Javier Teruel, Myron Ullman, III, and Craig Weatherup.
The original Starbucks was opened in Seattle, Washington, in 1971 by three partners: English teacher Jerry Baldwin, history teacher Zev Siegel, and writer Gordon Bowker. The three were inspired by Alfred Peet, whom they knew personally, to open their first store in Pike Place Market to sell high-quality coffee beans and equipment. The original Starbucks location was at 2000 Western Avenue from 1971-1976. That store then moved to 1912 Pike Place; it is still open. During their first year of operation, they purchased green coffee beans from Peet's, then began buying directly from growers.
Entrepreneur Howard Schultz joined the company in 1982, and, after a trip to Milan, advised that the company sell coffee and espresso drinks as well as beans. The owners rejected this idea, believing that getting into the beverage business would distract the company from its primary focus. To them, coffee was something to be prepared in the home. Certain that there was much money to be made selling drinks to on-the-go Americans, Schultz started the Il Giornale coffee bar chain in 1985.
In 1984, the original owners of Starbucks, led by Baldwin, took the opportunity to purchase Peet's (Baldwin still works there today). In 1987, they sold the Starbucks chain to Schultz's Il Giornale, which rebranded the Il Giornale outlets as Starbucks and quickly began to expand. Starbucks opened its first locations outside Seattle at Waterfront Station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (which now has more locations than anywhere in the world)[citation needed] and Chicago, Illinois, United States that same year. At the time of its initial public offering on the stock market in 1992, Starbucks had grown to 165 outlets.
The first Starbucks location outside of North America opened in Tokyo in 1996. Starbucks entered the U.K. market in 1998 with the acquisition of the then 60-outlet, UK-based Seattle Coffee Company, re-branding all its stores as Starbucks. By November 2005, London had more outlets than Manhattan,[5] a sign of Starbucks becoming an international brand.
In 1999, Starbucks experimented with eateries in the San Francisco Bay area through a restaurant chain called Circadia.[6] These restaurants were soon "outed" as Starbucks establishments and converted to Starbucks cafes.
In April 2003, Starbucks completed the purchase of Seattle's Best Coffee and Torrefazione Italia from AFC Enterprises, bringing the total number of Starbucks-operated locations worldwide to more than 6,400. On September 14, 2006, rival Diedrich Coffee announced that it would sell most of its company-owned retail stores to Starbucks. This sale includes the company-owned locations of the Oregon-based Coffee People chain. Starbucks representatives have been quoted as saying they will convert the Diedrich Coffee and Coffee People locations to Starbucks stores.[7][8]
Starbucks' chairman, Howard Schultz, has talked about making sure growth doesn't dilute the company's culture [9] and the common goal of the company's leadership to act like a small company.
In January 2008, Chairman Howard Schultz resumed his roles as President and Chief Executive Officer after an eight year hiatus, and replaced Jim Donald, who took those posts in 2005 but decided to leave the company in late 2007. Schultz's principal challenge is to restore what he calls the "distinctive Starbucks experience" in the face of rapid expansion. Analysts believe that Schultz must determine how to contend with higher materials prices and enhanced competition from lower-price fast food chains, including McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts. [10] On January 31, 2008, Schultz announced that Starbucks would discontinue its warm breakfast sandwich products, originally scheduled to launch nationwide in 2008, in order to refocus the brand on all things coffee.
As Starbucks often tests new products as part of its ongoing innovation and transformation, Starbucks started testing selling an 8 oz "short" brewed coffee for $1 and giving free refills on all brewed coffee. This test was limited to the greater Seattle market, with no plans for expansion to national markets. Per an internal email this program was cancelled in late March 2008. The normal price for a short brewed coffee at Starbucks is about $1.50, when Dunkin' Donuts 10 ounce coffee runs for $1.39 and McDonalds' 12 ounce premium coffee is $1.07. [11]
In March 2008, Schultz made several announcements to Starbucks shareholders. Shultz introduced Starbucks' "state of the art espresso system",,[12] the Thermoplan AG manufactured Mastrena, which will replace the Verismo 801. Starbucks also announced that the company hopes to enter the energy drink market and introduce a customer reward program. Pre-ground beans will also no longer be sold, in order that the additional grinding of all whole bean coffee will "bring aroma, romance and theater" to American stores. [13] The company also announced the recent acquisition of The Coffee Equipment Company,[14] the manufacturer of the Clover Brewing System. They are currently test marketing this unique "fresh-pressed" coffee system at six Starbucks locations, three in Seattle, and three in Boston.[15
Starbucks serves a variety of beverages including brewed coffee, hot chocolate, espresso, teas, and Frappuccino. Also available are bottled beverages including Naked Juice, Ethos water, San Pellegrino, Izze soda, and Horizon Organic Milk.
Cappuccinos, and all other beverages with steamed-milk and/or foam can be customized to order with pumps of flavored syrups, reasonable temperature changes and additional espresso shots. Starbucks also offers blended beverages, such as the "Frappuccino Blended Coffee", a flavored drink of coffee, milk, and sugar blended with ice. The name is a portmanteau of frappé and cappuccino and was introduced in 1995. Starbucks markets seasonal beverages as well, such as the Pumpkin Spice Latte (Thanksgiving), Gingerbread Latte, Peppermint Mocha, Eggnog Latte (Christmas), and Leprechaun Latte (St. Patrick's Day). There is also seasonal brewed coffee, like the "Christmas Blend" of whole bean coffee.
Starbucks supplements the beverage offerings with pastries, ready-to-eat salads and sandwiches, coffee merchandise, at-home brewing equipment, and whole bean coffee.
Starbucks sells a variety of ready-to-eat and drink products that are kosher, but due to business hours and sandwich products a Starbucks store cannot be certified 'kosher' according to Jewish law.[16]
Starbucks does not franchise with individuals within North America but does enter into licensing arrangements with some companies.[17] One example is of Starbucks store locations in airports, most of which are operated by HMSHost, owned by the Italian Autogrill group. Other licensed locations include grocery stores,theme parks, major food services corporations, university campuses and hospitals. In addition, Starbucks has partnered with Magic Johnson's Johnson Development Corporation to form Urban Coffee Opportunities, which opens retail locations in low-income urban areas.[18]
There are usually from two to six partners (as Starbucks employees are called), all of them trained baristas, in each retail store at any one time. Black aprons labeled "Coffee Master" are worn by employees who have completed the Coffee Master course, which educates employees in not only the tasting, but also growing regions, roasting, and purchasing (including fair trade practices) aspects of the coffee industry.
In the United States and Canada Starbucks offers full benefits such as health, dental, and vision insurance, as well as stock-option grants and 401(k) with matching to employees who work an average of at least 20 hours per week. Each employee can receive a box of tea or a pound (0.45kg) of coffee each week if they choose. As of 2008, Starbucks was ranked by Fortune magazine as the 7th best company to work for in the United States, up from 16th in 2007. In 2006 it was ranked 29th and in 2005 it was 11th.[19] Starbucks was also voted as one of the top ten UK workplaces by the Financial Times in 2007.
Starbucks envisions local outlets as a "third place" (besides home and work) to spend time, and store design is intended to achieve this. The café section of the store is often outfitted with stuffed chairs and tables with hard-backed chairs. Most stores provide free electricity for customers, and many stores also provide wireless internet access (provided in American stores by AT&T[20] in Canadian stores by Bell Mobility[21] and T-Mobile in the UK.)
The company is noted for its non-smoking policy at almost all of its outlets, despite predictions that this would never succeed in markets such as Germany, which used to have few restrictions on smoking. This has changed in 2007 with many German states issuing smoking bans for restaurants and bars. Outlets in Vienna and Mexico City, which have smoking rooms separated by double doors from the coffee shop itself, and a smoking room upstairs in the Largo do Senado, Macau, branch are the closest the company has come to making exceptions. According to the company, the smoking ban is to ensure that the coffee aroma is not adulterated. The company also asks its employees to refrain from wearing strong perfumes for similar reasons.[22] Starbucks generally does not prohibit smoking in outside seating areas, unless required by local codes. Howard Schultz has said, "We're in the business of human connection and humanity, creating communities in a third place between home and work."
Stores are now found in Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Chile, People's Republic of China (including Hong Kong & Macau), Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia,[23] Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States of America.
New stores will be opened in Belgium,[24] Argentina,[25] Bulgaria,[26] Colombia,[27] Hungary,[28] Poland,[29] Portugal,[30] & Venezuela [31].
Starbucks U.S. Brands, LLC, is a Starbucks-owned company that currently holds and owns the property rights to approximately 120 Starbucks Coffee Company patents and trademarks. It is located at 2525 Starbucks Way in Minden, Nevada.[32]
The company is named in part after Starbuck, Captain Ahab's first mate in the book Moby-Dick, as well as a turn-of-the-century mining camp (Starbo or Storbo) on Mount Rainier. According to Howard Schultz's book Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time, the name of the company was derived from Moby-Dick, although not in as direct a fashion as many assume. Gordon Bowker liked the name "Pequod" (the ship in the novel), but his then creative partner Terry Heckler responded, "No one's going to drink a cup of Pee-quod!" Heckler suggested "Starbo." Brainstorming with these two ideas resulted in the company being named for the Pequod's first mate, Starbuck.[33]
International names include:
The logo is a "twin-tailed siren" (the siren of Greek mythology).[35] The logo has been significantly streamlined over the years. In the first version, which gave the impression of an authentic 15th century European woodcut, the Starbucks siren was topless and had a fully-visible double fish tail. The image also had a rough visual texture. In the second version, her breasts were covered by her flowing hair, but her navel was still visible, and the fish tail was cropped slightly. In the current version, her navel and breasts are not visible at all, and only vestiges remain of the fish tails. The original "woodcut" logo can still be seen on the Starbucks store in Seattle's Pike Place Market, and on both the 'House Blend' and 'Decaf House Blend' Packaging.
At the beginning of September 2006, Starbucks temporarily reintroduced its original brown logo on paper hot drink cups. Starbucks has stated that this was done to show the company's heritage from the Pacific Northwest and to celebrate 35 years of business. The vintage logo sparked some controversy due to the siren's bare breasts. In September 2006, an elementary school principal in Kent, Washington reportedly asked teachers to "cover up" the mermaid on the retro cups.[35] In early April 2008 Starbucks introduced a modified version of its original brown logo on hot beverage cups and holding sleeves with the 'Back to Basics' campaign. The modified version features hair covering the nipples of the siren.
