Your local Starbucks - is it still open?

[dd74]

So I imagine you guys heard Starbucks closed 600 stores nationwide today. Over-expansion, too many stores in too small an area resulting in store-to-store cannibalizing, competition from McDonald's (cheaper) coffee drinks, and an overall poor economy, are the main reasons.

Anyway, here's a link to a list of all the store closings in the U.S.

http://beat.bodoglife.com/entertainment/starbucks-closing-list-released-78954.html




And remember, decaf solves nothing...

[Joeaksa]

Ho Hum....

For us non-coffee drinkers, its a non-event...

[Danny_Ocean]

600 stores?!? No way...

[Joeaksa]

Ho Hum....

For us non-coffee drinkers, its a non-event...

[dd74]

Joe - are you a tea man?

[rouxroux]

They closed 9 in Baton Rouge, but only 1 here (and it was in a HORRIBLE "hood" location anyway)...Never figured out why it opened in the 1st place. I kid you not, there are a few places close to us where you can actually SEE 3 Starbucks locations from 1 spot.

[BRPORSCHE]

wow, just checkc that list. Almost every single starbucks is being closed in Baton Rouge. Minus the one in the LSU unioun. I have taken girls on dates to almost all of them.

Depressing.

[Danny_Ocean]

Originally Posted by rouxroux

They closed 9 in Baton Rouge, but only 1 here (and it was in a HORRIBLE "hood" location anyway)...Never figured out why it opened in the 1st place.

Magic Johnson opened one in "da hood" here to provide jobs/Starbucks for the local community (they had an alternate menu, including "peach cobbler"). That one is on the list to be closed. Not sure how corporate can pull the plug on a privately owned franchise...

[Danny_Ocean]

Just ten short years ago:

New Starbucks Opens In Rest Room Of Existing Starbucks
June 27, 1998 | Issue 33•20

CAMBRIDGE, MA—Starbucks, the nation's largest coffee-shop chain, continued its rapid expansion Tuesday, opening its newest location in the men's room of an existing Starbucks.

"Coffee lovers just can't stand being far from their favorite Starbucks gourmet blends," said Chris Tuttle, Starbucks vice-president of franchising. "Now, people can enjoy a delicious Frappuccino or espresso just about any time they please, even while defecating."

The new men's-room-based Starbucks, the coffee giant's 1,531st U.S. location, will be open to both men and women when not "in use." In addition to offering specialty coffees from around the world, it will serve freshly baked pastries, Italian pannini sandwiches and soups, as well as the rest room's usual selection of toilet paper and soap.

"This is a great addition," said Jonathan Connolly, a Boston-area banker who tried out the new Starbucks Tuesday. "I was enjoying my usual triple mocha latté in the main Starbucks, and I had to go to the bathroom, where three people were in line to use the stalls. The wait might have been a problem, but, to my great pleasure, there was another Starbucks right there, ready to serve me more delicious coffee. And the baristas were helpful and courteous."

Connolly added that after he finished drinking his coffee and using the bathroom, he stayed for a poetry reading near the urinals.

"I was a little bit worried about the new restaurant cutting into our business," said Dave Grobelkowski, manager of the original Starbucks. "But the only people going there are ones who have already purchased items from us anyway. And if we run out of stirrers or cream, we can just go to the bathroom and borrow some."

According to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, the new location represents the beginning of a long-term expansion plan.

"Eventually, Starbucks rest rooms everywhere will sell coffee," Schultz said. "But that ambitious scheme is at least five years down the road. In the meantime, we plan to open an additional location in this Starbucks' ladies' room within months, and are already drafting plans for a fourth restaurant along the corridor leading from the main seating area to the rest rooms. At some point a 'Star-bucks Express' window will eventually open in the walk-in closet of the men's room Starbucks."

"Drink our coffee," Schultz said. "Drink it."



http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29030

[island911]

The startup costs for opening stores is huge.

Actually, Starbucks has/had a machine like approach to building up new spaces/stores. (a buddy of mine was their land/space planner)

Starbucks did all kinds of saturation studies ...by simply opening stores. One place in Seattle you could see 5 stores.

I notice that only 7 Stores are being closed in Seattle. I'm guessing that most of the stores closing simply have not been worthwhile.

[dd74]

Originally Posted by Danny_Ocean

Magic Johnson opened one in "da hood" here to provide jobs/Starbucks for the local community (they had an alternate menu, including "peach cobbler"). That one is on the list to be closed. Not sure how corporate can pull the plug on a privately owned franchise...

I saw that too; I've been to the Starbucks on Crenshaw near Manchester. A couple times, in fact.

Yeah, it's strange. I think Magic Johnson owns both those Starbucks that are on the list in L.A. Supposedly, he's the only person Starbucks has allowed to own a franchise.

[dd74]

Originally Posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts

The McDonald's iced coffee drinks are pretty darn good...

+1. They are good. McDonald's is really doing well with their new image. I predicted this year their coffee drinks would eat deeply into Starbucks.

Originally Posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts

I can't help but think this is a losing strategy. Open a whole bunch of stores, and then just close them when the economy is soft? The startup costs for opening stores is huge. I wonder what would happen if they lowered prices in some of these troubled stores? I think they stick to a standard, uniform pricing model across the country, which in Business 101, is really not the way to do it.

Just thinking...

-Wayne

Remember about four or five months ago when every Starbucks in the country (maybe the world), closed for a day? What Starbucks did that day was retrain their employees. CEO Schultz and the board decided to not lower prices, but rather increase the shots of espresso they put in their coffee to level off a growing lack of consumer confidence in Starbucks' coffee drinks. It hasn't worked so far. Their drinks are just stronger, but not necessarily better. And their prices have increased due to -- yes -- speculators - the same, in fact, who've jacked up fuel prices.

And their food sucks (except for the cookies). I wouldn't touch one of those wilted-looking Starbucks salads even if they paid me to eat it. Anything at McDonald's will at least be fresher.

This reminds me of what did in the Warner Bros. Studio Stores. Massive expansion with massive saturation of mediocre product that had no imagination.

Stuff like that kills a franchise every time.

[Danny_Ocean]

Re: Magic Johnson - Google News shows several articles, but no real explanation:

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&tab=wn&ned=us&q=%22Magic+Johnson%22+Starbucks&btnG=Search

[dd74]

Originally Posted by island911

Actually, Starbucks has/had a machine like approach to building up new spaces/stores. (a buddy of mine was their land/space planner)

Starbucks did all kinds of saturation studies ...by simply opening stores. One place in Seattle you could see 5 stores.

I notice that only 7 Stores are being closed in Seattle. I'm guessing that most of the stores closing simply have not been worthwhile.

That might be wrong. There's an update that says Starbucks actually closed 616 stores nationwide. The additional 16 stores they killed are in Seattle.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/retailreport/2008060326_retailreportdige19starbucks.html

[island911]

Originally Posted by dd74

That might be wrong. There's an update that says Starbucks actually closed 616 stores nationwide. The additional 16 stores they killed are in Seattle.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/retailreport/2008060326_retailreportdige19starbucks.html

I'm not seeing that.
They have a related story that says 19 closed for the whole state. Where does it say an additional 16 in Seattle?

[dd74]

Originally Posted by island911

I'm not seeing that.
They have a related story that says 19 closed for the whole state. Where does it say an additional 16 in Seattle?

Yeah, I misread that. But meanwhile, here's a blog that suggests 19 Starbucks will close in Seattle by March 2009.

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/spi/archives/143869.asp

Although Washington state patriotism will undoubtedly sink, as the state flag, a naked mermaid, will no longer light 19 street corners in Seattle.

[island911]

hmmm.... that too claims 19 closed for the whole state.

...tho they do seem to confuse Seattle and Washington.

[island911]

personally, I think they would be smart to loose those in-Grocery store Starbucks... which are w/in a few hundred feet of a full Starbucks.

[azasadny]

I went into a Starbucks once (to buy a coffee maker) and the Starbucks in Oxford, OH gave me a free coffee one year during "Porsches to Oxford", other than that, I've never patronized them.

[JeremyD]

I'll agree with Wayne on the pricing models - Not sure they make sense for some of the lesser locations. I used to frequent - naw I take that back - an every once in awhile - maybe if I'm meeting someone otherwise - too pricey - to fru fru - I like my coffee strong and black.