GOOD! Why good? If you are going to pay me $4+ for anything than that is what I will charge you. Don't shame me when it is your choice, shame on you.

Good!? Tell that to the two sixty plus year old women I have working in my low-volume store. Tell them that you think its "good" for them, and that they may have to find health insurance somewhere else since Starbucks was providing it for them. In addition, yes we charge quite a bit for coffee, which provides EVERY SINGLE PARTNER working: vacation, stock sharing, health care, tuition reimbursement and much more! Regardless if you like our coffee or not, take a second and think about what cheap inexpensive and low-priced goods do for the employees of WALMART…NOTHING!

It's about time that they close some stores! I don't care who works there or why. Tell your sob story about the poor little workers that need the insurance but forget to mention that they make next to nothing for the job they do. The company under Donald was making extremely large mistakes. I mean Who the hell ever heard of any company opening a one of their own stores to compete with one of their existing ones. JUST PLAIN STUPID.

Yeah sure, I may have been rushed and made very easily seen grammar mistakes but hey sometimes it happens.

Really though, I know "Starbucks is a great company to work for" and "Starbucks treats their employees (partners) really well" are the mantras that each and every Starbucks employee is supposed to say to each and everyone they know or meet but a company with COFFEE in it's name that does more to pass of sub-par music, movies, mugs, brewing equipment, pastries, and sandwiches has lost touch with it's basic customer, the guy that just wants a good cup of coffee.

If Starbucks wanted to offer a better bean, one that wasn't over-roasted, or offer a better espresso that might make sense. However, when I go into a store and ask for a doppio espresso and some slack-jawed stoner pushes a button to brew it, I lose interest in going back for seconds or ever again.

Starbucks has time and time again removed the artistic allure of fresh brewed coffee that made them so great. When baristas had to know how to "pull a shot" and actually brewed fresh coffee, I can't tell you how many times I have been in stores when that little red light on the coffee urn was flashing or they were just plain out of coffee. How the heck can that happen in a store that is supposed to be selling coffee? I'll tell you, the people that work there could give a damn about the whole of the coffee world.

When you pay some trained monkey less than $10.00 an hour, only give them around 20 to 30 hours a week, ask them to do the work of three people for the pay of one (or in most cases less than what anyone should make) you start to see the slide to the McDonaldization of a company.

Grow-up, smell the coffee. Starbucks deserves to see a big financial hit. For not doing all that they promised and for passing on filth in a cup and calling it coffee.

Well I for one couldn't be happier to see the mighty giant fall. Not only is Starbucks and it's Batista's "Fancy word for coffee makers", the most snobbiest lot I have ever seen, the coffee isn't that good, and way, way to expensive for what you get. Your talking about a company that started off in Seattle, one of the yuppie capitols of the world where they could get that kind of money for their gut rot, and the yuppie atmosphere and snootiness is what brought the yuppies there. Then every college kid is taught to be rich and famous these days so they wanted to be like the yuppies, it was the cool thing to do. Not the smartest thing necessarily. What this did was drive up the price of coffee the world over even in the grocery stores to a level that people can't even afford anymore. Sure Gas and transportation and food are going to win over a beverage that costs more than a bottle of beer for heavens sake. They deserve this fall from grace and I hope Dunkin Donuts, McDonald's, and anyone else that has copied them and tried to hope on the gravy train the same luck. Have you seen a new McDonald's lately, can you say Starbucks.

I had to make one more comment. I love the post about the old ladies working at Starbucks and how they are going to lose thier wonderful jobs and benefits. How dare we act like this attitude. SO WHAT?! I've lost my job in the tech community at least 3 or 4 times due to outsourcing and jobs going over seas. Nobody cried over spilled milk for me and I am totally disabled and continue to try and work. Nobody did nothing for me when I lost my home of ten years due to foreclosure and bankruptcy. Nobody came to help me and my 3 small kids. Get a life, get real, and grow up.
Not to mention that I don't go to Starbucks to help little old ladies, their benefit's, or their income, I go to buy a cup of coffee. I expect it to be good if not outstanding, and I expect to pay a fair price for it. I could care less that some old lady is losing her job and benefits, tell her to go to Walmart and be a greeter for heavens sake.

Boy, you are a bitter man. You want to deprive other people because you got screwed. Nice attitude; you are not a good member of the community who wants the best for everyone, including yourself. Comparing yourself to those ladies is like comparing apples and oranges. Nasty and mean spirited.

Your talking about a company that started off in Seattle, one of the yuppie capitols of the world

EdwR,

You know, I really hate to break this to you, cause you sound like you have some real anger issue's that maybe you might want to vent elsewhere.

But did you ever think that just maybe, some of those Seattle "yuppie's" also run the Web site you are on, the one that owns it, a good chance the software that run your computer and also if you have ever left your state, even the plane that you might have flown on. ? Do you really think that the only people that live in Seattle are "snotty coffee drinking yuppie's" ? My guess is you never have placed a foot in the state of Washington. Ever Town has different groups of people, however, you are way off the mark on this one. Sorry guy. Seattle is pretty well know for a very acceptable group of people.

$5-6 per cup? Have you ever been to a Starbucks?

You are an idiot!! I bet you have never even been in a Starbucks! As a current employee in the St. Louis area, a large cup of coffee is $1.96. We OFFER other drinks and make any drink to the customers request. I quit my full time professional position to go back to school and started working part-time at Starbucks. I am 46 years old and can tell you that Starbucks is the best company I have ever worked for. They treat their employees wonderful. They are the only company I know of, that will provide health insurance for a 20 hour work week. Not to mention, all the coffee farmers around the world that now have schools, clean running water, etc. in remote areas all around the world.

You should educate yourself before leaving comments on a public space. "Starbucks in financial trouble, who cares?" EVERYONE should care. Talk to any financial advisor or someone in the money market and you will learn that, as Starbucks goes, so goes the nation. YOU should care, because this is yet another bad sign for the sinking American economy. Whether you like Starbucks or not, think about the economic impact this will have on the Nation, do you realize this is putting possibly up to 12,000 people in the unemployment line? Not a good thing for our country.

Oh, and by the way, a cup of coffee at Starbucks costs $2.00, a gallon of gas...$4.00. You could fill your car cheaper with Starbucks coffee than with gasoline. Do the Math! And Educate yourself before opening your mouth.

How many cups in a gallon einstein?

You could not fill your car cheaper with starbucks coffee. 1 cup is far less than one gallon. I'll give you a hint - it's less than half.

One day when you're not too busy knowing everything place a gallon milk carton next to a cup of coffee and tell me how 2.00 for a cup is a better deal than 4.00 a gallon.

You got a lot of nerve talking about education.

Ok, so cups don't convert into gallons, I get it. Do you get my point about the bigger picture, did you read anything else in the post?

I work at Starbucks and it truly is an amazing company, and it does great things for coutless communities in this country... it is sad that some people will lose thier jobs but on a brighter note there are 1,200 jobs at rish not 12,000 like jen quoted!

Thank you jenn-360894!!!!!

Jim, you need a course in macroeconomics.

Everyone is in financial trouble. Bear-Sterns, etc. You can choose not to care about Starbucks, but your perspective is microscopic. Gas, gas, gas. We are all going into the toilet, with Starbucks.

Start paying attention; you can put it together if you try really hard. None of these companies exist in isolation of the entire economy!!

Not to mention, all the coffee farmers around the world that now have schools, clean running water, etc. in remote areas all around the world.

Sure, and that's why only 6% of the coffee Starbuck's purchases are at Fair Trade prices. So think of what the coffee giant coudlve done for their 'image' had they thought more about the global community and less about opening so many stores that they oversaturated the marketplace.

It will be sad to see people being layed-off, but its just another sign of the times.

When I can either put a gallon of gas in my car or buy a couple of cups of coffee, the choice for coffee is no longer a viable option.

Mike, per the article here and every other one on the internet, it's 12,000 jobs. 1200 would be only two per store.

I get a large cup for $1.95. You must get all that other junk added to yours.

vesey - I'm sorry, I can't read what you're trying to say. Was that meant to be one long sentence? There's this little key on either side of your keyboard with the word "Shift" on it. There's a reason it's there, and it's not to try to make your job harder but to help others understand what you're saying. Or, is it just all about what works best for you? Sorry to be harsh, but WTF?

versey obviously has been drinking too much of the stuff

This is one of those "urban legends". I looked it up on snopes.com (just do a search for Starbucks), and found that it's false. Newsvine won't let me include the link here, and snopes.com won't let me do a copy and paste. So if you're interested enough to research the facts, you'll have to go there yourself. Sorry!

...and if you forward that to all of your friends, Bill Gates will send you $1,000.
www.snopes.com /politics/military/starbucks.asp

(remove the space between the .com and the slashie)

u think starbucks is high, have you bought a package of chips lately?

Actually, I like Starbucks. I drank an iced latte there this afternoon. I can afford the coffee because I have a nice job and few other expenses. I don't have children (thank god) so I can pay a bit more for a nice cup of coffee and a friendly atmosphere. Most of what I'm reading here is sour grapes. I don't understand why so many people hate Starbucks. Jealous, perhaps?

Wow, Wilfred, I live in the Seattle area and in all the years I've been going, I have never been treated with anything less than respect, humor and great personalities! This is why I am loyal to Starbucks (of course, being from the Seattle area doesn't hurt), but I have to say, I pay a little more because of the atmosphere and the nice service people. Other places never quite compare for me.

I usually get a $2.77 tall nonfat latte, so I don't have too much guilt and I try to keep getting one to two times a week, if possible. I have a latte machine at home, but since I don't go out to dinner, try to stay out of the malls to shop, and we hardly ever go on vacation since the economy and gas prices suck, I need ONE THING to look forward to, and if it is an indulgent cup of coffee made for me by someone else, so be it! They just opened a drive-through Starbucks around the corner from me, and I am in heaven! Also, the bigger one down the street from us is still consistently packed, so I'm not sure where these empty Starbucks people are talking about are located.

Liz, I'm with you. I've NEVER had a bad experience in a Starbucks. The coffee is great and the atmosphere is congenial for the most part. I like the baristas, and they tend to remember my usual order. Again, I say that most of the hate mongers here are just jealous!

I enjoy a Starbucks coffee every so often, but with the prices of everything going up faster than my paycheck, I have cut back. Now, I too have run into a few employees that do not get the "Starbucks customer service" motto, but that was in San Francisco and St. Louis. That did not turn me off, though, I just made it a point to get them engaged in conversation. It is good for a company to realize that they over expanded. They are not closing down completely, just cutting back and getting their stores back on track. It is sad for the workers as Starbucks is awesome to their employees. It is a discretionary product and when financial times are tough it is the discretionary products and companies that suffer.

Liz71358@31.1-

Wow, Wilfred, I live in the Seattle area and in all the years I've been going, I have never been treated with anything less than respect, humor and great personalities!

I lived in Seattle for eight years and enjoyed Starbucks while there. In that climate you need a latte or two just to get going under those dreary skies.

However, after leaving Seattle for N. California I realized that both Starbucks service and their coffee suck outside of Seattle. Baristas are snooty and they can't pull a good espresso to save thier lives. Around here there are better options. (Peets). Plus many, many independents.

I think we can survive with only three Starbuck's at every intersection.

Have you been to every Starbucks outside of N. California and Seattle? Because I'm sure you haven't. Even before I worked at Starbucks I was treated with the utmost respect to each one I visited in my state.

Since I have traveled well over 3 million miles just in frequent flyer milage, there are a pretty decent number of Starbucks I have hit myself and I have in almost all cases gotten a excellent product and was very well treated. The few times that service was not so great were at the tiny Kiosks at some of the larger airports are not directly owned by Starbucks. Sure in everytown, I have gone to some that have not been the best, but over all, they have been very good.

Sorry for being snippy, but the part in your comment earlier about baristas outside Seattle are "snooty and can't pull shots to save their lives" seemed directed at all Starbucks outside Seattle.

Barista Jacqui,

I think your reaction was just right for the comment. I don't work for Starbucks, but I have watched Starbucks grow from local coffee shop in the 70's on Western Avenue to what it is now and "Snooty or lack of knowledge on coffee skills" is not something that I would ever connect to Starbucks in any way and I am pretty demanding on find places that provide good service as that is what bring people back.

Sure you run into overworked locations at times or people not up to speed yet, but those are a rare cases out of many. I always visit Starbucks on travel or take some with me and that has been my brand for almost 40 years. So my guess ? Maybe 5000 visits to Starbucks and I would say perhaps 2 of those were not the best. That is ,04 %...That is pretty darn good service in my books.

You have nothing in the world to say your sorry about. That comment was directed at All Starbucks outside of Seattle (The way I read it) and thats just not the way it is, I would say we get spoiled more in Seattle, but I have had excellent service in many other locations also. However, Airports I will leave out of that part,,They do need some work,,

Thanks. And I agree with you on the Airports.

Why don't you just ask for milk in your chai ? People do all the time. Soy milk is often used with Chai for people (like me) that have to watch out for too much milk. But Milk Chai's have been available before they had Soy Chai's.

I have always preferrred Caribou to Starbucks but that is becasue I am from MN and Caribou is much easier to find up there. As for the people complaining about the prices and/or service,no one sayd you have to shop at Starbucks or any other coffee chain for that matter. Brew it yourself!!

A cup of coffee does not cost five bucks at starbucks. What is five dollars is basically a dessert in a cup. Everyone keeps on saying their coffee is overpriced. and how it cost four or five bucks. It is not the coffee. It is the chocolate and everything else the obese people are buying and calling it coffee.

Thanks for making my point

Jim,

I am sorry you have no pleasure in your life. What makes you so bitter? You continue to miss the bigger picture here...are you this elated about Ford closing some of their plants and laying off thousands of people? Are you this elated when other companies have to close their doors and tell their employess to find other jobs? Will you be this elated if the company you work for has to close because our economy sucks so bad?

My life is just fine thank you. However, unlike you, I do see the big picture. Corporate greed honey, and all the schmucks like you that buy into it. It's all around us Jenn. The political machine is grinding us all down.

If you ever paid five bucks for a cup of coffee, then you are the idiot. I've never paid five bucks for a cup of coffee. It sounds like you are just spreading lies. Stop it.

Ok, pay attention: Starbucks does NOT charge $4.00 for a cup of coffee. They charge $1.95. What most people who patronize Starbucks drink is an overly sweetened, high-calorie, high fat, faux-European style espresso-based beverage that really has no resemblance to "coffee". In fact, as far as my experience tells me, most people I know who have tried Starbucks brewed coffee, can't stand the stuff.

It's ok to hate Starbucks and everything they stand for, just try to state facts, not hype...

Starbucks does not charge $4 for an 8 oz coffee.

The $4 price is for its "specialty" drinks.

Their "regular" coffee is 12 oz (you have to ask for an 8oz, called a "short") and is somewhere around $2.

Still more than I want to pay for coffee.

same here. it's a treat for me. and i cannot duplicate the taste at home using their coffee beans (which i grind at home). do i need a $1000 home espresso machine? filtered water?

yes, filtered water does help. The "elements" of great coffee are : water, proportion freshness, and grind. As for what everyone else says about Starbucks being an evil corporate giant, I have to disagree. Starbucks is ensuring that my kids do not have to be on state assistance and insurance. My husband is a veteran and trying to make it in civilian life after 5 years of service has been tough. Starbucks gives my family benefits, and gives me a place to really better myself, career-wise. I have learned a lot about managing a retail store, and am moving up rapidly. I am helping to provide for my family in a way I did not know possible when I was staying home for years to raise my kids. I work very hard to provide these things for my family, and I could work just as hard somewhere else for crappy pay, no insurance, and little to no advancement opportunity. I like our coffee because I know that my money is going to paying employees well, providing benefits, and helping farming communities in other countries. I would rather pay the extra cash, even in hard times, then spend it somewhere else where it is all going into someones pocket. I appreciate this company, and Howard Schultz for making it so employee oriented. Not everyone has to love the coffee we serve... just like not everyone loves the fries at Burger King, but I think this company does deserve some respect for it's unwavering commitment to it's partners.

you go girl. kudos for you for doing what you do. i have a lot of respect for a company that takes care of its employees, especially those that provide part-timers with health care. it says a lot about about their values in that respect. and i do like starbucks coffees & specialty drinks, no matter what others are saying here. there is a difference, and yes, i choose to pay close to $4 for my grande sugar-free vanilla lattes every now and then.

Makes gas look cheap!

Now that's doing something!!

Regardless of the company, a company that is as large and previously successful as Starbucks closing 600 of it's stores should be alarming to everyone. Whether you like the coffee or not, it is neither going to send people to the mom and pop coffee shop, as they had to close too, nor is it going to teach big Starbucks a lesson. I had to sit through the conference call and listen to my RDO tell us all the news, as I manage an evil Starbucks. I fear for the nation's economic survival. If you can't indulge for $4.00, what's left? We don't need people coming on here to say "good for them, their coffee stinks". It's much bigger than that. Keep your fingers crossed for your own job. You'd better hope that the 12,000 jobless baristas are not in line in front of you at the unemployment office.

I wouldn't worry too much about Starbucks. They're simply re-trenching, which is what most businesses do when they've made strategic business errors, have under/over estimated demand, or need to deal with existing market conditions, etc.

People will still want coffee, they may just buy it elsewhere until Starbucks gets its costs and prices in line with demand. And they're merely closing unprofitable stores, most of which probably shouldn't have been opened in the first place.

We're in the midst of a 'down' business cycle. This happens all the time. While there are short term effects to some Starbucks employees, jobs open up elsewhere.