2008.02.26
Starbucks taking a break this evening
If you want a java fix at five Roanoke Valley Starbucks locations, don’t wait until this evening.
Starbucks will close its stores nationwide today at 5:30 p.m. Most of the Roanoke area stores will not open again until Wednesday morning. Some Starbucks nationwide will open back up at 8:30 p.m. tonight.
The purpose for the closings, which are the first in the coffee retailer’s history, is to train store employees on espresso standards, so that “baristas will be better prepared to share their passion and knowledge with customers,” according to a company news release.
This appears to be a Starbucks initiative to lift sluggish sales at its stores. The company already has announced that it’s scaling back its store openings this year. It has about 7,100 stores nationwide.
But these closing won’t impact stores that are inside grocery locations. Locally those include the Starbucks inside Kroger on Brambleton Avenue in Roanoke County and the one inside Ukrop’s Super Market on Franklin Road
Click here to read more about the Starbucks’ closings.
They need to find a better system to handle days (mornings) when the lines are long. Not that I mind waiting in line, but when I wait at the counter for 5-10 minutes for a coffee that never comes because someone forgot to write it down, or its cup got skipped over, then I'm ticked.
So ticked, in fact, that I forego Starbucks for a local coffeehouse. The coffee isn't quite as good, but I can watch the beans get roasted, the ambiance is less hippy-commercial, and the folk make the drink when you order it (so you know you're getting it).
Comment by Ed S. — February 26, 2008 @ 11:49 am
We drive ourselves to the point of exhaustion. We then jolt our bodies awake with caffeine. I enjoy a cup of coffee as much as the next person, but the way our society guzzles the stuff borders on addiction. Look at all the news stories devoted to the brief closure of Starbucks today!
Maybe we need to look more closely at why we are so driven to "achieve." I heard someone say once that much of the driveness in our selves is fear based. We fear that we won't find the life we're looking for. We fear that people only appreciate us for our accomplishments. We fear...
On another note, myth and symbol are all around us, often in plain sight. Learn the hidden secrets of the mysterious figure on the Starbucks logo:
http://eteaching101.blogspot.com
Comment by Odysseus — February 26, 2008 @ 3:25 pm
Well when they are foolish enough to put two sores within a block of each other....then have to close stores...what do you expect. Then on top of that $4, $5 and even $6 for a cup is just crazy.
Comment by Mike — February 27, 2008 @ 1:31 am
I'm impressed when a company acknowledges that it has a problem and acts. My perspective is that their real problem is one of management and accountability. The “training the baristas” spin makes for good news, but will it change the work setting that’s causing their downturn. Will accountability be installed and enforced by management?
Comment by Jim D — February 27, 2008 @ 7:33 am
Jim,
These are good questions. I guess we'll have to judge for ourselves whether we see any changes in the way the stores are operated. Or perhaps there will be other "initiatives" planned this year to address various issues.
Comment by Jenny — February 27, 2008 @ 10:04 am