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Starbucks identifies 50 stores set for closing

chicagotribune.com — On the list are stores in Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas and West Virginia. The sites will shut down by the end of this month.

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  • Xihix, on 07/14/2008, -14/+8I feel sorry for the employees. Well, then again, they're working normal minimum wage jobs, I guess they could just find another one.
    • BrentDPayne, on 07/15/2008, -0/+4But less woman to choose from for the Women of Starbuck's feature. ;-) J/K
    • trying2hide, on 07/15/2008, -0/+8Actually they make more than minimum wage and 20 hours a week gets you Starbuck shares and benefits. THAT will not be so easy to replace
      • BobMysterioso, on 07/15/2008, -4/+3Starbuck shares and benefits.

        Shares? Really? How much do you think those are worth these days? Isn't the issue that they are declining rapidly, hence the closure of the stores?

        Benefits sound nice though.
  • airwalkery2k, on 07/14/2008, -2/+40Oh no. How will I ever be able to find another Starbucks?! I'd have to walk two more blocks!
  • dougvfr750, on 07/14/2008, -2/+23Wait... there's a Starbucks in North Dakota?
  • roseyone17, on 07/14/2008, -7/+11Great coffee, but maybe the prices could be the cause!
    • DogBotherer, on 07/15/2008, -1/+5Average coffee, the prices and the economy are definitely the cause...
      • ShayDetta, on 07/15/2008, -0/+0I like their brew coffee, (Latin American ones) plus they pump extra caffinee :)
    • Philbert, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Are you suggesting they raise prices to deal with the economy?
  • thisisfunah, on 07/14/2008, -3/+12simple capitalism.
    the end of a long fad, that's for sure.
    • Mootabolife, on 07/15/2008, -2/+1Yes.. coming now.. Virtual Pet Shops complete with virtual food and virtual fun.
  • smartboydesigns, on 07/15/2008, -2/+7It's yet another sign of a slightly tumultuous US economy.
  • BrentDPayne, on 07/15/2008, -4/+20It's going to be a really bitchy corporate america in the mornings when people can't get their coffee.

    Here is the list of the first 50 closures though (including the addresses):
    http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-080714- ...

    Hopefully your location isn't on the list.

    Payne
    • bluekross, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2My location? There are so many Starbucks around here, it's not funny. Not to mention the ones that are closing in Texas are in middle of no where places. Rosenburg has a per capita of like $15,000, maybe. The Laredo one is probably also a very low income town. These people like their coffee black as night, and their women ugly.
  • Bluetar, on 07/15/2008, -1/+10I don't understand what the big deal is. Haven't we had coffeee since the beginning of time? If the Starbucks go away, can't people just get their caffeine fix where they used to, before the $16 Starbucks java hit the market?
    • pe5t1lence, on 07/15/2008, -1/+2People don't go to starbucks for coffee. The go for the caramel mochachino with extra caramel and sugar and extra chocolate and whipped cream on top and drizzled whit caramel. (Translation: 1000 calories of sugar in 1/2 cup worth of coffee)
  • phoxix, on 07/15/2008, -0/+7Remember folks ... Starbucks isn't shutting down these stores just because they are under performing. They're shutting them down because they can legally do so. I'm sure there are loads of other Starbucks that are under performing as well, but they cannot shut down due to contractual obligations.
    • Balloondoggies, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Thanks, without your comment I wouldn't have cared why they were allowed to close them down...

      ....wait...still don't care...
  • bincoder, on 07/15/2008, -3/+11only 50?
    sigh
  • Branbot, on 07/15/2008, -5/+7You know, theres this one crazy invention you could always try for your morning fix...

    http://www.amazon.com/Coffee-Makers-Tea-Espresso-K ...

    It's a bright new world. : )
  • theclaw1, on 07/15/2008, -6/+2They should pick higher traffic locations.
  • waydee, on 07/15/2008, -1/+3I feel sorry for the employees, it was obvious the company could never sustain the number of stores they opened - even here in the UK they're doing the same thing now. I'm thinking about the city centre here, theres 3 starbucks within 100 metres of each other and I imagine it's the same in other cities... it can't last and people are going to lose their jobs.
    • pe5t1lence, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3? How many depend on starbucks for their livelihood? Most seem to be high-schoolers and college students earning some cash. They will just find another job.
  • sockpuppets, on 07/15/2008, -4/+11Gee, who would ever have thought opening a starbucks across from a starbucks was a bad idea.

    Seriously, anybody could do a better job at managing the steaming turd latte that is starbucks.
    • TheSpook, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Dugg for "steaming turd latte". Is that their special this week?
  • simplistics06, on 07/15/2008, -3/+4Yes it has begun the rise of Tim Hortons!
    • ConceptualTrap, on 07/15/2008, -0/+4I don't understand people's fascination with Tim Hortons. Their coffee is glorified Dunkin' Donuts crap, the doughnuts are tasty but it's a ***** doughnut, and the rest of their breakfast offerings are overpriced and extremely processed.

      I'd take the homecooked breakfast from any mom & pop place over Tim Horton's in a second.
    • marcusbrutus, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Canadian?

      Anyways, there's nothing better than a Timmy's in the morning when you have been driving through the night to get to Stratford.
  • fixyourthinking, on 07/15/2008, -1/+1I always found it odd that my area which is a decent sized city (2nd biggest in South Carolina) just got Starbucks 1 1/2 years ago.
    • nbyn, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Starbucks eh? Next they are going to accuse you guys of being "so gay".
    • WarpFox, on 07/15/2008, -0/+12nd biggest in south carolina = not decent sized
  • Pusod, on 07/15/2008, -6/+2What!?!?! No California!? We're the state with the most Starbucks per square inch!
    • TheGambit, on 07/15/2008, -0/+6uh, there were 8 out of 50 from California
  • shutupdangit, on 07/15/2008, -5/+1Great, now they only have 184593457043569234 stores left :(
  • ChristBehemoth, on 07/15/2008, -4/+550 stores from 16 states? That's like taking away a glass of water from an ocean.
    • Areku, on 07/15/2008, -0/+4These are just the stores closing by the end of THIS month. ~550 more stores are going to be closed in the next year or so. As an employee, I find it kind of ***** that they're not coming out with the list of ALL the closing stores and keeping us in the dark.
      • ChristBehemoth, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3I'm with you on that one.
      • pe5t1lence, on 07/15/2008, -0/+5Start looking for a new job anyway, give yourself time to find something better.
  • bxblox, on 07/15/2008, -1/+6I'm surprised none of them were in NYC. If you walk down Broadway anywhere south of 96th street you will have a starbucks at least every other corner. It's like they want to make sure you don't run out of caffeine so you wont have to call for a tow to the nearest store. Who's idea was the starbucks across the street from the starbucks, next to the Barnes and Noble with a full size starbucks inside?
  • piratearggghhh, on 07/15/2008, -3/+3I don't care for Starbucks coffee but these closings are a really bad sign of the economy tanking. I don't see how anyone can be happy about this - and this doesn't open up the doors for mom and pop places either - those are long gone.
    • ibeetle, on 07/15/2008, -0/+14Actually, locally owned coffee houses are doing really good. Typically they are offer cheaper coffee, and free Wi-Fi.
    • coyote1284, on 07/15/2008, -0/+5No, it's a sign that they bloated the market with umpteen thousand stores and now have to adjust as a "handful" of those stores are under-performing compared to the one 2 blocks away.
  • craigm01, on 07/15/2008, -2/+5People now have to choose between a gallon of gas; or a triple mocha latte frape ventie crappie.. time to close some down.
  • charm803, on 07/15/2008, -1/+1What will they do without their four dollar latte?!?!?!?
  • AzraDarkness, on 07/15/2008, -1/+3You mean instead of choose between Starbucks, Starbucks, Starbucks and the other guy, I only have to choose between Starbucks, Starbucks, the other guy, and someone else now. Id rather a Large Coffee, in a Large cup anyways.
  • brstilson, on 07/15/2008, -2/+3I imagine there "ain't much call" for Starbucks in West Virginia anyway.
  • havokdu, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3On the other hand, the only Starbucks available here in Buenos Aires that opened a few months ago has a constant 60 feet line of people waiting for their coffee.
    And it's not like it's cheap or doesn't have competition. It's the same price you guys pay.

  • brstilson, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3There are too many Starbucks to begin with and after this cut there will still be too many. Jim Donald, the former CEO was responsible for the insane expansion in the 90's. Starbucks grew too much, too fast into an entity that was unsustainable.

    Howard Schultz is now back in control and this is a reflection of his more sensible business plan. There are two stores where I live. One is a regional supermarket called Meijer, the other is a Target. These stores are literally right next to each other, and both have a Starbucks. Talk about waste.
    • Areku, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3Stores inside places like Target, Meijer, and Barnes & Noble are not corporate-owned stores. They are managed and staffed by the businesses that house them, so the people serving you there are Meijer, Target, and Barnes & Noble employees. They just license the name and serve the coffee, but they're out of corporate's hands, and wont be affected by the store closures over the next year.
    • marcusbrutus, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1These Starbucks stores are also not trying to appeal to people outside the stores but to people either currently shopping or leaving a Meijer or Target.

      We have a Starbucks inside our campus that only caters to students and closes as soon as night classes end.
  • utjimbo2010, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2This guy's probably happy.
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=18ClRW7nDxs
  • sock2828, on 07/15/2008, -1/+3Damn none closing in my state :(
  • aussiessuck, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2Wow. Looks like Tweak won.
  • AaronCo, on 07/15/2008, -0/+4Shrug. There's really no shocker here.

    I don't really drink coffee, but occasionally get roped into going w/ others. They don't even carry soft drinks there. You'd think you could get a bottle of coke or something, but nooo, only crappy-tasting water. Their entire chain isn't oriented towards serving a broad consumer market, it's based around serving a niche coffee drinker's market... and with gas costing what it is people are saving money by drinking coffee at home instead. Let's face it, not everyone wants coffee at lunch or dinner.

    McDonalds went thru something similar not long back. They continued to service the old grease-burger niche, didn't expand their menu and kept growth targets by way of adding a lot of new stores. Eventually the new stores weren't profitable, so they had to fix their menu and close some of those stores.
  • kjubik, on 07/15/2008, -1/+2Ape #2: Spaceballs.
    Ape #1: Oh, *****. There goes the planet
  • potisreallygood, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2Man, there is going to be some pissed off crack dealers.
    MISSOURI
    #10834 - WEST FLORISSANT @ LUCAS & HUNT 8017 W. FLORISSANT AVE JENNINGS, MO
  • TheGambit, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Wow, five of the fifty were from Las Vegas.
    • doktorrocket, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1That's surprising. If I was a casino owner, I'd subsidize Starbucks and still come out ahead.

      Scratch that, I'd just deliver free espresso shots to every table, every half hour. "You sure you don't want to stay up and gamble just a LITTLE LONGER?" says the aspiring actress in the sequin dress.
    • PatrickTulskie, on 07/15/2008, -0/+4Free Liquor > Expensive Coffee
  • SuperVepr308, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1I feel a strange disturbance in The Force. It is like the sound of 10,000 emo's crying out...
    • coyote1284, on 07/15/2008, -0/+3How can you hear that over the constant crying of the other 90,000 emos?
      /How could this happen to me?
  • evanfrey, on 07/15/2008, -2/+2Oh no, where will I get my terrible tasting coffee now!
  • SteaminTmann, on 07/15/2008, -2/+5Dunkin Donuts FTW!
  • flashback99, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2now sell the spaces back to the independent shop owners you forced out with your "buy all then win" saturation strategy.
  • CoMpUtErITGuY, on 07/15/2008, -1/+1That's ok. I'll just go to the Starbucks on the next block.
  • DestroyFascism, on 07/15/2008, -1/+1I am sure the shop space could be put to better use. Like the coffee shop next door with the A class home brew for half the price and 10 times the service. The coffee shop next door with Fresh home baked cakes and cookies that didn't arrive in a plastic bag.

    Starbucks, pays peanuts and gets monkeys. (Also outsourcing foods is a no win situation, I mean *****, 100 cookies takes 2 hours and 1kg ingredients. that's like $3 to make, $2 to bake and $20 for the labour, return is 3000 percent numb nuts.
  • YodaJones, on 07/15/2008, -0/+2Sweet. Now start picking the next 50 to close while you're on a roll. Die Starbucks die.
  • santixar, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Is Starbucks the big deal?
    I ask because they opened one in a shopping mall in Buenos Aires and according to what I've read they are planning to open 4 or 5 more this year.
    I still didn't have the chance to go and see what is it like.
  • DrPh0bius, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Its closed? I guess I'll just go to the one across the street...

    I would say this is not as much about the economy as it is about over saturation.
  • mcneely11, on 07/15/2008, -0/+0People that have knee jerk reactions to Starbucks being in their area are stupid. Certainly starbucks has made some idiotic decisions and spread it self way too thin, but people complain about dumb things. 4 dollars for a candy like latte is what you are going to pay for it at mom and pop stores also. They clearly opened too many stores too fast and are scrambling to scale back. The size system is also retarded but it's not all that difficult to look at a sign and pick with size you want. Also, if you order in S M L, the starbucks employees will know what you want. They speak english as well as starbucks.
  • ZephyrNinety, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Wait, there's a NORTH Dakota?
  • maxjames007, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Interesting one, as we had a starbucks close in our shopping mall. I assumes it was due to a mall make-over, the plot thickens
  • BrokenCircle, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1The Star Bucks they opened in my town this past May is set to close at the end of the year.
  • aldrichnichol, on 07/15/2008, -1/+0The dollar is hitting a new low against the euro this morning, which is above $1.60. Get more details at http://www.smallcappulse.com/index.php/commentary/ ...
  • jaggedja, on 07/15/2008, -0/+0Howard shultz is a horrible strategist. Opening a billion stores in 100 days is impressive but doesn't insure long lasting stability and profitability. Look at Starbucks strategic decisions. Do you know how many stores were cannibalizing each other at any given time. Its crazy and Shultz is too blame. There is a replacement market opportunity for the the entrepreneur willing to take on a dieing starbucks... www.readtheanswer.com/index.php?RTA=web2
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