Starbucks closes 3/4s of it's stores in Aus

[Papewaio]

Starbucks closes 61 shops, cuts 700 jobs (http://business.smh.com.au/business/starbucks-closes-61-shops-cuts-700-jobs-20080729-3mt1.html)


ALMOST 700 employees of the coffee chain Starbucks will lose their jobs on Sunday after the company yesterday announced the closure of 61 of its 84 Australian stores.

Starbucks employees were told of the closures during 28 meetings around the country. They were given little more than 24 hours' notice to attend and were not told the reason for the meetings.

The American company admitted it had struggled in Australia's "very sophisticated coffee culture" and said the announcement was unrelated to its closure of 600 stores in the US this month.

I'm on projects and doing study at the moment, so coffee is my lifeblood. I'm sure mossies that suck my blood will get a rush.

Looks like the time of the over-priced coffee is coming to an end in Aus. Similar reports have come out that other over-priced chains are taking it hard. While the mum & pop local coffee stores are humming along fine and the smaller retail chains also good.

I can get a really great quad shot for $3.90 Aus.

I will miss getting a triple shot mint mocha, hold the cream for $6 from starbucks... they are like hot choc-mint shots of adrenaline.

[PanzerJaeger]

Starbucks is a complete luxury, so it is especially effected during economic downturns. The massive over expansion didn't help either.

[LittleGrizzly]

Never understood you coffee drinking people, coca cola is where the tasty caffiene's at....

I always find it quite harsh when employees get very short notice, hopefully they where mainly kids just getting money for social activities...

[Gaius Scribonius Curio]

And to think it never even reached us here in Perth!!!

That said I was in Melbourne recently. Being coffee addicts, me and my friend went everywhere searching for the perfect coffee. We were very underwhelmed by Starbucks.

If you're in Melbourne and looking for coffee, my friend recommends Lorca's, and I recommend Five. They're right next-door to each other (conveniance!) down DeGraves St (I think, its basically a sidestreet that is opposite Flinders St Station, walk down it and eventually you will find the two of them, among the hundreds of other coffee shops in that square mile!!!).

[CountArach]

I never went to Starbucks out of protest. Other, smaller, coffee shops I am fine with (Particularly Fair Trade ones).

[Mikeus Caesar]

Awesome!

I'll never have to see a Starbucks again!

Adelaide is full of decent places to get coffee anyway.

[Ronin]

They are about to open their first shops here in Portugal....

I think it´s just a cycle...they go to a country....take up the market...become a trendy thing...but then the people ultimately get fed up with them so they pack up and leave.


...ohhh anyway....I don´t drink caffeine anyway so who cares :book:

[TevashSzat]

Well, I think Starbucks is doing fine here in the States.

Just last week, people in Manhattan complained because Starbucks was closing down a store even though there were six other Starbucks within something like 2 blocks away

[yesdachi]

Location, location, location!

I sat in a Starbucks in LA enjoying a Grande Chi Late and a delicious breakfast sandwich during a quick breakfast meeting and I saw at least a hundred people cycle thru the doors. Same situation back here in Michigan and not only did they not have the breakfast sandwiches they did not have any people there. I have heard about plans to close many locations around here. If they only would have carried the sandwiches, I love peppered bacon!

I think Starbucks went wrong by not offering franchises. Instead of pissing off all the mom and pops out there they could have licensed them and kept some corporate locations without facing the massive resistance from the locals. They will still do fine but their greed snapped them a good one.

[Lemur]

Here's the thing about Starbucks -- if you stick to the coffee, you know, the brown liquid they put in the cup, it's a reasonable place. You can get sloshed on a giant cup of joe and it's just about two bucks. Nothing crazy about that.

But once you start asking for flavored syrups and frappa-hookahs with a side of chai and no foam skim, things get expensive. Not to mention that those ground ice-and-sugar drinks they sell are waaaaay too sugary for this lemur. I had a sip of one and nearly went into diabetic shock. And I'm not even diabetic.

Moral of the story: Order a cup of joe and save yourself a pile of money. Leave the iced venti soy frappuchinos with extra cream to the suckers with more money than sense. Or better yet, brew up a great pot of coffee at home and throw it in a travel mug. That's if you really want to be frugal.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Starbucks is sooo yesterday.

They expanded too much. They are everywhere, instead of limiting themselves to hip and happening places. I wouldn't want to be caught dead in a McStarbucks - got to think about my image. :sweatdrop:

[HoreTore]

Paying more than 1USD for a cup of coffee is something I will never do, out of principle.

And that's with a free refill, of course...

[Ronin]

Starbucks is sooo yesterday.

They expanded too much. They are everywhere, instead of limiting themselves to hip and happening places. I wouldn't want to be caught dead in a McStarbucks - got to think about my image. :sweatdrop:


Lewis Black has a joke on one of his comedy albums that there is a place in Texas where there is a street where there actually a is starbucks across from a starbucks.....Lewis says that that point is the end of the universe :laugh4:

I think they are gonna fail miserably over here...but that´s just me.....in Portugal people are used to drinking a very small cup of very strong coffee....not half a gallon of weak stuff.

P.S. - and btw....if your coffee includes cream, almonds, crushed ice, etc..that´s called a milkshake!

[drone]

There is a Starbucks in a mini-mall not too far where I live, it's been there for several years. 3 doors down from it is a Giant supermarket. The Giant got renovated last year, and guess what one of the improvements was? A Starbucks inside, right as you come into the door, probably 100 feet away from the established one. :inquisitive:

They deserve the pounding they are taking now.

[lars573]

Ahh Starbucks, I think there are only 5 in the whole of HRM (an urban area of some 300,000 and largest city on the east coast). Now Tim Hortons those are every where. One every 5 km or so. And they do the whole two locations less than 100 metres apart thing too.

[Husar]

Paying more than 1USD for a cup of coffee is something I will never do, out of principle.

And that's with a free refill, of course...
I hope you know that this sort of behaviour is responsible for the slave-like working conditions of farmers in third-world countries, I thought you had more sympathy for them. :no:

[HoreTore]

I hope you know that this sort of behaviour is responsible for the slave-like working conditions of farmers in third-world countries, I thought you had more sympathy for them. :no:

BAH!

The fair trade brands are not more expensive than others. Also, the cost of a cup of coffee for the seller is like a cent or two. And they charge you 3 dollars for it. Whether they charge me 5 bucks or just one doesn't affect the coffee farmer.

Anyway, I like the coffee price of Statoil, a gas station chain here. You don't buy a cup of coffee, you buy a cup for like 20 USD, and then you get as much coffee as you'd like for a year, in any of their gas stations. Me likey.

[Xiahou]

I hope you know that this sort of behaviour is responsible for the slave-like working conditions of farmers in third-world countries, I thought you had more sympathy for them. :no:Yeah, I never had a big problem with Starbucks' prices- they seem like a pretty socially responsible company. Their workers are well compensated (for an unskilled job) and they apparently treated their growers well. I'm used to the fact that large cup of good quality coffee will cost around $2.

No, my problem with Starbucks is that their coffee sucks. :beam:

[Craterus]

I'm pretty sure Starbucks uses FairTrade sources.

[Husar]

BAH!

The fair trade brands are not more expensive than others. Also, the cost of a cup of coffee for the seller is like a cent or two. And they charge you 3 dollars for it. Whether they charge me 5 bucks or just one doesn't affect the coffee farmer.
We charge 1.50EUR for a cup of coffee where I work, consider that you get free sugar, milk etc. vand the coffee machine we have has to be paid for as well, that thing wasn't cheap, and then add that I want to get paid for working there, the taxes etc., the gas/fuel itself doesn't cover a lot anymore nowadays and shops like starbucks have to pay almost everything from selling coffee.

[HoreTore]

We charge 1.50EUR for a cup of coffee where I work, consider that you get free sugar, milk etc. vand the coffee machine we have has to be paid for as well, that thing wasn't cheap, and then add that I want to get paid for working there, the taxes etc., the gas/fuel itself doesn't cover a lot anymore nowadays and shops like starbucks have to pay almost everything from selling coffee.

Right.... So how come other places are able to give me coffee for free? ~;)

[Hosakawa Tito]

Here's the thing about Starbucks -- if you stick to the coffee, you know, the brown liquid they put in the cup, it's a reasonable place. You can get sloshed on a giant cup of joe and it's just about two bucks. Nothing crazy about that.

But once you start asking for flavored syrups and frappa-hookahs with a side of chai and no foam skim, things get expensive. Not to mention that those ground ice-and-sugar drinks they sell are waaaaay too sugary for this lemur. I had a sip of one and nearly went into diabetic shock. And I'm not even diabetic.

Moral of the story: Order a cup of joe and save yourself a pile of money. Leave the iced venti soy frappuchinos with extra cream to the suckers with more money than sense. Or better yet, brew up a great pot of coffee at home and throw it in a travel mug. That's if you really want to be frugal.

Yeah, all that money charged for a shot of steamed frothy milk and flavoring. It's the convenience of course too, for those that are unwilling or unable to brew their own. The sugar buzz can be addictive, like a liquid candy bar. I treat myself every once in awhile, usually Tim Horton's, but I'm too frugal to spend $4-5 on a daily basis to feed my caffiene addiction. I brew my own and fill up my trusty Stanley thermos to bring to work.

If I do stop for coffee at Star Bucks or Tim Hortons, I always hit the drive thru. Going inside and staring down all those pastries and cookies is more than my sweet-tooth can stand. I'd rather just avoid the triple chocolate strudel winking at me and calling my name.:laugh4:

[Ice]

Here's the thing about Starbucks -- if you stick to the coffee, you know, the brown liquid they put in the cup, it's a reasonable place. You can get sloshed on a giant cup of joe and it's just about two bucks. Nothing crazy about that.

But once you start asking for flavored syrups and frappa-hookahs with a side of chai and no foam skim, things get expensive. Not to mention that those ground ice-and-sugar drinks they sell are waaaaay too sugary for this lemur. I had a sip of one and nearly went into diabetic shock. And I'm not even diabetic.

Moral of the story: Order a cup of joe and save yourself a pile of money. Leave the iced venti soy frappuchinos with extra cream to the suckers with more money than sense. Or better yet, brew up a great pot of coffee at home and throw it in a travel mug. That's if you really want to be frugal.

I'm with the Lemur on this one. 95% of the time I go to Starbucks I'll get a tall coffee black. The other 5% of the time I'll get something with a lot of sugar and which isn't good for you.

[Husar]

Right.... So how come other places are able to give me coffee for free? ~;)

What other places? I know here you get free coffee in some electronics stores but they can afford that because they have inflated prices on almost all of their products. :dizzy2:
But then you also live in that superrich northern country that could buy tons of coffee with it's oil money so maybe the situation is not comparable.

[Incongruous]

I feel for the dudes working there, that sucks hard man. Like, no money to go and buy CD's, ciggies and levis jeans, suck.:shame:

I used to be into Starbucks when it first pened up near my old school like three or
so years ago when I didn't actually know what a good cup of the bean was. Now days I can't stand the stuff they serve, even the normal coffee, it just tastes sooo awful.
Thus, I'm pretty sure that over here most people go to the local cool coffee shops and cafes, Starbucks is suffering.

Over here in Wellington there are hundreds (well maybe) of independent coffee shops to choose from so there dosn't seem to be a need to constantly go to Starbucks. I assume its the same over in Aus, but what about the U.S.A? Do you guys lack for cool indie coffee shops? Or do you like the taste of those Mocha Latte Frappes in Grande? Perhaps with some cream on top?

[Xiahou]

I used to be into Starbucks when it first pened up near my old school like three or so years ago when I didn't actually know what a good cup of the bean was. Now days I can't stand the stuff they serve, even the normal coffee, it just tastes sooo awful.
Thus, I'm pretty sure that over here most people go to the local cool coffee shops and cafes, Starbucks is suffering.Their regular coffee is the worst- it almost always tastes burned. But yeah, I think Starbucks is a victim of their own success in several ways. They expanded too quickly and quality deteriorated as a result. But, also, their growth increased overall interest in "good" coffee and as consumers became more discerning, they found Starbucks lacking. :yes:

[Shaka_Khan]

Lewis Black has a joke on one of his comedy albums that there is a place in Texas where there is a street where there actually a is starbucks across from a starbucks.....Lewis says that that point is the end of the universe :laugh4:
There's a place like that in Vancouver too.

[CountArach]

I'm pretty sure Starbucks uses FairTrade sources.
So it does. That was clearly a misconception of mine:
Starbucks (http://www.starbucks.com.au/en-AU/_Social+Responsibility/_Social+Responsibilities/Fair+Trade+Certified+Coffee.htm). I would only take it at face value though. i have read several sites that claim something about them only serving Fair Trade if it is specifically asked for.

[BigTex]

I've rarely get a drink from starbucks, but then I live next door to a french cafe which serves awsome latte's for a little less then starbucks. That's a rarity though, for the most part there are very few coffee houses in the DFW area, starbucks being it's own competition for the most part. Their regular coffee makes even mcdonalds taste good, so I don't see why anyone would pay 2$'s for that sludge.

Aside from their coffee in store, some of their whole bean varieties are actually great, at home, in a press (put that vile and demonic drip machine in the dumpster.). Really though, havent found much better then millstones rainforest reserve blend, when brewed correctly it's amazing. So until starbucks start's selling reasonably priced 100% kona whole bean I'll stick to my sacks of millstone.

But for a really nice concotion, some coffee, ice, whey and casiene, honey and just a bit of cocoa powder.

[Xiahou]

Their regular coffee makes even mcdonalds taste good, so I don't see why anyone would pay 2$'s for that sludge.:yes: IIRC, McDonalds coffee beat Starbucks handily in the Consumer Reports taste test.


Aside from their coffee in store, some of their whole bean varieties are actually great, at home, in a press (put that vile and demonic drip machine in the dumpster.). Really though, havent found much better then millstones rainforest reserve blend, when brewed correctly it's amazing. So until starbucks start's selling reasonably priced 100% kona whole bean I'll stick to my sacks of millstone.Anyone that servers Kona at a "reasonable" price is likely duping you via deceptive marketing. Real Kona coffee is outrageously expensive- I've seen green prices at over $30/lb, and roasted would cost even more. Most "Kona" coffee you see in stores is really, upon close inspection, "Kona style" or "Kona blend" or some such nonsense.

I've never wanted to shell out for Kona for my home roasting, so I can't definitively say it's overpriced- but to justify the premium, it would have to be life-altering. A good, bright Kenya coffee is usually all I need and it costs a fraction of the price. :2thumbsup:

[BigTex]

Anyone that servers Kona at a "reasonable" price is likely duping you via deceptive marketing. Real Kona coffee is outrageously expensive- I've seen green prices at over $30/lb, and roasted would cost even more. Most "Kona" coffee you see in stores is really, upon close inspection, "Kona style" or "Kona blend" or some such nonsense.

I've never wanted to shell out for Kona for my home roasting, so I can't definitively say it's overpriced- but to justify the premium, it would have to be life-altering. A good, bright Kenya coffee is usually all I need and it costs a fraction of the price.

Cheapest I've seen 100% kona is 24$'s (green/27 roasted, your preference) lb + shipping. I've gotten a lb for a birthday, it's definately worth shelling out the 30$'s once in your life to try it.


IIRC, McDonalds coffee beat Starbucks handily in the Consumer Reports taste test.

Wouldnt supprise me at all really. McDonalds has been making a large deal out of improving their coffee recently. Honestly it isnt half bad, better, faster and for the most part more convient then starbucks.

[Papewaio]

Problem in Aus is that Starbucks charges a premium on items that you can get for 2/3rds the price and better quality in the same street.

Most large (double shot) coffees cost from $2.80 to $3.30 here, with some outside this range.
While Starbucks will start at about $4.50 for the basic coffee and been poured too hot (burnt taste).

So they are more expensive and worse tasting... the syrups can make up for that. But most of the local shops already had the same brands or better...must admit I like the hazelnut one (then I skip 2 teaspoons of sugar) when going with coffee from shops that aren't quite as good (between Starbucks and the norm).

The advantage Starbucks had was when I was traveling in to KL Malaysia... they were a known quantity and fairly consistent... slight local variation. That advantage lasted until I found a Dome cafe...

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

The only coffee I've ever liked was the stuff I had in Costa Rica. Most coffee I find disgusting, this stuff I actually enjoyed drinking. The only other thing close to coffee that I can sometimes stomach is a Tim Hortons Iced Cap.