Starbucks has entered it's dark ages.

[hardcorestitch]

The Capitol Hill Roastery, which was a controversial Starbucks store near headquarters, is shutting down forever. It was among the 1% of stores shuttering for good due to company concerns regarding a quality in person environment.

 

[jimmymc]

What was controversial about it, and why does this signal a dark age for Starbucks?

They've had some financial troubles, but people aren't buying $6 coffees when the price of everything else is going up.

 

[hardcorestitch]

It was controversial for the reason of the store being the first to be unionized. Because of its close proximity to headquarters, whenever an issue arose in or around the company, it was often the target area for many protesters to stage.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Dark ages? It's just the Cycle of Starbucks- open stores, open too many stores, close stores. Rinse and Repeat every few years.

 

[disneyseniors]

I don't know too much about Starbucks, but have noticed that their customer base at one of our stores seems to be down. A new coffee shop "7" something (sorry I can't remember the name) is blue with blue neon trim. When I go by frequently, that new shop has double lines with at least 5 cars in each lane. The Starbucks, which is about l00 feet away on the same side of the road, has had a few cars each time - no double lines. Obviously this is an observation over several weeks. I am frequently in town during the week and it seemed noticable to me. Does this mean anything? I don't know. We have 3 Starbucks in our town, another coffee "cafe", and a family owned coffee shop which does big business. Maybe we are in "designer coffee overload", lol. I don't buy coffee anywhere but just make it at home so I can't say which is "best".

 

[_19disnA]

I agree about the 'open too many stores' thing. Our grocery store had a small Starbucks the last few years. Virtually across the street, Starbucks recently opened a standalone coffee shop. I can't imagine there being enough sales to sustain TWO stores virtually next door to each other.

 

[focusondisney]

It was controversial for the reason of the store being the first to be unionized.

Not if it’s in the US it wasn’t. The Elmwood Ave shop in Buffalo was.

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/09/1062150045/starbucks-first-union-buffalo-new-york

 

[citruscurtis]

I agree about the 'open too many stores' thing. Our grocery store had a small Starbucks the last few years. Virtually across the street, Starbucks recently opened a standalone coffee shop. I can't imagine there being enough sales to sustain TWO stores virtually next door to each other.

Our in store seems to be empty.. but it is off season here...so come November it may pick up... the stand alone is on the freeway so always swamped and as I learned the casino Starbucks franchise cannot truly be the loneliest in the USA... but hey.if on interstate 8 California Arizona it's located in the area of the most US historic interstate overpass... not enough film in your camera for all the history