Starbucks has entered it's dark ages.

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

My tombstone. Never paid $5 or more for a 50 cent cup of joe.

Expanding the number of stores too fast while dealing with unions, have increased costs for the company. Prices keep going up. If the stores are not turning a profit or are in areas that are not conducive to their business model, then stores have to close.

Tariffs have increased the price of coffee significantly. And given that they sell mostly coffee, well some previously profitable stores now are not.

 

[RedAngie]

I saw just this morning on a neighborhood FB page that a local Starbucks is closing at the end of business today. It was posted by a barista so I’m not sure how accurate it is. But I’ve noticed that business at this particular location seems to have declined significantly over the past year or so.

And just yesterday a regional chain of craft brewpubs suddenly shuttered all its locations without notice to the employees.

 

[barkley]

My tombstone. Never paid $5 or more for a 50 cent cup of joe.

my father passed away in 1981 and I still remember that when some of the national 'coffee shop' chains (diners really) started announcing in 1980 that they were raising the price of a cup of coffee to $1 he announced he would never buy a cup of coffee with a meal again (and he did not).

 

[_19disnA]

I know of some who drink coffee but will never go to Starbucks since they say they over-roast their beans and the coffee tastes 'burnt' to them. Starbucks pushing their style of coffee also limits the market. Expanding with the idea there is an endless supply of new customers often ends up badly for many companies.

Walking by their kiosk at our local grocery store also noticed the pricey other things they sell like small pastries or cake pops.

 

[kanerf]

I believe that the return to office requirement that many businesses have enacted is causing problems with places like Starbucks where many workers might congregate when not having to be in the office. These days unless you have a Starbucks next door to your office you probably won't be spending much time there. This and all of the various home delivery options will be losing a lot of business in the next few years.

 

[Christine]

I live in a place that's not too far outside a city but we pretty much have no mom and pop coffee places, and if we do, they don't have the hours that Starbucks has. So Starbucks and Dunkin are still very popular here.

My son lives in a different area where there are quite a few good, privately owned or small chain coffee shops and he probably hasn't set foot in a Starbucks for a year or more.

@kanerf also makes a good point that the RTO requirement for many companies has led to less business in the suburbs and more people in a centralized location so I think many business, not just Starbucks, that boomed during remote favorable work are suffering now.

 

[OKW Lover]

I know of some who drink coffee but will never go to Starbucks since they say they over-roast their beans and the coffee tastes 'burnt' to them.

That would be me.

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

Why do people go to the incorrect saying that a cup of coffee is $6? A medium regular coffee is around $3, about the same at Dunkin or Panera. Given a choice I prefer a locally owned ma and pa owned shop because they usually have fresh baked options. I have to pass 4 Starbucks with better parking or drive thru before I get to a local coffee shop and I don’t always have the time to go that far out of my way.