There’s a Starbucks in my little corner of the world. That’s not unusual. But now, 50 yards away inside the Safeway Store where I shop, they’re building another Starbucks.
Obviously, it’s for shoppers who can’t walk a few extra feet to pay through the nose for their half-decaf, half-latte, cappucino with three shots of espresso and low-fat foam, or whatever they so desire.
I’m proud to say I’ve never bought coffee at Starbucks. Of course, I don’t even drink coffee. But if I did, I wouldn’t support a store that has a corporate mission to put Mom-and-Pop shops out of business.
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I know this for a fact — Starbuck’s modus operandi is always to go in right next to the small Mom-and-Pop coffee shop and drive them out of business. They do not leave room for any competition, no matter how small. They have done this over and over and I have several explicit examples. One: Orinda, Calif. on the village side across the street from Safeway — they went in to the same mini-mall as a Mom and Pop called World of Coffee and Tea. They paid the landord higher rent on the condition that the landlord NOT renew WCT’s lease. WCT was out of business within the year. Two: Mill Valley, Calif. A longtime small operator called The Roastery — when their lease was up, Starbuck’s went in and offered the landlord TRIPLE the rent. Luckily the townspeople heard about this one through the IJ asnd put a stop to it. Starbucks has no sense of community spirit, aside from token efforts to made to cover up their real corporate attitide. Their goal is to establish their brand as dominant over all others, no matter how small. They are a nasty, predatory corporation headed by a man of supreme arrogance — Howard Schultz.
starbucks rocks