It seems like ages ago that Starbucks
Could Starbucks possibly do more to look like everyone else? Ideas like value pricing and instant coffee suggest that the java giant has gone the way of bland McDonald's
Starbucks once seemed ahead of the curve on environmentalism, but its a proposal for sustainable stores that could achieve coveted LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) status seemed a bit late to the game. Whole Foods Market
Starbucks was supposed to be a gathering place, mindful of communities and the world around it. It's championed many positive causes, and provided employees with better benefits than the usual coffee chain. Still, too many of the company's recent ideas feel less like its old, soulful self, and more like the bland devisings of marketers and bureaucrats.
If Starbucks becomes just another huge place to buy coffee, I fear it'll lose competitive advantage against rivals like Caribou Coffee
Starbucks' desperate, misguided efforts to regain its old caffeinated growth could tarnish what made the company special in the first place. In my opinion, that’s a huge risk for the company -- and for the stock.
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