I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall at Starbucks tonight. Every Starbucks in America is closing tonight between 5:30 and 9:00 pm for what the company is calling "a historic in-store education and training event."
Business is off. The customer experience isn't what it used to be. On Salon.com, Machinist has the corporate scoop:
"We will close all of our U.S. company-operated stores to teach, educate and share our love of coffee, and the art of espresso. And in doing so, we will begin to elevate the Starbucks Experience for our customers. We are passionate about our coffee. And we will revisit our standards of quality that are the foundation for the trust that our customers have in our coffee and in all of us."
What has your local Starbucks experience been like lately? Do you know anyone who works at a Starbucks? Somebody please report in from the front lines of the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Dunkin' Donuts is taking full advantage of the moment to give caffeine deprived folks their fix:
From 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. today, Dunkin' stores will sell small lattes, cappuccinos and espressos for 99 cents. A Dunkin' exec tells Newsday, "We never want any customers to ever be denied access to their specialty drinks."
ryc: Thankfully, I had the office to myself yesterday. No Oscar chitchat for me. Whenever I walked the hallways to go to the restroom or kitchen, I cupped my ears to block out all noise. I received some strange looks, but the tactic worked...
Posted by: kev | February 26, 2008 at 06:34 PM
The Evil Mermaid demonstrates that one can sit on one's laurels despite not having a Human Tushy.
Posted by: Elisson | February 26, 2008 at 09:27 PM