Before you go into a caffeine induced coma, please know that its only for a few hours 🙂
Starbucks is closing today from 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm for barista training.
Not just a few select Starbucks. ALL STARBUCKS. Just in the U.S. If you must satisfy your craving you’ll have to fly to Europe or cross the boarder.
Now, Starbucks is oft praised for raising the bar in marketing, leadership, and customer service. I am curious what some of you think of this strategy.
Is it wise to close down shop nation-wide and give the competition the chance to exploit this time to their own gian? Maybe at the end of the day it wont make a difference since Starbucks regulars (like me) are addicted to their product that happens to have twice the caffeine as a regular cup of joe.
Either way, I know where I will be today at 2:30 pm – enjoying a 99 cent latte at Dunkin Donuts.
annielauriewalters.com 
i think it’s pretty incredible that all stores will be doing simultaneous training. but i’m surprised they’re choosing to do it during those hours…
since i’m an ocean away from any starbucks, i guess my shrugging shoulders don’t mean much. if it meant missing out on my afternoon top-up, i might have more to say!
funny! with a husband as a former shift supervisor this was shocking news to us too.
last night we pulled thru the drive thru and ryan looked at me said, “can you get out your wallet?” Well much to his surprise i left it at home. After all he was driving! And he had a shocked and horrified look on his face because he left his wallet at home too.
So as any good addict would do, he pulled to the speaker and said,”I am an addict and I left my wallet at home. This is the first step towards recovery, right?”
The lady on the other end laughed and said, ” Please pull around to the window and we will be happy to help you with your addiction!”
So we scrounged up $1.70 and i do mean scrounged. I had to wipe off sticky nickels and dimes from the bottom of the cup holders with a baby wipe! But this was enough for a Tall Bold Coffee. Ryan was thrilled. And what could be better? They gave him a Grande for his honesty with the advice of remembering to bring his wallet next time!
Life with the West family is never dull especially if we have had our caffeine fix.
Wow…thanks for the warning!! Wouldn’t want to come between a caffiene deprived fiend and the Starbucks front door when they reopen!! : )
A day late, but glad they got their focus re-focused! Now I can feel better about paying my $5 for a coffee.
So glad to have found you in the blog-world. I am new to this, but am loving it. Love your blog! Love you!
you said in your post that ALL starbucks were closeing that day you were wrong…. i work at starbucks myself (through Target) and did we close I wish we did so i would have the cleaning done 4 hrs early that night and didnt have to put up with the Frapp hop head….