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News & ArtsThursday, January 21, 2010
Economy More About the Return of Starbucks
Posted by Charles Mudede on Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 7:56 AM
A commenter, Gloomy Gus, on this post, The Mighty Return of Starbucks, shared a link to this interesting NYT story:
SEATTLE — Young people wearing hoodies and chunky glasses are sipping microbrew beers and espressos, nibbling on cheese and baguettes made at a local bakery and listening to a guitarist strum and sing.This strange simulacrum now symbolizes Starbucks' return to the basics, to authenticity, to innovation—and this return is being rewarded with eye-popping profits:The scene could be at any independent coffeehouse around the country. Instead, it is at a Starbucks-owned shop called 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea.
The new store, one of two in Seattle’s trendy Capitol Hill neighborhood, grew out of a series of brainstorming sessions by a group of Starbucks employees after Howard D. Schultz, Starbucks’ chief executive, told them to “break the rules and do things for yourself.”
There are indications that Starbucks’ turnaround efforts are working. On Wednesday, the company reported that in the first quarter, which included the important holiday season, net income was $241.5 million, up from $64.3 million in the year-ago quarter.
It's interesting that this kind of language ("course correct," return to the "core values") is also being peddled by Obama:
If there's one thing that I regret this year is that we were so busy just getting stuff done and dealing with the immediate crises that were in front of us that I think we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people about what their core values are and why we have to make sure those institutions are matching up with those values...He too wants to return to profitability.
1
good morning Charles.
nice analogy.
Other Presidents have hit bumps early in their terms- Reagan, Clinton- and gone on to successful two-term administrations.
Others yet- Carter..- floundered and never recovered.
A course correction is in order.
If Obama recognizes that, and successfully executes it, sunny skies beacon.
If he "doubles down"; tries to cram the bill through before Brown shows up, etc etc., it could get ugly.
stay tuned...
nice analogy.
Other Presidents have hit bumps early in their terms- Reagan, Clinton- and gone on to successful two-term administrations.
Others yet- Carter..- floundered and never recovered.
A course correction is in order.
If Obama recognizes that, and successfully executes it, sunny skies beacon.
If he "doubles down"; tries to cram the bill through before Brown shows up, etc etc., it could get ugly.
stay tuned...
2
Obama's core product is change and the liberal base and he abandoned his core base thru all this politics as usual nonchange including coddling bankers coddling standing rule 22 and Traditions of the Senate, yuck, coddling insurers, coddling ben nelson with a payoff, coddling conservatives and moderates by making the stimulus one third tax cuts, thanks a lot, so it's not so stimulus-y just like Krugman said.
Call me when he figures out what the fuck his values are and starts focusing on jobs, medicare at 55 (or any other government commy program, fuck insurers)...and passing shit on a highly partisan basis because the insurers, bankers, and GOP are evil.
When he starts paying off his base, his core product, not paying off fucking Nebraska. howabout paying off African Americans thru Mediocare for all at age 55...or 45 if you don't got a job? Or paying off liberals in Berkeley with early childhood programs? howsabout paying off enviros w making stimulus consist only of bus transit grantsinstead of prohighway money going to vast empty states?
we elect him and he pays off Nebraska?
Call me when he remembers who brung him to the dance. When he's actually pushing for jobs and finance reform and mortgage modifications and some GOVERNMENT RUN health care -- not just talking about how his future speeches will reflect "values" ("Message: I care!"!).
Because the problem is...he doesn't know what his values are:
change... or coddling the powerful and the GOP so that everyone in the room loves him.
Call me when he figures out what the fuck his values are and starts focusing on jobs, medicare at 55 (or any other government commy program, fuck insurers)...and passing shit on a highly partisan basis because the insurers, bankers, and GOP are evil.
When he starts paying off his base, his core product, not paying off fucking Nebraska. howabout paying off African Americans thru Mediocare for all at age 55...or 45 if you don't got a job? Or paying off liberals in Berkeley with early childhood programs? howsabout paying off enviros w making stimulus consist only of bus transit grantsinstead of prohighway money going to vast empty states?
we elect him and he pays off Nebraska?
Call me when he remembers who brung him to the dance. When he's actually pushing for jobs and finance reform and mortgage modifications and some GOVERNMENT RUN health care -- not just talking about how his future speeches will reflect "values" ("Message: I care!"!).
Because the problem is...he doesn't know what his values are:
change... or coddling the powerful and the GOP so that everyone in the room loves him.
5
I gave the NYT reporter directions to get to 15th Avenue Coffee on Sunday, from Cafe Vita. At the time, I wondered why she would go so far for coffee, when she was standing in a great cafe. That said, I have to agree with the NYT article - 15th Avenue Coffee is a nice place.
6
Young people wearing hoodies and chunky glasses are sipping microbrew beers and espressos, nibbling on cheese and baguettes made at a local bakery and listening to a guitarist strum and sing.
Oh, this kind of writing irritates me. Let me offer a translation:
"Young people wearing hoodies and chunky glasses"
--> Hipsters, who we are all officially sanctioned to hate and make fun of
"...sipping microbrew beers and espressos, nibbling on cheese..."
--> They're frivolous and they eat and drink like girls -- fags!
"...listening to a guitarist strum and sing..."
They're listening to a guistarist "strum;" obviously said guitarist is a listless commie folksinger, so the the "young people" are liberals! Fags!
I would like to punch this writer in the face.
Oh, this kind of writing irritates me. Let me offer a translation:
"Young people wearing hoodies and chunky glasses"
--> Hipsters, who we are all officially sanctioned to hate and make fun of
"...sipping microbrew beers and espressos, nibbling on cheese..."
--> They're frivolous and they eat and drink like girls -- fags!
"...listening to a guitarist strum and sing..."
They're listening to a guistarist "strum;" obviously said guitarist is a listless commie folksinger, so the the "young people" are liberals! Fags!
I would like to punch this writer in the face.
7
Wait--people are drinking BEER at a COFFEE SHOP?
WTF?? "Microbrews"? Is it served in little espresso cups? Whole thing seems pretty damned fishy to this Pennsylvanian! Can anybody enlighten me? Thanks.
WTF?? "Microbrews"? Is it served in little espresso cups? Whole thing seems pretty damned fishy to this Pennsylvanian! Can anybody enlighten me? Thanks.
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