It’s really amazing how variable the density of Starbucks is. Much more variable than McDonald’s, say. People here have been describing some fairly significant cities with few or no Starbucks. Yet I know places in downtown Seattle or San Francisco where there are five Starbucks within a couple of blocks!
Ed
Last time I was back in 'clone country (last fall), the Hy-Vee on Lincolnway had not only the bagged coffee, but a freestanding Starbucks mini-stand right in the front of the store. It even offered a small selection of baked goods to compete with Hy-Vee’s bakeshop not 40 feet away. (They fry a mean cake donut at Hy-Vee, too, lemme tell ya…almost makes me wish I could still eat like that. :()
It was nice getting a hot roasty cuppa to stand in line with while I waited to vote in the presidential election!
There are two of us living in my house, and still no Starbucks. Oh, wait… crap…
Actually, I’d like to know who doesn’t have them in the world.
I live in China and we have endless amounts of them.
I talked to a guy one time who worked for a company that did maintenance for Starbucks as a subcontractor.
He was in Seattle.
He parks his big, white van on the corner. He walks into Starbucks.
He asked if this was store 1001, like the invoice said.
“Oh no, that’s the one across the street.”
So, he walks across the street, and asks the Starbucks “partner” working at that store if this was store 1001.
“Oh, sorry, that’s the one across the street.”
He asked some more questions.
It turned out that at this intersection of two streets in Seattle, not only was there a Starbucks on the corner, but there were in fact 4 Starbucks. One on each city block of the 4 at this intersection.
How much does a grande cost in China?
No Starbucks in South Africa, but there is a homegrown Exclusive Books/Seattle Coffee Company arrangement that perfectly mimics the Barnes and Noble/Starbucks business model.
There are Starbuck’s in the UK, and a couple in Northern Ireland, but so far the 4 million souls in the Republic have been spared.
I hope whatever it is that’s keeping them out (prayers, incantations, zoning laws, I’m not sure) keeps working.
Not only to they have horrible business practices, but their coffee is appalling.
I think about the same as the States. Coffee is one of the few things that is actually usually more expensive here than in the States. They sell Starbucks coffee in tiny 8 oz. bags for $11. It’s a huge rip off!