kudos to Starbucks for staying true to their core values, listening to employees and providing a solid workplace… of course, listening to employees and customers almost always results in great things for business

I am not surprised Starbucks is this high on the list. My personal observations of employee moral and satisfaction with their work, during my frequent day long stays at different locations, is enough anecdotal evidence for me.

“Is having a starbucks on everycorner that bad of a thing, if it gives 110k Americans jobs?” - Supply and demand. If it were not Starbucks, wouldn’t another organization, or many organizations, fill the gap? “Especially if they are rated as one of the best companies to be working for.” How do they provide such awesome benefits? What corners are they cutting, or sacrifices are they making? Do all businesses have this potential , and they don’t treat their workers as well simply out of malice or lack of concern?

a shining example of what corporate responsibility should be…

I was under the impression that starbucks was evil- its great to see that they are treating their employees well. However, I would advise to remain wary of industry monoculture. small coffee shops add character and value to their communities. starbucks, by design, has nearly the exact same store everywhere. due to economies of scale, it has been able to infiltrate (dominate) the markets of local shops. local ownership allows profits to be invested locally, whereas, while starbucks does give back to the communities in which it resides, profits go to shareholders and further infiltration (growth). In short, they capitalize well, while providing good benefits. Not bad, though the occasional not- starbucks is pleasing to the eye, and pallet. Such circumstances are becoming rare. (note market st in sf- there’s at least 11 in a half mile radius). This may be out of the realm of corporate responsibility, but is this going to be the monotonous face of our cities?

Learn something new every day! I must say that I wasnt suprised when I read that though, since I have never gone into a Starbucks and gotten bad service or attitude. All the employees seem like they want to be there, which is more than I can say for a lot of other businesses that are “food” related and hire lots of part timers. Whats pretty neat, is that I could say “I work at that coffee shop down the street” or I could say “I work at starbucks” and they both warrant the same reaction, “Cool”. There is no negative stigma attached to being a Starbucks employee, which means they are doing well, both internally, and externally.

I am not sure how a company can even be considered for any such list without providing full healthcare for it’s employees.

At select Starbucks stores in Seattle, you can buy a cup of joe for a buck. Ssssshhhh. It’s a new initive by ex-CEO-just-recently-unretired-because-of-falling-stock-prices Howard Schultz. Starbucks is hurting, and something needs to be done. But who goes to Starbucks because of it’s “cheap” prices?? A year ago, Schultz wrote a bitter memo to his executives about what he calls “the watering down of the Starbucks experience.” He complained that the soul of Starbucks was gone, and urged the higher ups to bring back customer service. So he’s back in action, determined to change the coffee giant’s luck. There’s no question Starbucks is in trouble. In the past year and a half, stock prices have fallen nearly 50%, from a high of $39.63 in May 2006, to closing at $19.66 today. Schultz blames the company’s out of control growth. Also ailing are skyrocketing milk prices, the troubling economy, and pressure from McDonald’s. But why dollar coffee? Isn’t that the turf of McDonald’s? But the answer is…not really. Mickey D’s recently announced plans to open “McCafe’s.” In other words, coffee bars featuring cappuccinos, lattes, and mochas whipped up by baristas, a la Starbucks. This, after Starbucks added drive-thru windows and hot breakfast sandwiches. It seems the two mega chains are going after each other… by coping each other. McDonald’s is upgrading, while Starbucks seems to be.. well, downgrading. The dollar cupajoe seems to be an effort to get crowds in the door, but in the move Starbucks is moving away from it’s brand. Starbucks is the king of $6 cups of coffee. They survived the economic downturn of 2001, when analysts feared the worst for a company who prides itself on hoity-hoity coffee. Starbucks customers LIKE that they shelled out bug bucks for their latte. The well known siren laden white cup is almost a status symbol, recognized in all corners of the world. Starbucks needs to go back to the “third place.” Howard, get rid of the drive-thrus, the expensive merchandise, and the cookie cutter stores. You don’t need to sell your coffee for a dollar. www.emily-carlson.com www.emilycarlson.org www.emilycarlson.info www.emilycarlsonchristmas.blogspot.com/ www.eacarlson3.bravejournal.com/