They'll be closed from 5:30 to 8:30 to retrain employees. Seattle Times: "We will have all new standards for how we create the drinks," said spokeswoman Valerie O'Neil. "They will be trained in creating the perfect shot, steaming the milk and all the pieces that come together in a drink."
Yes, well, I've never had one of those drinks. I go to Starbucks all the time, and always get the same thing: "Cupa Joe please--no room." Sure, the place is pretty homogenous--everything market-tested down to the colors on the walls. On the other hand, it's a "clean, well-lighted place" where it's easy to read, and the music is good. My local store ran three days of Ray Charles and three days of Johnny Cash upon their respective deaths.
The problem is declining visits--down about 1% per store this year. I'm glad to hear that they're going to bag those nasty-smelling heated sandwiches. The cold ones are just fine. I'm also glad to hear that they're going to offer free wireless internet. Lots of places do, and it seemed unnecessarily money-grubbing for Starbucks to charge for it.
See Kelly Fryer, who wonders what would happen if churches did the same thing.
Just imagine if every mainline congregation spent that week retraining it's people - pastors, lay leaders, and every member - reminding them that to be the church is to be for their neighbors; reconnecting them to the Biblical story; refocusing them for the sake of God's mission in the world; refueling them for witness and service in their everyday lives; retooling them so that they could renew their congregations for the sake of sharing the good news in their context.
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