Things That Make You Go Green

Recently, Starbucks has been in the news quite a bit. Starbucks founder Howard Shultz has taken the helm again after CEO Jim Donald was sent packing as the company saw a three percent drop in transactions for the first time ever. The stock is also down over 50 percent from a high of nearly $40, which it reached May 2006.

I came across a USA Today article called Starbucks going back to grinding beans. The article discussed a recent interview with Shultz and the steps he is taking to bring the glory days back to Starbucks. One thing that incensed me in the article was Shultz’s blatant talk about waste as a competitive advantage. Part of Shultz’s strategy will be to cut permitted holding time, which means a shorter period of time between when coffee is brewed and when it is thrown away. Shultz goes as far as to brag that, “We’ll spill out more coffee than most coffee shops sell. You won’t be able to find a fresher cup of coffee on the planet.”

While the coffee may indeed be fresher, this statement makes me livid. I know they’re not pouring toxic waste down their drains, but this is a blatant disregard for corporate responsibility. I may be naïve in that most food establishments throw away tons of food every day, but I find it pretty low when it’s used as bragging rights. I don’t even want to think about the amount of energy needed to pick coffee beans, roast the beans, transport the beans, grind the beans, and brew the coffee, only to have it poured down the drain.

I’m not a huge coffee drinker to begin with, but when I do, I will go out of my way to avoid visiting a Starbucks. Starbucks may face different challenges as the value of the dollar continues to decline while the costs of staple products, food, and gas continue to race higher. Perhaps their problem isn’t holding time, but the fact that a mediocre cup of coffee can set you back $4 - $5. When you’re struggling to pay your mortgage or make ends meet, carrying a $4 cup of coffee as a fashion statement is probably the last thing on your mind. As a side note, Shultz cancelled plans to test smaller $1 cups of coffee in the Seattle market. Go figure.