WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON PAD SITE MASSACRE Yesterday featured separate announcements of retail closings from Starbucks and JPMorgan Chase: First, 36 out of 111 Houston-area Washington Mutual branches will be shut down by March; the remainder will be converted to Chase Bank locations. That’ll leave only 220 Chase Bank locations around town. Next, Starbucks says the company will close 300 coffee shops worldwide, including 200 in the U.S. No word on how many will be leaving the Houston area, but last year 11 stores in this region closed after a 600-store cut. For the surviving locations, there may be a longer wait for decaf after lunch: “Company officials say demand for decaf falls off significantly in the afternoon, and Starbucks will brew decaf in the afternoon only at a customer’s request. It takes about four minutes to make a fresh pot. Last year, Starbucks started brewing fresh pots of coffee every 30 minutes.” [Houston Business Journal; previously]
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I never understood the appeal of decaf coffee in the first place, but that’s just me.
I’ve noticed that about 75% of the time, when I order my coffee — always a grande bold — they have to brew it fresh, since all the other coffee-ordering customers are getting the house blend or Pike Place. I wonder if they’ll be cutting my beloved bold next. O_o
111 locations?
Growing to 220 locations after rebranding?
Crap, I never thought I’d say bank locations were too convenient!
decaf…who drinks that stuff?? :)
and they will always have a house blend and a “flavor” of the day which rotates daily.
a bank on every corner, a coffee shop on every corner. so much for those modern-day conveniences.
DISCLOSURE – shameless plug ahead.
I for one am not sad about a few shuttered Starbucks (although I’m sorry for those who lose their jobs). Lose your local Starbucks? Try one of your local independents instead! Fioza in Meyerland, Dirk’s on Rice campus, Dietrich’s on Montrose (yes it IS locally owned and independent now)… Or stop by the farmer’s market at Discovery Green on Sundays and pick up some fresh locally roasted beans for the house!