Starbucks Closes - 3 Hour "Enthusiasm" Store Meeting Training Session

What a joke. Sorry. Last week Starbucks Corp. announces 600 layoffs and then boasts it will shut all 7100 stores down today, Tuesday 02-26-2008, to have a rah-rah meeting after the recent bloodshed to celebrate who they are.

The potentially hurtful truth behind this press release will be revealed towards the end of the article.

WE ENCOURAGE ALL STARBUCKS EMPLOYEES TO COMMENT YOUR HEARTS OUT ABOUT THIS BELOW - Tell everyone what your take is.

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has taken back the beans at Starbucks, trying to be another CEO comeback like Steve Jobs.

Howard Schultz shot out a press release Monday saying:

"Tomorrow evening, we will come together in an unprecedented event in our company’s storied history. We will close all of our U.S. company-operated stores to teach, educate and share our love of coffee, and the art of espresso. And in doing so, we will begin to elevate the Starbucks Experience for our customers. We are passionate about our coffee. And we will revisit our standards of quality that are the foundation for the trust that our customers have in our coffee and in all of us."

Translation: I am announcing a stunt for shock-value and attention. We are mandating an unthinkable event in retail. Shut down all stores for a 3 hour meeting during normal business hours, hand out pom-pons, and think for a delusional second that we have everyone fooled.

Pom-pons? Yes, according to Wikipedia.org, POM-PONs are "at its most basic level, a decorative ball of fluff." Well defined.

He goes on to explain:

"But, as I think about it, there is another perhaps equally important reason why we have scheduled this training. It’s to celebrate who we are... We are at our best when we are entrepreneurial and courageous, push for innovation and reject the status quo. We are leaders not followers--we leave that for others."

Tell that to the Starbucks Union.

GIVE ME SOME TRUTH!
Fine, here it is. This is where the motive resides in the Starbucks press release:

"We will overcome the difficult and humbling challenges we face, and will be stronger for it. You have my word on that."

Yes, a very nice message to Wall Street and investors, not a pep talk to the employees.

For further emphasis on what this whole media stunt go-a-no-where is really like, reflect back to the use of "rah-rah meeting" at the beginning of the article. Then go to the freedictionary definition of rah-rah and click on the little speaker icon that plays the pronunciation out loud for you. Funny paradox, just like Starbucks vapor-hype.

By the way, if Wall Street is who they are trying to please, I would like to hear some comments from investors regarding the related news below.

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Meanwhile, Dunkin Donuts is laughing all the way to free press and marketing heaven by announcing 99 cent lattes, cappuccinos, or espresso drinks at Dunkin Donuts all locations.