Save the Westlink Starbucks

An online and paper petition campaign has been mounted to save the Westlink Starbucks location, one of 600 marked for closing by the struggling gourmet coffee chain.

Paper petitions asking the company to spare the store, which opened on May 23, are available at Westlink retailers.

And an online petition is available at www.ipetitions.com/petition/westlinkstarbucks.

Participants are asked to sign either the paper or online petitions, but not both. The drive is being coordinated by Benchmark Real Estate Group, property managers for Westlink Shopping Center.

7 Comments

  1. avtolle
    Posted August 1, 2008 at 1:07 pm | Permalink

    Let the market decide. Obviously, given the quickness with which the decision to close was made after the store opened May 23, the market may have already decided. Good luck, though, to those who think a petition is going to change any minds at corporate.

  2. bth
    Posted August 1, 2008 at 3:00 pm | Permalink

    Not that I really care (to me coffee is coffee) it does seem awful quick to pull the plug. I would think they would give it a winter – figure hot drinks sell better in cold water.

  3. ictBest
    Posted August 1, 2008 at 5:45 pm | Permalink

    Starbucks is too big to fail. What they need is a Federal Government bailout to keep these 600 stores open.

    ;)

  4. bth
    Posted August 1, 2008 at 6:01 pm | Permalink

    We could always give them a $6 million interest-free loan!

  5. lennyc12
    Posted August 5, 2008 at 10:23 pm | Permalink

    Starbucks is the dumbest business idea yet. Yes people have been paying $4-5 for a cup of coffee until they started to have to pay $4 for a gallon of gas or milk. By the way does that make that cup of coffee $12-15 dollars a gallon. What is more important the milkshake coffee or getting to work?

  6. Bill Wilson
    Posted August 6, 2008 at 9:15 am | Permalink

    The reactions Starbucks evokes are interesting. Got a vitriol-laden voice mail from a gentleman this morning proclaiming “why does anyone care” about a Starbucks failure and blatantly stereotyping its customers.

    I’m not a Starbucks customer – I don’t like coffee and gas prices are destroying my budget – but I’m rather intrigued by the anger and the political overtones in this gentleman’s voice about the company.

    Anyone have any thoughts?

  7. Posted August 6, 2008 at 10:38 am | Permalink

    I think some people view it as ‘conspicuous consumption’ and lash out accordingly. As I noted above I really don’t care one way or the other – been drinking battery acid so long I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference anyway.

    As for “why does anyone care” I tend to agree – from a political perspective. Should it be a ‘public’ concern whether my favorite coffee house or bar or whatever remains open? I think not.