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September 5, 2008 10:12:43 PM CDT

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Starbucks to Close 7,100 US Stores Today

Posted Feb 26, 08 12:20 PM CST in Business 

(Newser) – Get your afternoon latte early today, because Starbucks—all 7,100 US locations—is closing at 5:30pm for 3 hours of staff training, CNNMoney reports. The company says it hopes baristas will  “deepen their passion for coffee” and even “transform the customer experience,” not to speak of  turning around a wicked stock slide. Smelling weakness, Dunkin' Donuts is pouncing, offering all its coffee beverages for 99 cents this afternoon.

A company spokesperson shot down a rumor that the closing signaled a return to manual espresso machines. “I’m not sure why it’s going to take them three hours to learn how to press a button,” said the owner of one independent coffee house in LA, which is offering free drinks during the blackout. Starbucks’ stock fell 42% last year, prompting 600 layoffs.

Sources: CNN, Seattle Times, Guardian (UK)

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J.J. Geise reads a paper as he treats himself to coffee and a baked good at a Starbucks coffee shop in Seattle in this Jan. 25, 2008 file photo. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, file)   (Associated Press)
A woman sits at a table at a Starbucks store in downtown Seattle on Monday, Dec. 17, 2007. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)   (Associated Press)
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Starbucks  • coffee  • Dunkin' Donuts  • training  • espresso


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