Better latte than never for man on mission to visit every Starbucks (From Streatham Guardian)

Yawn!! There's the C.G.'s brilliant journalist Harry out in Afghanistan giving us the nitty-gritty from the front line... when Kirsty comes along with this total non-story about a coffee drinker!! rofl!! We were bored to tears previously with 'one short or two' the espresso bore... now it's catching!! lmao!!

Concerning Starbucks I received this from a mate of mine; can't vouch for truth or accuracy but an interesting read nonetheless:

"Recently, British Royal Marines in Iraq wrote to Starbucks because they wanted to let them know how much they liked their coffees, and to request that
they send some of it to the troops there.

Starbucks replied, telling the Royal Marines thank you for their support of their business, but that Starbucks does not support the war, nor anyone in it,
and that they would not send the troops their brand of coffee.

So as not to offend Starbucks, maybe we should support them by NOT buying any of their products!

I feel we should get this out in the open. I know this war might not be very popular with some folks, but that doesn't mean we don't support the boys on the ground, fighting street-to-street and, house-to-house.

If you feel the same as I do then pass this along.

Thanks very much for your support. I know you'll all be there again when I deploy once more.

Sgt. Howard Wright,
1 Platoon, Recon Company, Royal Marines


PLEASE DON'T DELETE THIS... PLEASE PASS TO EVERYONE ON YOUR E- MAIL LIST, IN MEMORY OF ALL THE TROOPS WHO HAVE BEEN WOUNDED, LOST LIMBS AND EVEN DIED, SO THAT WE MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE !

Also, don't forget that when the Twin Trade Towers were hit, the fire fighters and
rescue workers went to Starbucks because it was close by for water for the survivors and workers, and Starbucks CHARGED THEM!!!

AN ADDED NOTE TO THIS: STARBUCKS HAD STORES ON SEVERAL MILITARY BASES IN THE UNITED STATES. THEY ARE NOW BEING REMOVED BECAUSE OF THIS.

There are 227 Starbucks stores across the UK, and there's no doubt that our soldiers would get the same response from this company, so let us do our
bit and boycott Starbucks to show them how despicable their actions are.

Starbucks Statement on Refusal to Donate Coffee to U.S. Marines

Response to Internet rumor

Thank you for taking the time to contact Starbucks regarding coffee donations to those serving in our armed forces.

Starbucks has the deepest respect and admiration for U.S. military personnel. We are extremely grateful to the men and women who serve stateside or overseas. We sincerely appreciate that they are willing to risk their lives to protect Americans and our values of freedom and democracy. While Starbucks as a company cannot directly donate to military personnel, many of our partners (employees) show their support by donating coffee.

Recently, there was an e-mail circulating the internet that contained misinformation about Starbucks and our support of the military. Starbucks was able to locate the author who turned out to be a Marine Sergeant. He was very grateful that we contacted him and apologized for any misunderstanding, as he did not intend to spread the rumor. He subsequently sent an e-mail to his original distribution list correcting his mistake, which I've included at the end of this e-mail.

I would like to take this opportunity to clarify Starbucks policy regarding charitable contributions. We are able to donate to nonprofit organizations that are designated as public charities under Section 501(c) (3) of the IRS Code, including public libraries and schools. The U.S. military or individual military personnel do not qualify as a public charity.

However, on an individual level, many Starbucks partners have collected and shipped numerous pounds of Starbucks coffee overseas. Starbucks partners receive one pound of free coffee each week as an employee benefit (known as "partner mark-out"). Many of our partners have elected to send their weekly mark-out of coffee to members of the military or military families, and related organizations.

As an example of this generosity, our partners in our Atascadero, California store sent their weekly mark out coffee to troops in Afghanistan so they are able to enjoy a little piece of home. Our customer relations department in Seattle donated hundreds of pounds of coffee to the sailors in the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group. These are just a few examples of our partners supporting the troops. We recognize and appreciate the very personal connection that customers have with us and how they might miss their Starbucks Experience while overseas.

Thank you again for writing and ask you to accept our deepest appreciation to servicemen and women and hope you remain a valued Starbucks customer. If you have any additional feedback or would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact us at (800) 235-2883 or email us at info@starbucks.com.

Sincerely,
David Campbell
Customer Relations
Starbucks Coffee Company

Text of Sgt. Wright's Email:

Dear Readers,

Almost 5 months ago I sent an e-mail to you my faithful friends. I did a wrong thing that needs to be cleared up. I heard by word of mouth about how Starbucks said they didn't support the war and all. I was having enough of that kind of talk and didn't do my research properly like I should have. This is not true. Starbucks supports men and women in uniform. They have personally contacted me and I have been sent many copies of their company's policy on this issue. So I apologize for this quick and wrong letter that I sent out to you.

Now I ask that you all pass this email around to everyone you passed the last one to. Thank you very much for understanding about this.

Howard C. Wright
Sgt USMC
1st Force Recon Co
1st Plt PLT RTO

What if they had a war and no one turned up ?????

Starbucks is like a neo-colonial behemoth, infecting the planet with its ghastly milk and water badly disguised as coffee (if you want proper coffee stick with Cafe Nero).
I also detest the phoney and contrived Starbucks lingo of skinny this, latte that. Try asking for an ordinary cup of coffee, and they look at you as if you're a lower life form than plankton.
I have recently returned from Hong Kong, where I was appalled to see a Starbucks at a local Buddhist shrine. As you step off the Kowloon ferry, guess what is the first store you see? A traditional Cantonese craft shop, a nice little dim sum eatery? No, a sodding Starbucks.
I suggest that Mr Winter put his considerable energies to better use, and fights the further spread of this global behemoth while ensuring that the coffee farmers and growers for Starbucks are sharing in the bonanza.

your one chance you get on earth your one shot at life and you spend it worshiping a company like starbucks.

what a laughing stock.

Starbucks, Nero, Castro, whatever, they all serve washing-up water with foam on top, with a scattering of horrible chocolate bits. This is not real coffee!

Mr Campbell of Satrbucks says "...We recognize and appreciate the very personal connection that customers have with us and how they might miss their Starbucks Experience while overseas"
For goodness sake, where do these corporate drones come from, with their self-deluding whitewash about the value of their products to mankind? Mr Campbell, please turn off the auto-drone, and start talking like real people do.