I woke up this morning to a few interesting emails. The first was from Starbucks. Anyone subscribed to receive their promotions and updates also woke up to an email somewhat out of the norm. Starting today, Starbucks has placed paper petitions at all of their stores across the country and is asking its patrons to send a message to lawmakers. The message? In short… get it together and do what’s right for this country (see above for details).
The second interesting email was from a CNBC reporter asking for a quick interview on the petition and Starbucks’ recent delve into politics. Obviously, I had missed a lot in the hours between midnight and 8am.
So, I splashed some water on my face and headed down to the nearest Starbucks to see what exactly was going on. While there, not only did I sign the petition, but I also was able to successfully Pay-It-Forward and buy the woman in line behind me her morning coffee. Unlike yesterday’s experience at the Starbucks on 45th & Park, these baristas new exactly what I was talking about and easily rang me up for the both of us. I knew it could work!
Soon after, I was on the phone talking to the CNBC reporter about Howard Schultz’s recent statements and Starbucks’ political involvement over the past few weeks. You can read the full NBC News article here.
All in all, I’m really proud of Starbucks. Some people may see this as a PR stunt, but I see it more as a powerful and widely-known American company voicing its concern for the American people and the economy. Businesses usually go through lobbyists to get what they want from the government, but Starbucks is going straight to the people. Will it be affective? Is Starbucks going to end this government shutdown and keep the economy in good shape before we default? No, probably not.
But they’re the first company to try, and for that I’m proud to call myself a loyal Starbucks patron.
Starbucks and the City 