Now I rarely report news on this blog, let alone financial news, but this one fits. Apparently Starbucks will be closing down most of its stores in Australia, concentrating on Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. Admittedly, those are good markets to concentrate on and they are already packed with Starbucks locations (especially Swanston Street in Melbourne, with about 4 in a three-block stretch), but that's going to mean that the good folks running the Starbucks in Adelaide and Port Macquarie - each of whom I got to know on several occasions - will be looking for work. The first image above was the Starbucks in Adelaide that I had joyfully anticipated for about 10,000km. It was the site of Alex's first "baby-cino" (milk foam, a little chocolate), which is now a staple purchase whenever Alex joins me in a coffee shop and a gateway drug towards his future coffee addiction. That baby-cino is pictured in that second image from a tram ride to Glenelg Beach. By the time I got to Port Macquarie, I was sufficiently caffeinated to stop photographing the Starbucks locations, but it was right by the water on the main street. From the first photo below, it was about 50 meters behind me (on the left) on that same walkway. Anyhow, both Starbucks were staffed with bright, friendly, capable individuals who helped make our trip as wonderful as it was. I wish them well.
