What's in store

I do my best - I really do - and anyone who works and/or travels with me knows it ... I am a regular visitor to Starbucks but, you know, I just can't patronise all of them. So it's a concern that the news today carries the story that Starbucks is planning to close 500 stores in the US (as well as the 100 it had already announced). This seems to be because US consumers are feeling the economic pinch ... petrol there is now over $5 a gallon - and coffee can be more expensive than that!!! ... and they're cutting back on things like ... coffee. But it's not all bad news ... Starbucks is planning to continue it's program for opening stores except it will only open 200 next year instead of the usual 250. The report I read carried no indication if non-US stores would also be cut.