Joe Nocera pens a Times op-ed piece on Howard Schultz’s attempt creating jobs:

Here we are two months later, and Schultz is back with Big Idea No. 2. It is every bit as idealistic as his first big idea, but far more practical. Starbucks is going to create a mechanism that will allow us citizens to do what the government and the banks won’t: lend money to small businesses. This mechanism is scheduled to be rolled out on Nov. 1. This time, Schultz is not tilting at windmills.

[...]

So am I. With the government and banks unwilling or unable, it’s time we took matters into our own hands. At this point, who else can we count on?

It’s a very interesting idea, and rather sad that we need the CEO of Starbucks to come up with it.

Update: The Create Jobs for USA website is now up.

Starbucks is adding ‘Trenta’ size cups to it’s drink lineup.  The 31-ounce cup will be used only for iced coffee and iced tea drinks and will cost $0.50 more than a similar Venti sized drink.

The National Post has a graphic showing how large the new cup really is (hint: it’s bigger than an average stomach).

Which national chain is the biggest in NYC?  Dunkin’ Donuts with 448 stores, but only 105 in Manhattan.  Starbucks, in contrast, has 227 total stores, with 182 of them in Manhattan.  These numbers, and others, show that mom & pop stores are disappearing while national chains are taking their place.

My favorite example of Starbucks’ ridiculousness is at 57th and Lexington.  There’s a Starbucks on the north side of the street, and another one about 1/2 block away on the south side of the street.  Yeah, crossing 57th Street is soooooo difficult.

According to Advertising Age, Starbucks will be handing out a “surprise” to random commuters in NYC and other cities.

Starting today Starbucks is surprising Manhattan commuters with free subway MetroCards and warming Chicagoans with free movie tickets. The catch is Starbucks wants consumers to pass on their benevolence by performing a good deed for another person, say, to hold open a door or buy someone a cup of coffee.

This is nothing new, but it is new that a corporation would try to use it for advertising purposes.

In NYC, we have an unlimited subway card that is good for an unlimited number of rides within 24 hours of its purchase.  There are a few rules, like it can’t be used more than once in the same station within a ten minute period, but nothing too restrictive.

On any given evening, when entering the subway, you may be handed one of these unlimited cards by another person exiting the same subway.  There is an unwritten and unsaid rule that you do the same when you reach your destination.

I have personally received “the gift” three or four times, and have seen it bestowed on others more than ten.

Who says New Yorker’s aren’t nice?