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Starbucks

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Corporation

The Resume

    (1971- )
    Founded in Seattle, WA by teachers Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegel and Gordon Bowker
    Named after 'Starbuck,' the first mate of the ship Pequod in Herman Melville's 1851 novel 'Moby-Dick'
    Logo is a two-tailed mermaid known as a siren
    Purchased by current Chairman Howard Schultz in 1987
    Developed from a coffee bean wholesale operation to a coffeehouse franchise corporation
    Employs over 72,000 people - over 7,400 outside the U.S. (January 2005)
    Outlets as of January 2005: over 6,300 in the U.S. and over 2,500 in 30 other countries
    Revenue: $5.294 billion (2004)

Why Starbucks might be annoying:

    The product they sell isn't exactly a 'health conscious' choice.
    Depending on what city you're in and what blend you get, you could spend over $5 for one cup of coffee.
    They don't call the sizes you can purchase 'small,' 'medium' & 'large.' They call them 'tall,' 'grande' & 'venti.'
    Calling a 'small' coffee 'tall' smacks of deceptive marketing practice.
    The majority of the coffee they use is grown by underpaid third world labor.
    Local 'neighborhood' coffeehouses are going out of business because they can't compete.
    They have been accused of paying landlords not to renew local coffeehouse leases so they can move in.
    They failed miserably when trying to franchise in Israel.
    They claim to give 'part-time' employees benefits, but workers have to put in at least 20 hours per week. Loophole - some are given 19.75 hour shifts, excluding them from benefits.
    Threatened by Borders stores selling coffee, they've expanded into the retail music business (1999).
    12 Manhattan workers tried to start a union for baristas in 2004, stating $7.75 per hour was not a fair wage. They were met with hostility and drummed up charges against the organizer (that were dismissed in court).
    In 2005, domestic and foreign shops combined, they are averaging 3 to 4 new venues per day.

Why Starbucks might not be annoying:

    It has grown from one shop in Pike Place Market in Seattle to a worldwide Fortune 500 company.
    They partnered with Magic Johnson to form Urban Coffee Opportunities (UCO), developing shops in ethnically diverse neighborhoods with focus on African American and Hispanic ownership (1998).
    Fortune magazine ranked them the 11th best company to work for and 3rd most admired American company (2005).
    They helped produce and promote the Ray Charles Grammy Award winning CD 'Genius Loves Company' (2005).
    They have been parodied in the Austin Powers films, 'Shrek 2,' on 'The Simpsons,' and 'South Park.'
    Their original siren logo had exposed hooters.

Credit: Scar Tactics


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 6 Votes: 83.33% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 29 Votes: 48.28% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 37 Votes: 40.54% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 23 Votes: 43.48% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 171 Votes: 60.23% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 17 Votes: 58.82% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 21 Votes: 52.38% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 15 Votes: 53.33% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 25 Votes: 72.00% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 18 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 25 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 48 Votes: 72.92% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 108 Votes: 75.93% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 137 Votes: 66.42% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 303 Votes: 74.26% Annoying
    In 2005, Out of 605 Votes: 68.60% Annoying