The local paper has reported that Ashwaubenon will be losing a Starbucks on Oneida St. No, not the one across from the Bay Park Square Mall (cue sigh of relief from many of you) the other one down the street across from the hotels (story HERE).

Now, the loss of an opportunity to buy an overpriced cup of coffee isn’t going to bring the village to it’s knees. There are five places less than two minutes away where you can buy coffee, and that hotel row across the street all offer complimentary caffeine to their guests. Not to mention there are still two other SBUXs in the area.

But Starbucks still took a look at us on the map, and said “That store has to go.”

While it’s not a big deal to many of us, it will still matter to many. And if it does bother you, it should. Starbucks is asking us for more money for their products and not even giving us the jobs or store rent to justify their price increases.

That’s bad business.

And its another example of the leadership brain of the C-Suite saying one thing, and the corporate body doing another.

This is why we should always look for a local solution. There are a lot of “Mom and pop” coffee shops in the Green Bay area but obviously not enough if corporations are leaving us with empty lots.

Starbucks contracting their empire in Northeast Wisconsin instead of expanding it, is a poor example of their commitment to doing the right thing.