Starbucks and the troops

[craigwatanabe]

Okay I got this from Kim Kommando's "Tip of the Day" email regarding an Urban Legend of SB's refusal to donate coffee to our troops in Iraq, so I credit this insert to the Kim Kommando Show. Let me preface that no one or organization should be forced to donate to any cause but their reasons and justifications for supporting the troops still seems a bit shibai. Here's the excerpt of the email:

AND NOW FOR TODAY'S TIP... Coffee, the troops & how you can help

Q. I recently heard a story of Marines writing to Starbucks, informing
them how much they like their coffee and if it would be possible to get
some free shipments. I couldn't verify it, but I understand that
Starbucks said no because they cannot support the war.

As a veteran and addressing all of us who should be thankful of the
sacrifices our troops have made, I feel we should get this out in the
open. Please show us a way to get in touch with the individual units
deployed so we can send our own care packages to our troops, who really
need to know that we care about them.

A. I agree. We must all show our support of the troops and be
thankful that they are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for
our freedom. We can all help. I will tell you more about what you
can do in a moment.

This whole coffee story is not exactly a hoax, because the original
e-mail on this issue was distributed by a Marine sergeant. It has a
grain of truth, but at base is false. You can find the original e-mail
on numerous sites, along with a subsequent letter of apology from the
sergeant. Here are a couple sites to check:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/librar...ks_marines.htm
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/starbucks.asp

Starbucks says that under its corporate policy, it contributes only
to charities, as defined by the Internal Revenue Service. The military
is not a charity, so it has not contributed directly to the military.

However, Starbucks employees have contributed countless bags of coffee,
according to Peter Tremblay, a director of public affairs. Tremblay
said each employee receives a pound of free coffee every week.
Thousands of employees have donated their coffee, he said.

"We have 85,000 employees," Tremblay added. "The support for the troops
is just overwhelming."

Numerous organizations work with the military to send gifts or words
of encouragement to service members deployed overseas. They also help
families of those who have been deployed.

Bottom line is that SB didn't donate a thing to the troops, they hide behind the donations from the employees who gave up their perk (no pun intended) for the troops on their own.

Now each of you out there may have different opinions of the U.S. in Iraq, however we are there and our military (who protects us) are out there and could use some level of support whether it be patriotic or just coffee. Those desert nights can get really cold especially now.

Too bad Star Bucks didn't "bend" their corporate policy on donations, looking only at the tax deductable reasons why they didn't. As bitter as the coffee is, I think it now even has a more bitter taste to those in our military who got shunned by Star Buck's turning their back on a request for support.

[Miulang]

Re: Starbucks and the troops

Too bad Star Bucks didn't "bend" their corporate policy on donations, looking only at the tax deductable reasons why they didn't. As bitter as the coffee is, I think it now even has a more bitter taste to those in our military who got shunned by Star Buck's turning their back on a request for support.

If you read the SBUX definition of "charitable contribution" you will note that their mission is to help people in the communities where they have stores. Unfortunately for Iraq, there were no SBs in Baghdad. I think if there had been an SB outlet in Baghdad (there may be one someday, you never know), SB probably would have figured out a way to weasel around the US Tax codes to help out.

As it is, it sounds like their employees have taken it upon themselves to forego their monthly bean ration and get it to charitable organizations that are sending the bags to the troops in Iraq. The corporate culture at SB is such that all the employees feel like they have a responsibility to the communities in which they live (and they are strongly encouraged to act in this way).

Miulang

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Starbucks and the troops

I would be interested to know whether and how much other corporations (Wal-Mart for example?) give donations to the military, before I passed any sort of judgment on Starbucks.

[pzarquon]

Re: Starbucks and the troops

Wait. So while the e-mail newsletter you're citing acknowledges that the "Starbucks Opposes the War!" rumor was debunked, you're still saying Starbucks is still in the wrong?

I think the urban legend reference sites linked have the right balance. I mean, I rag on Starbucks as much as the next guy, but as far as corporate giving goes, I have absolutely no doubt that they're not the only company that - by policy or by law - can't directly give stuff to the military.

And here's another way to look at it. If Starbucks did pour a million tons of free coffee into the armed forces, it would just as easily be seized upon by the people who spell the company name $tarbuck$ as an attempt to get "product placement" in the War on Terror, and also play havoc with the very regimented (and probably very politically tangled) network of existing military suppliers.

As for relying on employees to do the giving, this is often the way many companies organize their community service. You can see this in any local community. Whether it's cleaning up a highway or collecting canned goods for the hungry, a company's people out and about is often a much more rewarding avenue of "giving back" (for both the business and for the beneficiaries) than just writing a check.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Starbucks and the troops

The coffee that is given to the employees are given to them anyway like an employee discount. That coffee was the employee's to donate, not Starbucks. Basically it was no skin off their own knuckles unless Starbucks paid for the shipping of said coffee.

It's the same as when the company I used to work for (The Gas Company) would brag that it was a pace setter for AUW (Aloha United Way) when it was the employees's salary that was used as the donation not revenues from The Gas Company.

It wasn't Starbucks that donated the coffee, it was the employees of Starbucks that donated THEIR coffee to the troops. If Starbucks wants to ride the coat tails of donations they should have donated from their own reserves and not taken the credit by the donations from their employees who now have no coffee of their own to drink.

As for Walmart and others, if they're saying they are donating thru employee contributions that's just as bad since it isn't costing them anything anyway.

But for Starbucks to limit their donations to IRS mandated charitable institutions (501C3) then it's not a donation after all because they can write off that contribution and get a deduction in return. A donation means giving freely with no expectation of a credit. That's not donating, that's bartering.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Starbucks and the troops

True. And this is different from other corporations... how?

[Miulang]

Re: Starbucks and the troops

If you really care to know what the SBUX mission statement is, go here:
http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/environment.asp

Here is their statement on Corporate Responsibility:
http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/csr.asp

More than most companies, SBUX does have a corporate conscience. I would not be one of its shareholders if it didn't care about the communities that it has its stores in or the environment. I would not have some of my retirement money tied up in socially-responsible mutual funds if I believed this was not the case. I could be making much more money investing in some other things right now.

Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: Starbucks and the troops

If Starbucks wants to ride the coat tails of donations they should have donated from their own reserves and not taken the credit by the donations from their employees who now have no coffee of their own to drink.

Actually, Craig, I do believe local stores can give away their outdated coffee locally. I know for sure they give away their used up grounds for free to anyone who wants to use it for compost.

Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: Starbucks and the troops

OK, Craig. You no can talk pilau about SBUX anymoa. On da news tonight, dey said SBUX going donate 50,000 lbs of coffee to da troops. I tink dey going give 'em to da Red Cross and da Red Cross going get all da beans over to Iraq, Afghanistan and someplace else ova dere.

I no tink dey going get one tax writeoff for dis one, but I tink dey realize all da stink was hurting dem more den giving away 50,000 lbs of coffee was going to hurt. How many cups of coffee will 50,000 lbs of coffee make, anyway?

Miulang

BTW: You stay spoiled now, yeah? You no can tell me dat canned coffee tastes better den dakine freshly ground from coffee beans!

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Starbucks and the troops

Okay no moa stink talk about Star Bucks (even though they still burn their coffee). See I wen complain and look, dey stay spocking dis message board.

On the topic of outdated coffee. Now that's sad! Kinda like the Gas Company (here we go again). Yeah when the managers had their meeting they would bring in all kinds of goodies (more like a pot luck) and they would close the conference room and you could hear them laughing and grinding their food (meeting indeed).

The smell of the chili, curry and whatever else they brought would waft thru the offices as the air conditioning would carry that scent everywhere while the rest of us worked. When it was over, they would come out and ask everyone else if they wanted the "leftovers". "No thank you" I would respond, "I don't take scraps, maybe next time you should offer it when it was served"

If I was a serviceman and knew Starbucks was donating coffee they were going to throw out anyway, I think I would have a definate impression of that company. When you fish, you always offer the biggest catch to your neighbor (transcending from the practice of offering the largest catch to the gods for thanks for your bounty). Starbucks should be offering their best to the men and women who are out there doing the hardest job of all, putting their lives in jeopardy for the sake of their country. The rest of us back state side can drink the crap their already producing.

Okay Miulang sorry no throw da frying pan at me! You watch I going get bachi...the coffee grinder going do something evil to me.

As for how much cups can 50K lbs of coffee make? I dunno, I never made that much but can you imagine all of our troops on an all out caffeine blitz!

[Miulang]

Re: Starbucks and the troops

Starbucks should be offering their best to the men and women who are out there doing the hardest job of all, putting their lives in jeopardy for the sake of their country. The rest of us back state side can drink the crap their already producing.

Eh Craig, I not sure whether they sending outdated coffee to Iraq, Afghanistan or Kuwait. And when I say "outdated", I no mean stuff that's past the date on da bag. Dey rotate stock so dey pull stuff that still has a month or 2 left before the date on da package. So da troops still going get "good" beans.

Miulang

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Starbucks and the troops

Okay...das moa bettah yeah! I'll drink to dat even if it's Starbucks!

[Miulang]

Re: Starbucks and the troops

I just wen go look at da side of one bag and it says you can get about 45 cups out of 1 lb of coffee (full strength). So 50k of coffee will make 2.25 million cups of coffee. We have something like 150,000 troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait, so each soldier should be able to have 15 cups of SBUX coffee, which would be about 5 days' worth of caffeine per solider, if they all drank 3 cups of coffee per day.

Miulang

[craigwatanabe]

Re: Starbucks and the troops

Geez with that much go getum juice surging thru their veins these soldiers will probably clean and reclean their rifles until there's nothing left!

But then again that's about as much coffee I drink BEFORE the 9am coffee break!