July 2008

Howdy!
I am sitting in the basement listening to the rain (again!) today, the 4th of July, and the beginning of a three-day weekend, having just finished my 4-day “RMT University” with Starbucks. It was interesting, in that on the second day of the gathering of eleven recently hired or promoted Managers and Assistants, we learned that six hundred Starbucks stores will be closing over the next nine months. To say there was a bit of anxiety in the room would be an understatement, as some of the trainees could have received a call that day saying that their store was on “the list.” Fortunately, so far, no one received that call, and we were later told, fairly reliably, that none of us would be affected, and that, in fact, Starbucks is also planning to open 200 new stores in that time. The problem was that when Howard Schultz, the big-deal CEO, stepped down a few years ago (and has since returned this February, to everyone’s relief), his successor went nuts, opening far too many stores in markets that did not need them. (You may have heard the joke: they just opened a new Starbucks… in the restroom of another Starbucks.) To give some perspective: there are as many Starbucks in southern California as there are in our 17 state region (excluding Chicago); Long Beach has 27, vs. the Ohio River Valley, with only 37, despite comprising most of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

Anyway, on a more personal level, I found out from Sara Beth, the Regional Recruiter, and one of our instructors, that I was the last non-hourly hired in the company (!), as Starbucks put a management-level hiring freeze into effect five days after I accepted. I told her I hoped it wasn’t cause-and effect. I also got showered with glory at the classes, as the caliber of management Starbucks has had (particularly in this area) is not the same as what we had at Disney, so many of my observations and “best practices” caused a sensation. That was one reason Sara Beth was anxious to get me, because so many of Starbucks’ management have moved up from within, which, while in itself a good thing, often means that the people do not necessarily have as much perspective or experience as those from the outside. It was nice to get the recognition, of course, and offset some of the humility I have had to learn since, only six weeks into my training, there are still plenty of high-school age employees who can make a better mocha than I can! And Starbucks certainly remains a good choice, as Disney Store has also just closed 120 stores, including the last one in this area, at Tri-County Mall, where I had thought of transferring. Our closest Disney Stores now are in either Columbus or Louisville. It’s tough times in retail-land!

In other news, I seem to be following in my Mom's footsteps, by writing letters to the editor, and just had my first one published (which is not all that big a deal, since the Enquirer writes that they receive “dozens of letter a week,” which I think puts it on par with most throwaway neighborhood rags, but I digress…). The upshot is that twice recently, religious groups have tried to meet at public places, and when being denied have sued or threatened suit. The first one was a “Bible-based Financial Planning Seminar” that wanted to use a local library’s community room. They were denied and are now suing for discrimination and “damages” into the hundred thousands. Here is my letter:

Regarding “Clermont Co. couple sues library after Bible-based seminar rejected” (June 7): Why are these religious groups insisting on meeting in public places? Don’t they have their own places, which I believe are called churches? And how likely is it these groups would allow other nonprofit groups that don’t hold their beliefs to meet in those churches? Finally, how very “Christian” that these groups are suing or thinking about lawsuits. I believe the message is “What Would Jesus Do?” and not “Who Would Jesus Sue?”

So far, we have not received any burning crosses on our lawn, or threats of lawsuits, which we think is a good thing.

The newspaper is horrible, although we get a great deal of enjoyment from it nonetheless. Here is recipe from the other day that was featured on the front page of the Lifestyle section, with color photo:

“4th of July Dessert”
Ingredients:
One box, Little Debbie Stars and Stripes Cakes
Cinnamon red hots
Instructions: Cut Little Debbie cakes into triangles, and arrange on plate. Sprinkle with red hots.
Serves 16.

This is so funny by itself, I do not even need to make a joke about my sister's cooking! The Gardening and other columns are about as remedial. Stephen actually wondered if we were getting a children’s edition of the paper by mistake.

The paper also misuses the word “diversity,” but in that it is reflecting the community. In January, when we first visited, our Realtor and others we talked to warned us against some neighborhoods because they were “diverse.” We couldn’t figure out what the big deal was; we like diversity, and as a gay couple in the Midwest, we kind of thought we were bringing a little diversity in. How boring and sterile if everyone is all one thing, whatever it is. Anyway, what we found out is that in Ohio, diversity does not mean variety or difference, but Black. This was apparent in the paper when they wrote about how the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music was creating several diversity programs: all seven were for African-American groups, exclusively. Which is admirable, but not truly diverse. Talking to our neighbors, who are also non-natives, we discovered that apparently Cincinnati has had a long history of racial tension, but is doing its best to turn around, however awkwardly. There still looks to be a long way to go, as we have observed firsthand. Despite there being a decent amount of black residents in Greenhills, at the outdoor concert we went to last week the audience was exclusively white; likewise in Riley’s, the local restaurant we eat breakfast at once a week or so. Go down to the lake, however, and it is almost exclusively black families walking or picnicking. Who knows why? Even at Starbucks, in my different classes I have met about forty other managers, DMs, etc., and there is not one non-white face. Sara Beth and I were talking about that, and she said that in Alabama, which is about 40% black, Starbucks has zero black managers, despite being a company that really does want to embrace inclusiveness and diversity.

Which somehow brings me back to where I started. And with the rain letting up (for now!), I think I’ll conclude. This evening, if the weather stays clear, we will walk up to the Pioneer Days festival, where there are carnival rides and hoopla, before fireworks. I hope you all have a safe, fun, and sunny Fourth!

Love, Rob't