Starbucks to sell memoir by former child soldier

Starbucks will start selling "A Long Way Gone," the memoir of former child soldier Ishmael Beah beginning Feb. 15. The company says Starbucks customers bought 92,000 copies of Mitch Albom's book, "For One More Day." I wonder how many they shoplifted. In at least Chicago Starbucks I frequent (on the north side), the book display is out of employees' sight and close to the door. The first time I saw that I thought: "They're almost begging customers to steal the books." Who decides where the books are placed in stores? Have you caught shoplifters? (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

Comments

I think it's pretty safe to put any of Albom's books in an easy place to shoplift them from. You couldn't pay me to read his stuff and, if you are willing to pay to read it, you're either too gooshy or a couple poodles short of a circus act to shoplift.

[simplehiker]

Have you ever heard of those honesty tests? Basically the theory is that if you are prone to think at people will steal or shoplift ever chance they get then you too are also in the mindset of stealing and shoplifting every chance you get.

I think this rule goes double if you think that thiefs and grifters are interested in stealing crap put out by Mitch Albom or an intellectual book about Sierra Leone's civil war.

Baristas keep an eye out when this guy walks in the store.

[hbdinwid]

I finally grabbed some muster and stole a CD from Starbux about a year ago. All employees went in the back and it was a golden oppurtunity. It was the Charlie Brown Xmas album and I have listened to it many times. I keep telling myself that as much as I spend there, they owe me. I have since felt guilty and can't even stand to look at the CD's now. Too make amends with my karma, I gave the store about $23 left on my giftcard for the next people that came in. I hope they enjoyed their coffee as much as I have enjoyed that CD.

[anss]

HBDINWID,

You haven't "made amends" with the store. You simply gave them revenue they would have already gotten. You still owe a debt to the store, I implore you to come clean and pay for the CD.

[Caveat Emptor]

The only people who shoplift at our store are the Jr.Highers from down the street. In all reality I doubt that many people would want to steal from a Starbucks; there are many more places to steal from that would be more benificial to a person. Personaly I don't see any point to stealing something like a book or CD: I would go for the Magnifica...lol. I also don't see the point in shoplifting from a Starbucks. You could steal a CD a week for the rest of your life and it would not even put a dent in the coporations pocket; seems pretty boring to me. You might as well go rob a bank because you might end up with something usefull in the end, and not a huge collection of crappy music the "HEAR" picks out.

[NJ Barista]

Just buy your crap.. like wtf.. why are we even talking about this.. I just had a girl fired for stealing 4 boxes of chargers.. I really didnt care.. but god knows what happens next.. steal if you want.. whatever.. its all about karma

[BaristaBob]

God I hate some of the tangents that topics take here.....Get the book or dont get the book. They did a market study...Our customers were buying them...so we are selling them...Doesnt mean all our customers are in that target group. As for shoplifters...get a life

[Caribourules]

BaristaBob, If you hate the tangents of some topics, maybe you should consider not posting on them. Simple enough.

[BaristaBob]

I read the thread...thought it was interesting that we are selling the book. And I can comment on what ever I damn feel like. Especially when I keep it on topic. I feel we should sell more books at the store. It is good for business and it is good for our customers.

[bunny]

Dear Starbucks:

When I visit you all I want is a coffee beverage. NOT a book. NOT a cd.

Coffee. Or one of its various permutations. Period.

If I want a book I'll go to Barnes and Nobles. They actually carry things I'd want to read.

[iheartstarbuckslattes]

I can see why Starbucks made the choice to offer books - and specifically this book - in its store. If you know what your customers are purchasing outside of the store- why not provide it for them? And it gives Starbucks another opportunity to let people know that they consider themselves socially concious (whether or not they actaully are can be debated).

What really bugs me about Starbucks, however, is the paternalistic schmalz we have to put up with when the put a new product in the store "We want to provide our customers the opportunity to have quality books". Excuse me? Oh, thank you Starbucks for telling me what to read! how would I know what music to listen to or books to read if it wasn't for you? who comes up with these sound-bites? they should be fired.

As for shoplifting- I'm surprised that more things don't walk out of the store (or perhaps they do, I just have no idea about store-loss numbers). There is stuff EVERYWHERE - and no place to sit. I'm convinced they just want customers to get in, buy, and get out because there are opportunities to just grab stuff no-matter where you are standing - the number of displays is ridiculous- and also causes customers to weave around the store. I think Starbucks should just choose a few products (NOT the stuffed animals or bizarre holiday toys!)- have some nice standard displays - and get rid of all the kitsch.

[munny]

I don't really care if you take cds or books, please just leave our tips alone.

[BaristaBob]

AMEN TO THAT!!!!

[Bariesta]

I wonder how high the theft rate is at Starbucks? I've worked retail for eight years prior to landing at planet starbucks and some of the things they do shock me. I agree leave our tips alone.

[becca]

People used to try to steal our cds all the time, so we had to move them to within our reach. Honestly, who would want to steal a cd called "Santa Baby"?? Our store is in the wealthiest neighbourhood in the city, and as much as residents like to ask "but who would steal here?? we all have money!" A lot of people come into the neighbourhood with the puprose o theft.

[averrycafinatedbarrista]

one of the wierd things that I have noticed about starbucks is that they sell a 'style'. they just dont push coffee; they push music, cups, machines, books and candies, because that is the starbucks atmosphere. if you like the atmosphere, you can take that with you by buying said products in the first place. if you do not like it, dont buy it.

oh, and almost everything in my store gets stolen except the machines.

[Zach]

IHEARTSTARBUCKSLATTES said I don't care what you take, just leave our tips alone... and I also say AMEN to that! Our store is a pretty decent store, we do about $3,000 a day and about double that on Holidays. Tips are about $4.00/ hour for us. Well naturally that goes up with the Holiday as people decide to be more generous. Well we had a guy steel the whole tip jar and we didn't find out about it until he was out of the store. So I thought to myself... Self... How can I remedy this problem. So I cut the bottom out of the tip jar. And this is the part I love... The very same guy came into the store (like we didn't all know it was him). And tried the same stunt again. This time all the change and dollar bills fell onto the floor when he tried sliding the tip jar into his bag or whatever the hell it was he had. The look on his face was priceless... "oh, i'm soo clumsy, i just knocked your jar off the counter." Yeah, right.... I never saw him again.

[CuteBarista!]

zach...that's AWESOME. wish i could've seen it.

i worked as a borrowed partner at a store that just glued them to the counter. pain in the ass to get out, but it works.

we ususally have an extra cube that we keep behind the counter and pull larger bills (1's, the occasional 5 and 10) out of the jar and put them there.

[caryn]

To HBDINWID, what do you mean you finally grabbed some muster and stole a cd? besides your poor grasp of grammar and word definition, i'm gathering you meant to say you mustered the courage to steal. if that's what you meant then you're more idiotic than i thought. it doesn't take courage/muster to steal. and leaving behind $23 on a starbucks card doesn't make amends. you do realize that corporations use shoplifting to justify price increases. thanks for giving starbucks one more reason to jack up their already overpriced goods.

[Bariesta]

Caryn you're not maintaining and enhancing HBDINWID's self esteem and that is not how Starbucks coaches it's employees. I think you own the pathedic mouthbreather a heartfelt i'm sorry.

[iheartstarbuckslattes]

Becca- just because your store is in a weathly neighborhood- it doesn't mean that your local patrons aren't the ones stealing. I doubt that there are poeple coming into the neighborhood to specifically hit up your Starbucks. Cds, mugs, and books are EXACTLY the type of thing that wealthy people would hijack- they are frivolous and they feel entitled to have them- or they have a serious problem with shoplifting.

[Bariesta]

Good point wealthy people steal, just look at Snoop Dogg and Winona Ryder

[becca]

Iheartstarbuckslattes- you havea point, but I do know that the guy who stole our tips three times (caught and kicked in the back by myself on his third attempt) did come into the neighbourhood just to steal. When I was at the pd id-ing the guy, the cop told me his recent charges and all were him stealing from wealthy neighbourhoods, despite the fact that he didn't live in any of them. Although this has been discussed ad nauseum, I will mention the bottomless tip jar thing. Be carefull how openly you boradcast the fact that it's bottomless. The guy who stole our tips knew/suspected that it was bottomless, so he slid the jar along the counter and into his bag (while everyone was distracted) leaving only a few coins behind. Of course, customers saw this happen, but did nothing... sort of demonstrates that stat about how the more people that witness something, the less likely they are to help. Anyways... don't count on the bottomless tip jar to protect your tips. The best thing you can do is empty often, and physically attach your jar to the counter (ours is now screwed into the wall)

[Bariesta]

I have a great idea what about a electric tip jar? If it is moved or if a hand is placed in it for longer then 2 seconds they get a high voltage shock. This method will be even more effective on rainy days. I'm just planting seeds now people see which ones take root...

[49peratioshift]

OH MY GOD.....

I'm laughing so hard, you people are gonna make me piss myself.

hahahaahahahahaahhaahahahahahahaah!

[iheartstarbuckslattes]

stealing the tip jar is a completely different situation entirely- I left it out of my previous post because it's obvious. It's actually really sad.

[anss]

Zach, I'm trying to get in to a lower volume store for just that reason. All the low and lower volume stores in my area (25k/wk or less) tend to do about a dollar an hour more than we do in tips. We also don't have that many more labor hours than they do. We're clean, our speed of service is great, we connect, but we just don't get tips like you guys do.

[anss]

BTW, I've heard that some stores in NYC have tip jars that are attached to the counter and have little locking grates over them, like the salvation army kettles. Is this true?

[hbdinwid]

Thanks CARYN. It's so refreshing to be judged. Seriously, I mean it. I hope that stone throwing isn't hurting your arm. I know your throwing many but please don't hurt yourself. Besides you have never made a mistake and then tell it publicly to help clarify situations. You seem to obey all rules, including social commentary. If you work at a SBux, you must be a manager at your store and all your employees must highly respect you because of your ability to judge them. It seems that you do it fairly and respectfully. Just to let you know, companies already project losses. If they fall below those losses, they make out ahead. Also silly, if you have read any of the previous threads, you would know that prices are raised to set the "value" of a drink.

Also, Bariesta, when you throw your stones, spell them correctly. It's pathetic, not pathedic.

[June]

I finally grabbed some muster and stole a CD from Starbux about a year ago. (So says HBDINWID)
I'm not CARYN whom you admonish for judging you, I am just a regular joe who is going to judge you - you are a thief. You stole a CD that makes you a thief. So there as judgement - you are a thief.

[iheartstarbuckslattes]

ohh man- the nytimes just featured this author in the sunday magazine- anyone think starbucks might have had some pull in this?

[Bariesta]

Oh wow you are right hbdinwid I spelled that wrong. It's kinda funny having been corrected by a thief. Back onto the subject at hand. Personally I don't care what book Starbucks sells. However when it comes to movie I hope they learned their lesson from Akeelah and the Bee. If you're going to promote and sell a movie atleast pick a good movie.

[Coach Craigy]

Personally, I'm very excited about this book. I can't say that I've ever been excited about products that we sell, but I'm definitely going to buy this book!

Cheers