K-Mad, poor economy to blame

K-Mad cuts back a little - look what happens...

Starbucks closing 600 stores in the U.S.

SEATTLE – Starbucks Corp. said Tuesday it will close 600 company-operated stores in the next year, up dramatically from its previous plan for 100 closures, a sign the coffee shop operator continues to struggle with the faltering U.S. economy and its own rapid expansion.

Seventy percent of the stores slated for closure had opened after the start of 2006, the company said in a statement. To put it another way, Starbucks is closing 19 percent of all U.S. company-operated stores that opened in the last two years...