Starbucks Looks Weak Next to Competitors

I didn't think this meant either company would eventually wind up prone and wearing a toe tag. But neither did it seem possible for a handful of merchandise tweaks to solve problems, no matter what they said about better service or exciting new products.

And yet, that other coffee businesses could be doing well when Starbucks isn't seems to point toward trouble within Starbucks specifically, I began to think. And I briefly thought that this could lend support to Schultz's claims of ham-fisted operations at the store level.

But then an opposing theory took root: that competition, long absent, now abounds in many forms. Is it simply pushing Starbucks from the head of the stairs toward the basement? Strengthening as Starbucks weakens? Sapping its strength? That seems plausible to me. Additionally, Schultz's secondary excuse -- that Starbucks has suffered from the economy -- seems to lose force in light of comparative strength elsewhere in the coffee industry. For a man like me with three children and long hours, coffee is a top priority. It's not a matter of whether I'll drink it; it's a matter of where I'll drink it.

Anyhow, The Business Press Maven could use some help solving this mystery. Let me know what you think, and I might showcase your analysis in a coming column. You can enlighten the business media on an issue that they are ignoring.