Nobody's Ever Offered ME Coffee!

Well since most of my readers know that I am a barista...and seeing how the media is playing up all this change at the Sbux, I figured I should put in my two cents.
I've been with the company for about a year and a half now. I still love working there. And many people I know really hate Sbux. And thats fine. I'm not here to change everyone's or really anyone's ideas about the company. I do believe that we have an awesome product. I do love working there and its not for the coffee. I really love the people I work with (both parners and customers). It seems that when ever I tell some one I work for Sbux I get the response "Oh, I don't like the coffee." Thats fine. I'm not forcing you to drink it. I detest pepsi products but when some one tells me "I work for Pepsi" I don't say "Oh I'm a coke drinker." Ok moving on now.
I don't know why so many people out there think that as an employee we can't acknowledge that our customers would go anywhere else. It would be like a McDonald's customer not going anywhere else for a burger. That is just not the case. I do love what I make. I believe its the best. I feel the same way about the drinks I make as the papers I wrote in college. Its hard not to take it personal when someone doesn't like it or doesn't agree with your topic.
That being said there was this article on CBS. Sure we closed for three hours and sure we lost business but from our "re-training" its not about making money. Its about improving ourselves and the team and also improving quality of our product. And I think it was sucessful in doing so. We are able to refocus and relearn the basics and have a change of pace. So over all I think it was good for our team. And especially at the store I am at now.
So I am happy with the changes and I am looking forward to everything. People are always going to hate Sbux because they are "corporationy and make money" but thats just how it is. Its not about making tons of money its about giving our customers what they pay for. So thats my two cents, for what its worth.