For example, anyone notice their choice of second and third locations in Playa? One is a few doors from Cafe Sasta, the other a few doors from Cafe Corazon.

Coincidence? Of course not. Starbucks is a very aggressive corporation. Sometimes they open two shops near an established coffee shop so as to make their business marginal. Over time local operators go out of business and a town sees less choice not more.

starbuck’s is immensely popular and the coffee is far superior to MCD. You really have to know a bit about coffee and the process. I now only grind and french press my starbuck’s espresso roast daily. As an Italian-American coffee is an essential part of our heritage and family comraderie..lol… I will agree, that MCD looks like a good trade now. And the chart is fantastic…i would be a buyer of MCD here with a stop at the 50day moving average..SBUX has also offered a great trade and i see a cup and handle pattern on the daily…i think they both make for good trades. I must be upfront I am an independent trader and also am involved with a newsletter for traders. I am currently searching for a property in Merida and will be offering a trading boot camp or trading lessons to show people how to empower themselves thru trading…I will be inviting U.S. clients, but with so many ex-pats in Merida this may work well here too…what i do is not investing…long gone are the days of holding stocks for decades like my grandparent’s did. I speak spanish and will be married to a woman from GDL within the next year. Ive travelled thru much of Mexico and have been involved in helping some remote mayan villages post-hurricane troubles of a few years ago. I will be arriving in Merida Tuesday to continue my search for a property.

The Starbucks Company in the U.S. is doing horrible! Why? Part of the reason is because McDonald’s (ticker symbol, MCD) is now offering better tasting coffee (including delicious iced coffee) for a fraction of the price.

Do the McDonald’s in Merida offer Iced Coffee yet?

*McDonald’s is also another great company to invest in.

so to sum up, starbucks and big franchises is not a real problem here, because with or without them, the real issue is the way people think and act, the way gossip is perfectly acceptable and even necesary.. anyways.. go to EL HOYO (downtown on 62nd street)

ps. the mug they made (the one you show at the top) it’s the most horrible mug i’d ever seen, there’s no design to it, it’s.. it’s.. it almost makes me puke every time i see it.