Starbucks is having problems because they raised their prices and some customers are upset. People like Andrew Buckley have stopped buying from Starbucks. Sales have gone down, especially in the US. The company's CEO, Laxman Narasimhan, says the drop is because customers are being careful with money and there's some wrong information going around.

Other fast-food places like McDonald's and Burger King are also seeing fewer sales. But experts think Starbucks' problems are mostly about the company itself. Starbucks has been dealing with union issues and people are unhappy with their stance on certain global events. These issues have led to boycotts, which hurt their sales.

In New York, where there are many Starbucks cafes, business is mixed. Some stores are empty, while others get mobile orders. Loyal customers think Starbucks could improve by lowering prices and offering better food. The company is now seen more as a big chain rather than a cool place to hang out. Starbucks needs to work hard to win back customers and fix the problems caused by the boycotts.

Original news source: Price hikes and boycotts: Is trouble brewing at Starbucks? (BBC)

– News Summary
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs or small groups. Give each group a copy of the article. Instruct them to read the article together and then create a summary of the main points. They should focus on answering the questions: Why is Starbucks having problems? What are the reasons for the drop in sales? After they have finished, have each group share their summary with the rest of the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Ask the students to form small groups. Assign each group a role: Starbucks customers, Starbucks employees, or Starbucks management. Give each group a list of questions related to the article, such as "Do you think Starbucks' price increase was justified?" or "What could Starbucks do to improve customer satisfaction?" Instruct the groups to discuss the questions within their roles and come up with their opinions. After they have discussed, have each group present their opinions to the rest of the class.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write a list of vocabulary words from the article on the board. Divide the class into pairs. One student from each pair will choose a word from the list and draw a picture to represent it. The other student must guess the word based on the drawing. They can only communicate through gestures and drawing, no speaking allowed. After a certain amount of time, have the pairs switch roles and continue the game.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions: Divide the class into two groups. Assign one group the task of listing the pros of Starbucks raising their prices, and the other group the task of listing the cons. Give the groups a few minutes to brainstorm their lists. Then, have each group present their lists to the rest of the class. After both groups have presented, facilitate a class discussion about the pros and cons of raising prices.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: Instruct the students to work in pairs or small groups. Give each group a set of sentence starters related to the future of Starbucks, such as "In five years, Starbucks will…" or "If Starbucks doesn't fix their problems, they will…" Instruct the groups to complete the sentence starters with their predictions and then discuss their ideas together. After they have finished, have each group share their predictions with the rest of the class.

? is having problems because they raised their ? and some customers are upset. People like Andrew ? have stopped buying from Starbucks. Sales have gone down, especially in the US. The company's CEO, Laxman Narasimhan, says the drop is because customers are being careful with money and there's some wrong information ? around. Other fast-food places like McDonald's and Burger King are also seeing fewer sales. But ? think Starbucks' ? are mostly about the company itself. Starbucks has been dealing with union issues and people are unhappy with their stance on certain global ?. These issues have led to boycotts, which hurt their sales. In New York, where there are many Starbucks cafes, business is mixed. Some stores are empty, while ? get ? orders. Loyal customers think Starbucks could improve by lowering prices and offering ? food. The company is now seen ? as a big chain rather than a ? place to hang out. Starbucks needs to work hard to win back customers and fix the problems caused by the boycotts.

1. What is Starbucks?
2. Have you ever been to Starbucks? What did you think?
3. How would you feel if your favorite store raised their prices?
4. Do you like Starbucks? Why or why not?
5. Do you think it's important for a company to have good prices? Why or why not?
6. Have you ever boycotted a store? Why or why not?
7. How do you think Starbucks can win back their customers?
8. What do you think about McDonald's and Burger King having fewer sales?
9. What is a union? Do you think it's important for workers to have unions? Why or why not?
10. Have you ever had a bad experience at a restaurant? What happened?
11. How do you feel about big chain stores? Do you prefer smaller, local businesses? Why or why not?
12. Do you think Starbucks's problems are mostly their own fault? Why or why not?

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