Yes, the end of the world is near. Forget about the high unemployment rates, slowdown in new home construction, and high foreclosure rates. That’s peanuts compared to the recent woeful news from the economic battlefront. Now a true indicator that we are in a financial funk comes from news that Starbucks is considering shuttering some of its trillion locations and cutting sandwiches out of the menu.

Holy $5 coffee Batman!

I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I can make it without my overpriced cup of mocha latte double cream fudge cappuccino concoction that I crave each time I smell that Starbucks aromatic blend. It makes my usual Maxwell House travel mug of coffee seem like colored water.

Now I realize that many of you - or at least the one or two who read my blog (thanks Mom) - don’t really give a hoot about the fate of Starbucks. You have your own economic indicators to worry about, like new competition in the service market, price cutting, rising fuel costs, etc. - nothing really that important but just enough to keep you and other HVAC contractors awake at night.

Don’t get me wrong, if I see two urns of coffee and one is marked “Starbucks” and the other is marked “Other” I will choose to pour myself a cup of Starbucks. It is good coffee.

But the whole idea of the closing of Starbucks locations and cutting back on menu items is a precursor to many other ills that have been facing our troubled economy. If Starbucks is in trouble, then all of us are in for a serious hurting. One response to this problem is to simply ignore the latest news and keep drinking your own favorite coffee, pretending that nothing has happened. The other option is to pass the hat if you will, make an extra effort to purchase more Starbucks coffee, and encourage your workers to drive your well-marked vehicles to the local Starbucks to show your support for this sputtering caffeinated conglomerate.

It’s up to you. Now go show America that the HVAC trade supports the lifeblood of the service industry, which is a good cup of java!