“America has the best economy in the world,” President Biden told NBC.
“Thanks to the American people, America now has the strongest growth, the lowest inflation rate of any major economy in the world. It’s because of you,” the President said during a January rally.
Americans are being told the economy is great; however, a good indicator may be what Starbucks is reporting. The coffee company made famous by Instagram soccer moms with $5 and up fancy drinks is feeling it.
Starbucks, the renowned coffee company based in Seattle, reported a decrease in its sales and profits for the fiscal second quarter, which ended in March. The company disclosed a 2% decline in revenue, totaling $8.56 billion, which fell below the expectations of Wall Street analysts who had predicted a revenue of $9.12 billion. This marks Starbucks’ first quarterly revenue decline since the end of 2020.
Laxman Narasimhan, the CEO of Starbucks, expressed his disappointment during a conference call with investors, acknowledging that the quarter’s results did not meet the company’s expectations. Following this announcement, shares of Starbucks Corp. experienced a significant drop, decreasing by 12% in after-hours trading on Tuesday.
Several factors contributed to the downturn in Starbucks’ performance. In the United States, a rapid decline in consumer confidence and spending was observed, more severe than the company had initially anticipated. According to the Conference Board, a business research group, U.S. consumer confidence continued to decline for the third consecutive month in April. This downturn is largely attributed to the ongoing challenges posed by elevated prices and high interest rates.
Starbucks also reported a 4% decline in same-store sales—sales at stores open for at least a year—which was a disappointing result compared to the 1% increase analysts had expected. The decline was more pronounced in the U.S., where despite customers spending more per visit, there was a 7% fall in the number of transactions.
People are feeling inflation and they simply can’t afford fancy coffee drinks. If that’s not an indicator of the economy than I don’t know what is.
