Re: Starbucks network switch has begun
I live in the Seattle area. Instead of going to Starbucks after my karate classes on Phinney Ridge I go to Herkimers, which has free wi-fi. Instead of going to Starbucks in Pioneer Square after the gallery walk, I go to Cafe Umbria which has free wi-fi. When I'm in Snohomish, instead of going to Starbucks I go to Wired and Unplugged, which has free wi-fi. If these small independent cafes with a fraction of Starbucks' resources can offer their customers free wi-fi, why can't Starbucks?
If you couple this with Starbucks' shoddy treatment of their employees, and Howard Schultz's shoddy behavior as a neighbor and citizen (he tried to claim a Seattle public park as his own property and kicked people out of it) then you have many more reasons not to go to Starbucks. On top of that, all of the above mentioned places have better coffee.