The business press is a-buzz this week with the announcement of Starbucks’ new VIA ready brew instant coffee. While many people think the product line is off-brand for the world’s leading provider of premium coffee drinks, company CEO Howard Schultz cites VIA as evidence that the company is willing to meet consumers where they are in tough times. He was right 25 years ago with his prediction that a $3 cup of coffee would soon be a mainstay; do you think he’s right this time? More importantly, does Starbucks get you? Does it understand what it’s like to walk in the shoes of people who are cutting their personal budgets and eliminating luxuries?

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