6034: The Pitfalls Of Playing It Safe.

Hot news in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• Starbucks is in hot water with environmentalists over the chain’s practice of keeping a tap running all day long—wasting 6 million gallons of water per day, according to the critics. Starbucks apparently does it to prevent germ buildup on utensils, and released a statement saying, “We recognize that the … amount of water that is used by the system is an issue that needs immediate attention. Starbucks’ challenge is to balance water conservation with the need for customer safety.” Sounds like Grande bullshit.

• Volvo cars aren’t so safe after all, at least for employees. The carmaker is cutting 3,000 jobs, mostly in Sweden. Remember the recent tagline, “Who would you give a Volvo to?” Well, there are about 3,000 folks who you wouldn’t want to give one to.

• Linens ‘n Things officially asked a Delaware judge for permission to proceed liquidating its stores, realizing they won’t survive through the holidays. Ironically, this means they’ll be holding some serious holiday sales.