Consumers continued buying fewer lattes and coffees at Starbucks in its second quarter and restructuring charges led to a 77 percent in net income, but the drop in sales was something of an improvement. Starbucks Corp. - hurt in recent quarters by the perception that its drinks are too pricey - said Wednesday that sales at established locations fell 8 percent both worldwide and in the U.S. the first three months of 2009 compared with a year earlier. In the last three months of last year, Starbucks' global same-store sales fell 9 percent and U.S. same-store sales declined 10 percent.
Starbucks is a US coffee giant.