McDonald's coffee

According to AdAge, McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) broadside at the battleship Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) has been delayed by the credit crunch. The chain's plans to build coffee bars in its 14,000+ locations won't meet its previous deadline of April 2009. The delay means the ad campaign planned to accompany it will also be postponed, to the disappointment of the media world.

The magazine reports that in an internal memo the company explains that the program it runs through Bank of America to loan franchisees development funds has been tapped out earlier than expected. Franchisees are expected to resort to local funding sources for operational and development loans, in the short term.

The coffee bars are expected to cost each outlet around $100,000. A later launch could result in the bars landing in the hot summer months, not prime time for coffee drinks.

Too bad for McDonald's, since the economic uncertainty of the moment would provide a wonderful marketing platform for lower-cost, boutique coffees. Perhaps the government will include a little taste of TARP money to compensate Mickey D's for this loss of business. Crazier ideas have been floated.

Government Shutdown? REALLY?

When I heard on Friday, that the Federal Government paid out Welfare checks and then heard that the military did not get their pay, I KNEW that the Federal Government was NOT going to close.  Yet we all sat around Friday night and Saturday morning glued to our TVs waiting to hear whether or not our government closed their doors.  Even though I knew in my heart that the Fed doors were not closing, I still had to sit and watch it with my own two eyes and listen with my own two ears to make sure.  The panic in all the faces of the people I work with, hearing the little old lady in the grocery store line who was buying up hundreds of dollars of staples like rice, water, flour, canned goods and the sort, stand there and preach to me about how the big depression is about to happen and she was going to be ready.  I felt embarrased as I had merely bought a loaf of bread and some vegetable oil.  As I listened to her and looked at my two items, I wondered, "How would I be able to live on bread and oil?"

Bread and Oil, Looks pretty good to me!