I can only say that Starbucks is 3 blocks from my house, and so is IHOP. Starbucks charges $1.40 for a cup of coffee (in my big cup). IHOP charges $1.25 for a small paper cup. Starbucks brews it a gallon at a time, and goes through a lot of it, so its always fresh. IHOP makes it in 10 gallon batches, and it was stale the two times I went in there. Starbucks is quiet and lets me sit there as long as I want reading my book. IHOP is noisy as hell. If I want to go anywhere else, and there are other coffee options in town, I have to drive 3 miles or more.

Pulling the poster was bullshit. Implying that denying water to WTC victims was corporate policy because one idiot employee of one outlet did so is just as much bullshit. The denial from headquarters that it happened may well have been based on increduality that anybody could have been so callous and/or stupid...and I'd bet he/she isn't working there any more.

Is Starbucks PC or not? Personally, I don't care, but then I find the entire idea of judging people or organizations on "political correctness" as repugnent as trying to lump people or ideas into "liberal" or "conservative". They put out a good product, which admittedly isn't to everyone's taste, and they are very successful in their nitch market.