A man whose goal in life is to visit every Starbucks location in the world said the recession is making life difficult for him.
Winter, a freelance software programmer who doesn’t have a last name, spent $1,400 on May 1 on a last-minute trip to Prince George, B.C. before the Starbucks there closed its doors that day.
He said he feels sad when he misses a Starbucks closure, and after missing one in Hillsboro, Ore., is determined not to miss any store closures in Canada and the U.S. — no matter the cost.
“Initially (it’s) very sad. Israel hurt in 2003, Australia hurt a lot last year. Hillsboro hurt but I’m getting over it,” said Winter.
He was in Vancouver in April and described the baristas here as “friendlier and multicultural.”
“I seem to get that sense about Canadians in general,” he said. “It’s probably not true, but it seems like it to me.”
Winter started his journey in 1997 and claims to have spent approximately $100,000 visiting 9,100 stores to date.
“The idea arose out of discussions about how many new Starbucks were opening around Dallas and the U.S., but I actually pursued the idea out of a desire to do something unique,” Winter explained.
On Tuesday, Winter flew to Dublin to visit Starbucks stores across the U.K.
