Starbucks Strikes Back

Starbucks will start introducing $3.95 breakfast-coffee combo deals next month, in a move that many see as attempts to compete with McDonald’s roll out of espresso coffee drinks in its restaurants.As part of the plan, the company announced that it will launch two new egg sandwiches that can get paired with drinks. Some are calling this a move of desperation. “At some point, it seems too much of a value element might tarnish the brand, which is what differentiates Starbucks from its rivals in the first place,” writes Motely Fool columnist Alyce Lomax.Or is this lower-priced strategy, coupled with planned store closings, just what Starbucks needs to get back on track?