Coffee shops ponder the saturation point

By MICHAEL HILL

ALBANY, N.Y.

It's easy to get a good cup of coffee on Wolf Road. And it's getting easier.

The two-mile retail strip has two Dunkin' Donuts, one Starbucks, another planned and an independent coffee house. The McDonald's sells a premium brew, as does the Borders. And the Barnes & Noble in the mall across the street from the Starbucks sells Starbucks.

The coffee cluster is great for option-oriented commuters like Troy Mackey, who will grab a French Vanilla at Dunkin' Donuts only if he spies a short line though his car window. "I can jump in and jump out," Mackey said as he waited on line in his business suit.

But it may not be as great for Starbucks, McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts as they compete in crammed commercial battlegrounds like this one in upstate New York. So many stores crowded within eyesight of each other raises a question:

Is it possible to have too many places selling premium coffee?

More >>