Two things come to mind here.

One is that Starbucks is resisting attempts to unionize their stores, to the point that they're closing stores that might successfully unionize. A store like this requires fewer employees to operate.

The second is that running empty stores with the barest minimum of decor is already the business plan of a fast-growing NYC chain (which has recently spread here to Boston), Blank Street Coffee. Several Blank Street locations have opened within walking distance of my house, and I refuse to patronize any of them because they're notorious for treating their employees horribly.

You can be corporate and still have a vibe. Boston is the only US city (so far) that has Caffe Nero, a London-based chain that's on basically every street corner in most UK cities. Every Caffe Nero is more or less exactly alike, but they're comfortable, the coffee is good, the employees are friendly (my wife and I barely ever have to pay for a coffee at our local because the baristas comp us so often -- obviously we still tip big!), the food is okay, and the playlist -- programmed out of the head office and including a lot of Northern Soul and early reggae favorites as well as oddball choices like Pink Floyd's "Wot's, uh, the Deal?" -- is always great. And as result, every Caffe Nero is always packed.