I have heard that Tiffany's is also doing well.

Semi, you clearly either didn't read Sheridan's piece, or you missed the point. Or you're being obtuse. There is a vast difference between Starbucks and Tiffany's. As Sheridan explained, "Starbucks is a good proxy for affordable luxuries—things that don’t break the bank, are non-essential and have lower-priced alternatives. ... For most consumers, nothing Starbucks sells in its stores is essential. If their customers are more budget-conscious this year than they were last year, latte purchases will suffer. If customers feel better about their near-term financial picture, an extra one now and then doesn’t seem so frivolous. The major consumer confidence indices are based on surveys. There’s nothing particularly wrong with surveys per se, but the [Starbucks]indicator adds information on how consumers are voting with their own money."

I vote for obtuse.