The picture is using a mix of revenue and gross profits, as far as I see no net profits. Gross profit is revenue after cost of goods, but without accounting for the cost of running the business. In starbucks’ case it likely means “this is how much we brought in revenue, minus the cost of the coffee, syrups, etc.”. They still have to pay employees, leases, etc. before you actually get to surplus or net profit.
According to this, their net profit for 2023 was ~$4 billion. Giving the same argument with that number is a little less profound.
Yup.
The point is, you don’t have to use misleading data to tell compelling stories. Use the real data. The net profit of ~$5 billion is still enough for a healthy raise for their wage workers.