Starbucks Nation
by Tom Neven on 07/28/2008 at 1:30 PM
Several years ago I was waiting to check into a quaint local hotel in a resort town when a man reeking of beer barged into the tiny lobby. He pushed ahead of a customer at the counter and asked the clerk, "Anywhere I can get a beer around here?"
Trying to hide her annoyance, she answered, "There's a brew pub three blocks down."
He took an unsteady step back, aghast, and asked, "Anything closer?"
I couldn't help but think of that incident when I read a recent Wall Street Journal article about the closing of 600 Starbucks coffee shops around the country. A manager at a financial-services company in New York City was devastated to learn that the Starbucks in the lobby of her building was on the death list. "Knowing Starbucks, there's probably [another] one within a few blocks," she said. "But that's probably two blocks too far."
Really, now, are we that addicted to our Starbucks? I like coffee probably a bit more than the average person, and I really like Starbucks' Gold Coast Blend when I need a good kick-in-the-neurons hit of java. But I really don't need Starbucks.
I remember not too long ago when people actually tried to stop Starbucks from opening in their towns, complaining that the global chain was homogenizing our tastes and crushing mom-and-pop shops in the process. There seemed to be a Starbucks just about everywhere you looked, leading to this great line in the movie Best in Show: "We met at Starbucks. Not at the same Starbucks, but we saw each other at different Starbucks across the street from each other."
Now we want to save our Starbucks. But why? Starbucks introduced many people to the idea of good coffee, but there were a lot of places making good coffee before they came along. In fact, Starbucks' chief accomplishment has been to homogenize the look of coffee shops.
Too many businesses have mistaken the ambiance for the coffee. Any coffee establishment that wants to compete today must have a lot of comfy chairs scattered about, wireless Internet, and trendy indie rock playing in the background. In fact, as I write this I'm sitting in a non-Starbucks coffee shop. Comfy chairs? Check. Trendy indie rock? The Neville Brothers, actually, but to my mind that's better anyway. Wireless Internet? In theory, but it's intermittent today. But the coffee? Meh. Not bad, but I've had better. But some things remain constant: The barista is talking about "people who are coffee drinkers and people who think they are coffee drinkers but aren't."
Okay, whatever. I suppose the same is true of baristas.
I've been drinking coffee a long time, from really bad C-ration powdered stuff -- in the Marines when we were on the move we just chewed the powder and washed it down with canteen water -- to African chicory blends to sublime Arabic coffee roasted, ground, and brewed before my eyes. I think I know my coffee, and while comfy chairs and whatnot are okay, I'd rather just have a good strong cuppa joe without paying for all the extra ambiance -- and snobbery.
And I'm willing to walk two blocks for it.
1. Kirsty said the following at 2:14 PM on Jul 28:
I must admit that I would be willing to walk a couple of blocks for a good cup of coffee. I also think though that there is something to be said for the comfy, cosiness of a Starbucks or similar cafe - especially on a cold winter day :)
2. obewan said the following at 2:27 PM on Jul 28:
I could never justify paying $3-5 for a cup of coffee.
I recall a blog from last year about how many $thousands some college students go in debt for over Starbucks if they have a big habit on campus.
I only go as far as buying a bag of ground Starbucks at the grocery store. Then I can brew my own for around $0.30 a cup.
3. Nicole (from Boston) said the following at 2:34 PM on Jul 28:
Starbucks is all well and good but up here, we have a little thing called Dunkin' Donuts. It's actually somewhat of a business phenomenon. While Starbucks may open a new store in between two already closely existing stores and thus draw business away from them, Dunks' opens a new store within a mile of two other stores and all the stores increase profits. I've seen it happen. It's fantastic. And the iced coffee is amazing (and doesn't cost approximately $40). Three cheers for Dunkin' Donuts!!
4. Adam said the following at 3:00 PM on Jul 28:
Tom,
The end of your post sounds like a couple commercials that were popular a couple months ago for McDonalds... coffee without the snobbery.
I for one, appreciate the idea that a company is holding a higher standard and isn't trying to achieve the lowest common denominator in society. Call it ambiance, snobbery, good marketing, or expensive; it seems that Starbucks seems to pull in a different subset of society than most businesses.
As a disclaimer - I spent 3 years working for Starbucks. I found that company morale was better than any other place that I have worked. We were treated with a high level of respect and dignity. The customers who came through the door also behaved with a much higher degree of decorum than I've observed in the Walmarts and McDonalds that I frequent. This seems to hold true at the lesser known coffee shops that seem to mimic Starbucks look.
While I think that 2 Starbucks that are 15 feet apart might be a little bit overkill (Portland, OR); society could use a lot more businesses that expect a higher level of behavior from their clients.
5. BDB said the following at 3:06 PM on Jul 28:
Yeah, there's closing one in my city, too. Leaving...I think 17, if you count the ones in the grocery stores.
I've actually gotten into the habit of walking the half-mile to the Starbucks in my local grocery store. I guess I've traded ambiance for a fairly stable staff - they've convinced me to try pretty much every flavor combination with my ice venti mocha.
Don't try Watermelon.
6. Becca said the following at 3:27 PM on Jul 28:
Good coffee at Starbucks!? I have a hard time finding good coffee there. It's always over-brewed. I mean if I want to drink burnt coffee then I know where to go! And the tea. Waaayyy too acidic. ugh! Now don't get me wrong, I do go to Starbucks but that's because I live in one of those towns where they've run everything else out. Most people I know who like coffee would rather go some where else but there's not much of a choice. Course they do know espresso drinks...if it just didn't cost so much...
7. Gina said the following at 3:43 PM on Jul 28:
You'll get my tall vanilla soy latte when you pry it out of my cold, dead hands.
:-)
I like the ambience, and the coffee, AND the convenience of having lots of Starbucks stores around, and I don't think I'm a snob. I do have this weird condition, though, where even the mildest of regular coffee tastes undrinkably bitter to me, so I have to fill my coffee with all that sugary stuff to make it palatable. So you can't really go by me.
8. Joshua said the following at 3:45 PM on Jul 28:
I've been a customer at SB a few times, due to my friends sometimes refusing to go to the local, non-chain coffee shop we used to frequent (things changed when a REAL STARBUCKS came to our town). Can't say I really enjoyed it. Sure, you know you'll hear trendy indie music, and you know the coffee will taste the same (usually seems a bit charred to me...) whether you're in Seattle or New York, but that seems to make it lose something.
They market a trendy experience, but an experience isn't usually something that can be marketed and still be authentic, in my experience.
9. Saidah said the following at 3:54 PM on Jul 28:
lol. well, as an admitted Starbucks addict (yes, I have a problem), I must say, my favorite thing about Starbucks is being able to sit in a big chair and read or do work on my computer. I can usually do without the music (it's often too loud), but the internet makes sitting there and spending time with friends a lot more... productive. lol. I don't know. Maybe I'm just another American Starbucks Addict, but I like Starbucks. I just hope the whole Starbucks-going-down-the-drain thing won't kill the whole coffee shop thing, because as of right now, you're right; there are no other coffee shops, and I need my soy latte and a place to actually get work done.
10. BDB said the following at 5:02 PM on Jul 28:
I do think there's something wrong with the model Starbucks uses to choose restaurant sites. In my home town, they REFUSED to open one downtown - there was only one on the hill. And yet, being in close proximity to Seattle, the place is FULL of little independent coffee shops. I've tried most of them when home visiting family.
It used to be that McDonald's was known for having clean bathrooms - always a boon for those travelling by road. I wonder how many people stop at Starbucks instead now.
11. Michaela said the following at 5:02 PM on Jul 28:
Honestly, I don't think that Starbuck's has that good of coffee. The mom and pop shops usually have more variety, better products and are a lot cheaper!
12. Amir Larijani said the following at 5:18 PM on Jul 28:
For my fellow health nuts out there, I HIGHLY recommend the Vivano, a new Starbucks shake.
The chocolate-banana blend has 21 grams of protein and only 270 calories. An excellent post-workout drink.
Trouble is, it costs about $4, so I only have that a couple times per week.
13. Hannah C. said the following at 5:37 PM on Jul 28:
Things that don't make sense to me:
The only actual Starbucks in my city is closing. (The one inside Tom Thumb doesn't count.)
However, none of the ones in the city I go to school in are closing - and there are at least two on the same street in that city, if not more.
Why???
14. Jade said the following at 6:11 PM on Jul 28:
I have a French press so I make my own coffee at home from fresh ground beans when the caffeine urge strikes. Both cheaper and tastier than Starbucks!
15. Marc from Peoria said the following at 6:17 PM on Jul 28:
"The barista is talking about 'people who are coffee drinkers and people who think they are coffee drinkers but aren't.'"
Okay, whatever. I suppose the same is true of baristas.
Hah. Right on, Tom, right on.
(I pour art)
Great article on all counts.
16. swag said the following at 7:15 PM on Jul 28:
Starbucks sells milk. Coffee, by unit of volume, ranks no higher than second and perhaps third at the company.
17. Julie said the following at 8:24 PM on Jul 28:
I'm not a coffee drinker but an avid tea drinker. I love going to coffee shops with friends to chat and hang out or study. While there are a couple of Starbucks I like here at home the school I go to is in a small mountain town and there are none at all. It is that town that as you said tries to keep Starbucks out. Instead we have eclectic coffee shops that are all different, sell some great tasting fair trade or local blends and have great atmospheres. I actually enjoy these better, especially because most are more relaxed and don't give me an evil glare when I want to order something different or just get a cup of tea.
18. Apryl said the following at 9:55 PM on Jul 28:
"Too many businesses have mistaken the ambiance for the coffee. Any coffee establishment that wants to compete today must have a lot of comfy chairs scattered about, wireless Internet, and trendy indie rock playing in the background."
Anyone find that churches are trying to look like Starbucks these days? Comfy chairs. A coffee bar area. Purples, yellows, browns, etc on the walls. Cool light fixtures.
...Anyway...
My friends and I used to have a Bible study at Starbucks (in the Dallas area), and we would have to make sure that people knew exactly which intersection it was at, because there were at least 3 Starbucks (not counting the ones that were in the grocery stores) within 2 miles on the same stretch of road.
19. Jeremy said the following at 10:10 PM on Jul 28:
"Starbucks sells milk. Coffee, by unit of volume, ranks no higher than second and perhaps third at the company."
... what? Is this based on something or just a random guess?
20. Richard said the following at 10:50 PM on Jul 28:
Maybe its just me, but I really really dislike Starbucks. For me, the coffee tastes worse than McDonalds coffee and that is pretty bad in itself. To me, I am definitely not addicted to Starbucks.
21. Rachel S. said the following at 12:09 AM on Jul 29:
I used to be a Starbucks hater, but the library at my college has a Starbucks on the first floor. My senior year, a good friend and I started doing our homework together there because she was already in love with Starbucks. By the end of the year, I was practically living there. I wrote most of my Senior thesis there and became good friends with some of the baristas (which, by the way, led to many cups of free coffee). Now I've developed a taste for Starbucks coffee and don't like the coffee at many other places (except Dunkin' Donuts - that stuff is delicious).
22. Jo said the following at 1:14 AM on Jul 29:
Amir (#12):
ONLY 270 calories?! I'm on a high calorie diet and have to drink prescribed high-calorie drinks, and they only contain 300! Maybe I should try and get a prescription for Starbucks instead...
23. Kelly said the following at 3:50 AM on Jul 29:
Some observations from a global citizen:
- Most of the world thinks Starbucks coffee is bland/disgusting/insert your preferred variation. I chalk this up to US tastebuds being schooled differently.
- I can't stand Starbucks hot coffee (but I do love their frappacino, a rare treat)
- Give me European coffee any day. ;)
- I've been known to hike several blocks for good coffee, or put up with the instant in my office. I won't pay for mediocre.
24. Amir Larijani said the following at 4:31 AM on Jul 29:
Hannah asks:
Two words: Profit margin.
25. Loris said the following at 7:12 AM on Jul 29:
For great coffee and cheesecake, go to Greyfriar's in downtown Chattanooga. I spent many a dateless Friday night with a roommate and a sketch pad at Greyfriar's. :)I don't know if it was just my perception, but the quirky coffee shops in Chattanooga always seemed to have more of the college crowd business than Starbucks.
26. Carrie (the original) said the following at 7:15 AM on Jul 29:
Amir is right, the Vivano is quite good. I tried one the other day. I got the orange, mango sans banana.
Last night I walked to my local Starbucks for the free wireless. With my laptop strapped to my back, I considered it my workout for the day. It's 15 minutes there, downhill. Takes a bit longer on the way back because it's all uphill.
Also, last night I set off the security alarm. They had locked me in and turned off the light, forgetting to kick me out before they left.
Fortunately the little community I live in is like Mayberry and the cops know me already. :)
27. Nicole Y said the following at 7:26 AM on Jul 29:
I am fortunate to live in a city that has many other options than Starbucks. We have several local chains and IMO, the coffee and atmosphere beat that of Starbucks. Thankfully, I don't have to walk too far to get good coffee. Honestly, Starbucks wouldn't be on my top 5 list of coffee shops to visit. I drink straight up coffee anyways which I can brew from home on the cheap and it's great - it's all in the bean, not the shop!
28. Leah T. said the following at 7:37 AM on Jul 29:
I'm a snobby barista :)
29. Elizabeth said the following at 8:58 AM on Jul 29:
I don't drink coffee, but I do enjoy a Starbucks hot chocolate with raspberry syrup. On the rare occasions I go there with my sister, who does drink coffee, that is. That might be about once a month, and we use the drive-through, so I can't comment on the ambiance. My sister says the coffee is good, but she won't buy it more often because of the price. A lot of my friends like to hang out in coffee shops, but they don't seem to choose Starbucks coffee shops.
30. Carrie (the original) said the following at 9:23 AM on Jul 29:
Loris - not so true now that Starbucks opened a location on the Mountain. I imagine there are still many who go to Greyfriar's out of principle, but Starbucks now gets their fair share.
31. deanna said the following at 9:36 AM on Jul 29:
i've spent too much money at starbucks. i don't go as much anymore, but for some inexplicable reason sometimes i just want to go to starbucks. call it good marketing, product loyalty, whatever but i believe it is actually something i read about in a book by candace watters: the culture of leisure or comfort. we all just want to sit around and be comfortable and leisurely. i am trying to avoid it now because it all just seems like such a waste of time, energy and money.
32. Becca said the following at 9:46 AM on Jul 29:
Loris...as far as coffee shops in Chattanooga, my favorite of all times by far is Rembrandt's! Talk about atmosphere and great coffee!! And they have nice outdoor seating and great food/desserts. Ah the time I spent there studying. It's a must for me every time I'm in town.
33. Bethany said the following at 11:43 AM on Jul 29:
For people in the midwest, we have this great coffee chain call "Caribou Coffee" Yes, I work there, but I chose to work there because it's a lot friendlier than Starbucks and the coffee tastes better without the snobbery. But after learning to love coffee, I have to say this, when you need coffee, even starbucks will do, but only when it's desperate!
Unfortunately Caribou hasn't made it out west too much, although I think they are in Denver possibly. The joy of Caribou is most employees work by the official motto "An experience that makes the day better."
No, we don't always "need" a particular coffee shop, but overall if you get joy out of having someone know you by name and know what you drink, there's a connection made and sometimes even friendships. It's amazing to me the interesting people and even mutual acquaintences I've met and gotten to know by just chatting it up while making people's drinks. So maybe trendy coffee shops aren't just about the coffee, maybe it's a way to connect in our fast growing technological world. It sure beats pushing a button at a gas station for your coffee.
34. Tigger said the following at 2:48 PM on Jul 29:
Well, Starbucks makes many more things besides coffee, mediocre or not. I'm a die-hard fan of their hot chocolate, particularly with peppermint syrup. Also lovely are their caramel apple ciders and their fruity or chocolate-y frappucinos.
I'm glad there was no Starbucks at my university, although I think there is one now. I would have been even more broke, and probably weighed even more.
And yes, it's true that outside the US, Starbucks coffee is seen as pretty mediocre. In Spain coffee is served in tiny, intense portions that are heavily doused with milk. And it's actually good. I don't like coffee, but I Spain's version is rather pleasant.
Bethany (#33), I'm from the Midwest (Indiana, which is really more mid-east, but whatever) and I've never ever heard of Caribou Coffee. In fact I've never seen any coffee shop in Indianapolis or my hometown till Starbucks arrived, so say what you will - it sure is nice to have somewhere to go sometimes.
35. Lorraine said the following at 3:36 PM on Jul 29:
All I can say is, it is way to expensive. I mean it's more expensive than gas! I like the way the shops are set up, but I really don't like their coffee. It's so burnt. I'm not a big coffee drinker, but give me WAWA's anyday! It's better and cheaper. My English teacher from last year would joke about SB being like the "Chestnut Cafe" in 1984, just something to think about.
36. Leah said the following at 6:17 PM on Jul 29:
Most coffee lovers I know think Starbucks is gross and think it should stay in the US. (I can't stand coffee). Most of the prefer Gloria Jeans, but I don't know if that's in the US.
Maybe Starbucks in Australia isn't quite up to the US standard?
37. Kate said the following at 7:57 AM on Jul 30:
Let's not forget that caffeine is an addictive substance (maybe not that harmful, but certainly addictive). Association of your "fix" with the already pleasant ambience and social status of the coffee shop makes for a really good business model for places like Starbucks. As an added bonus, they aren't just selling black coffee, but all the different drinks which cost even more. Once you associate your "fix" also with the high sugar and fat in these drinks, with the ambience of the shop, it's like a triple whammy in craving and automated consumption.
I wonder if the closing of the Starbucks stores has to do more with people going to other shops with better offers (I for one rate Starbucks below pretty much all other chain coffee places), or if people have actually reduced their spending at coffee shops due to budget limitations?
38. Bethany said the following at 8:03 AM on Jul 30:
Tigger: There is a Caribou on Indiana University's campus in Indianapolis, otherwise, they are all over MN, WI, Iowa, SD, ND, Ohio, PA, Virginia, even some in the carolinas & DC, and they are west in Kansas, Utah, Colorado some, and one in Missouri I think. I didn't mean everyone had heard of them, just hoping to broaden the thought about coffee chains by introducing something new.
39. Kate said the following at 8:04 AM on Jul 30:
Adam #4's observations are certainly not universal. I worked briefly in a Starbucks in a grocery store and let me tell you, I was treated more rudely by customers there than I have been at any other food service job I've had (and I've had several over the past 6 years or so).
Also, if Swag #16 actually got this statistic from somewhere and did not make it up... it might be because they sell more lattes than black coffee, and lattes are made with a much larger volume of milk than espresso.
40. Nicole Y said the following at 8:48 AM on Jul 30:
To Bethany (33). We have Caribou. I like it better than Starbucks. The workers there are always friendly too. But I still prefer some of my local shops. I would catagorize most Starbucks drinkers as "people who think they are coffee drinkers but aren't". Most die hard, true coffee drinkers usually brew coffee everday at home and carry a huge thermus to work with them. No frills, just a good, plain cuppa joe (or more like several cups).
41. Linda J said the following at 10:52 AM on Jul 30:
Starbucks is the one place anyone can go and be greeted with a smile. It's a great environment for the young and old to relax and chat. Its more than the expensive coffee its the friendly people who are there too.
42. Amir Larijani said the following at 11:15 AM on Jul 30:
Jo says:
Then drink 3 of them. ;)
43. Tami said the following at 11:25 AM on Jul 30:
Leah (36) -- We used to have a Gloria Jean's in my area, but it closed. 'Round these parts, however, it wasn't seen as all that "serious" -- they sold a lot of teapots and flavored coffees, so it was seen as kind of "girly." Maybe it's different down under?
Where I live there are a bunch of independent roasters and shops... so I do try to patronize them when I can (especially for beans). They're pretty friendly with great service, too. We can also get good coffee from small companies at Whole Paycheck, so that's another option.
That said, Starbucks *is* like the McDonald's of the current age -- go there and you know what you're getting. I'm thankful for the ones that have cropped up in the "middle of nowhere," for road trips and assorted forays outside of my normal tracks.
44. Leah said the following at 7:18 PM on Jul 30:
Tami- for sure, that sounds nothing like the Gloria Jeans in Aus! (That is, if it's even the same "Gloria Jeans" owned by the same people).
Gloria Jeans' website: http://www.gloriajeanscoffees.com.au/
45. Avid SB Drinker said the following at 7:54 PM on Jul 31:
The Starbucks business model is a very effective and successful one at that. I'm a consumer and I happen to be a retail manager. Rich snob? Not by any means, however there is one word that I offer as to the value of Starbucks: quality. I'm a convert to Starbucks from Dunkin Donuts. I used to buy D&D's iced coffee everyday, whether they made it right or not (which was often). As a consumer you get tired of businesses that take their revenues, and customers for granted. If you want an average cup of coffee you have every conceivable place to go to for that. Want black sludge/mud? Drink your local office coffee cup.
What it all boils down to is, you pay for what you perceive to be a good or service of value & benefit to you. The preference is subjective. Why does Starbucks stand out and still manage to stay in business despite their high profit margin? Because they are offering superior quality and customer service--and they do so consistently. I love most of their coffee products but more so the latte. I know I really enjoy and appreciate my Grande Latte w/whip at $3.57 a pop on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I'm a budget conscious shopper too don't get me wrong, but I'd rather buy a 4.00 cup of coffee that I thoroughly enjoy, at a shop I enjoy, who's music I enjoy over the sloppy faster service I can get anywhere else. We blow our money on far sillier things than coffee as a nation of wasteful consumers. If you don't like Starbucks, you think they are overpriced and their coffee is burnt--why do you continue to go there? Is it because it makes you look cool, trendy and sophisticated? What is your social perception behind going to Starbucks versus anyother place? Afterall, coffee is coffee if it is all you are after. Personally, I will keep buying from Starbucks as long as their commitment to excellence stays the same. Its a matter of taste and preference. Whether you can afford it or not, if you deem it a good cup of coffee with the added benefit of an "experience" you're getting way more than you are truly paying for.
It would be unfair and highly ungraceful at best, to knock a business & its customers because of whatever social connotation you deem it to have and disagree with.
46. xeres said the following at 4:26 PM on Aug 1:
Whether people like it or not, Starbucks is a cultural phemonenom (?sp). There are upsides and downsides to Starbucks. However, the fact that their coffee is not fair-trade by a long stretch and that they represented the culture's obession with homogenity are one of the things I don't intentionally ignore. I do go into the Starbuck coffee shops once in the blue moon but only to socialize and get some food. I cannot buy their coffee with a good conscience.
47. Tyler Hendricks said the following at 9:02 PM on Aug 1:
In Boston in 1987 there was the Coffee Connection on Charles St., just as good as Starbucks, which wasn't around on the East Coast at the time, and definitely worth the half mile walk I took for it. I saw Starbucks in Seattle in '90 and came back to Manhattan and wondered why there weren't any premium coffee outlets here in this land of chock full of nuts in white ceramic cups. Finally, maybe in '95, a Starbucks opened near Grand Central Station, and I go in and ask where have you guys been? and the barista tells me they're gonna have 2,000 Starbucks in Manhattan by the year 2000. I go "wha?" but they probably did, because the NYTimes called Starbucks the General Motors of premium coffee shops, which sums it up well. The tipping point for me was when a Starbucks appeared in my hometown of Red Bluff, CA, a town of 13,000 souls, in '04. So I got an expresso machine at a yard sale for $3 and it works just fine.
48. Tami said the following at 9:19 PM on Aug 1:
Leah (44) -- hmm, it's the same logo as they use in the US, so it's likely the same company... but maybe they have to position themselves differently in the US. Marketing... ;)
US site (doesn't look as "girly" as our store was, but still different from the Aus site):
http://www.gloriajeans.com/
49. Lii'Thara said the following at 12:27 PM on Aug 3:
Whoa Starbucks! When I lived in the USA, (Wisconsin. My best friend featured lived over the river in Minnesota), my best friend and I would go to Starbucks in St Paul, MN, the only one near the Ford plant. As we would cruise around St Paul, we noticed more and more and WWOOO!!...MORE! Another STARBUCKS! One of our fave coffee shops suddenly, overnight, transmorphed into a Starbucks! So, all Battlestar Galactica references aside, we dubbed Starbucks the MUSHROOM Coffee shop as they were popping up everywhere within walking distance one from the other! Every time we passed a Starbucks, we would make a 'popping' sound, finger-in-cheek-flicked-out and say "Mushroom!" Youthful amusement that wasn't too far off course. I now live in New Zealand and Lo!! What do I see Down-under??? STARBUCKS!! ("Pop" MUSHROOMS!"Pop") LOL. OK, fine, they pop up like mushrooms everywhere, and tho I'm not a huge coffee fan, an occassional caf with mates is good. Starbucks, USA or NZ, is pretty yuck, the coffees seem to be "cookie-cutter" and yes, even Down-under, there's an air of snobbiness that's above normal, even for Auckland's 'cafe-crowd'. My NZ fave coffee hang-out which does an awesome cappucino, mean cuppa tea, and a hot chocolate, level 4, to die for is FIX.D on Auckland's North Shore. Of course, there's a Starbucks just down the road.......;-)
50. Faith said the following at 6:24 PM on Aug 3:
I would love to say I'm not the kind of person the author of this article is targeting, but I'm not sure I can weasle my way out of this one. I personally hate overly-produced stores who are all trained to say the same greeting to their customers and promote the same new product, but in the case of Starbucks, it really is hard to find something better. Let me explain. In order to really dig a mom and pop coffee establishment, you really have to live near it and it has to be convenient. As for me, the majority of the times I grab Starbucks is on the road. Its really hard to resist that green sign when your lids are heavier than a couple Mac trucks :-)
51. Kimberly said the following at 11:00 AM on Aug 19:
I agree with you 100 percent, I have worked in a star bucks, and about 95% of the time people have no idea what they are ordering and then they spending 6 bucks for it. There is more to it than snobbery from the employees , I had to deal with idiots on a daily bases, people yelling at me with such things as "WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE TO HAVE CHOCOLATE IN MY CAFFE MOCHA!?, THE ONE ACCROSS THE STREET MAKES IT THAT WAY FOR ME!!!" I also find it ridiculous when people write checks for their coffee! And what’s worse is half the time the so called baristas who are “trained”….. (If that’s what you want to call it that), know absolutely nothing about coffee! I walked into a star bucks closer to my home once because I need to get some coffee grinded for my parents, I handed the bag to so called coffee artist and ask if they could grind it fine for me, the barista rolled her eyes at me and basically snapped my head off asking if it was a paper filter or a mental one. I calmly explained it was a paper one and asked what kind of grinder they had, and how long she worked there, after finding out they had the EXCAT same grinder as my star bucks and the fact the girls been there a mere two months; I was outraged, because the grinder had the words ‘FINE” clear as day on the top of it, she felt the need to try to make me feel like I was stupid . So after explain to the girl that I would just go to the star bucks I worked at to have them grind it, her attitude changed greatly and even offered me anther free bag of coffee. Till this day I would much rather stop and a moms and pops old fashion coffee shop than a star bucks .It is coffee people, it is not that serious!