Caribou closings (Starbuck: sales, how much, school)

[green_mariner]

Among the 80 stores closed, four were in Atlanta. I'm going to miss one of them, because I went there.

[Beenhere4ever]

Yeh, I don't think it really is the coffee. Around here it is escaping cabin fever. If you're not in the mood for a MEAL, then a coffee house is a place to go that doesn't break the bank, may give you free wi-fi, and is NOT in your home where you might spend most of your time. Truly, I think the "coffee quality" is a rationalization. I'm convinced that anyone who spends just a little time learning can make as good or better coffee in their own kitchen.

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by Radical_Car

Agreed.
I like my coffee black! Call it boring, but its what I love.
A cheap french press and a cheap coffee grinder, and I am set. It's all I need. Get some cheap coffee beans from Walmart or Target and grind them before you use them.

And if I am feeling lazy I use my regular cheap $10-15 drip coffee maker with Folgers or Maxwell House or whatever cheap coffee grounds I have.

If I need a cup of coffee when I am out and about, I just stop at Mcdonalds or a gas station. Heck Holiday Gas stations has a cheap 49 cent 20 oz coffee coupon on their website you can print. I been printing those coupons off that website for quite a while now. http://www.holidaystationstores.com/.../products.aspx
Sure maybe to the elite snobs the 3 dollar coffee from caribou or starbucks tastes better than the 1 dollar coffee from Mcdonalds, but to me, it's not that big of a difference and the cheap stuff from Mcdonalds or a gas station is perfectly fine, plus I don't exactly have an infinite supply of money, but how many single guys in their 20s do? That doesn't mean I don't buy coffee at places like Starbucks, nor does it mean I hate them. Not at all.

Coffee is more than $3 at Caribou and Starbucks. Well, the specialty drinks are. The actual black coffee probably isn't more than $2. I'm not sure. I don't go to Caribou to Starbucks to get black coffee.

I agree that you can make fantastic coffee at home, but I've become a bit of a coffee snob when it comes to home. While I do use a cheap drip coffee maker, I can't stand Folgers or Maxwell House. The stuff is definitely cheap and tastes like it. I blame my roommate though. When he moved in, he was used to buying whole bean and grinding it fresh in the morning. We buy good coffee and every morning I get to wake up with it already brewed. Perfect!

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by Beenhere4ever

Yeh, I don't think it really is the coffee. Around here it is escaping cabin fever. If you're not in the mood for a MEAL, then a coffee house is a place to go that doesn't break the bank, may give you free wi-fi, and is NOT in your home where you might spend most of your time. Truly, I think the "coffee quality" is a rationalization. I'm convinced that anyone who spends just a little time learning can make as good or better coffee in their own kitchen.

Anyone can learn to make a good cup of coffee. However, I think it is more about coffee culture. It is about the people. Example, me. Whenever I would go to Starbucks, yes, it was a given that I would go there for coffee or for tea. However, for me, it was culture, the people, the vibe that brought me there. When I had coffee at Caribou coffee, it was a place to just chill out.

Coffee is part of the reason, but it is the culture that goes along with it that brings many people.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by xandrex

Coffee is more than $3 at Caribou and Starbucks. Well, the specialty drinks are. The actual black coffee probably isn't more than $2. I'm not sure. I don't go to Caribou to Starbucks to get black coffee.

I agree that you can make fantastic coffee at home, but I've become a bit of a coffee snob when it comes to home. While I do use a cheap drip coffee maker, I can't stand Folgers or Maxwell House. The stuff is definitely cheap and tastes like it. I blame my roommate though. When he moved in, he was used to buying whole bean and grinding it fresh in the morning. We buy good coffee and every morning I get to wake up with it already brewed. Perfect!

Good coffee can be made at home. However, it is the coffee culture that brings people. It is about people meeting for coffee, it is about what you do when you're there.

And I can concur about the Folger's and Maxwell House. That coffee is crap compared to what I've gotten at Starbucks or Caribou. I recently bought some store brand coffee a few weeks ago because it was cheap: $3.60 for an 11 ounce can. Getting even the Folger's coffee is getting expensive. That store brand stuff was awful. It tasted gross. I don't think I will be buying store brand coffee ever again.

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by green_mariner

Good coffee can be made at home. However, it is the coffee culture that brings people. It is about people meeting for coffee, it is about what you do when you're there.

And I can concur about the Folger's and Maxwell House. That coffee is crap compared to what I've gotten at Starbucks or Caribou. I recently bought some store brand coffee a few weeks ago because it was cheap: $3.60 for an 11 ounce can. Getting even the Folger's coffee is getting expensive. That store brand stuff was awful. It tasted gross. I don't think I will be buying store brand coffee ever again.

Coffee culture is definitely part of it.

Store brand isn't always bad. My roommate bought Lund's/Byerly's once and it was pretty good stuff. And we've even purchased Archer Farms and had some success with it.

Normally we get Starbucks whole beans. They seem to be pretty tasty. If I had a larger budget I might spring for super snobby beans, but this works for the foreseeable future as far as I'm concerned.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by xandrex

Coffee culture is definitely part of it.

Store brand isn't always bad. My roommate bought Lund's/Byerly's once and it was pretty good stuff. And we've even purchased Archer Farms and had some success with it.

Normally we get Starbucks whole beans. They seem to be pretty tasty. If I had a larger budget I might spring for super snobby beans, but this works for the foreseeable future as far as I'm concerned.

Coffee culture is a part of why I often went to Starbucks.

The store I got the coffee from was Ingle's.

I haven't bought Starbucks whole beans. However, someone did buy some whole beans for me. It was like a gourmet brand. It was quite good.

At this point, I try not to buy coffee unless I can spare the money. Even the low grade coffee is getting expensive.

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by green_mariner

Coffee culture is a part of why I often went to Starbucks.

The store I got the coffee from was Ingle's.

I haven't bought Starbucks whole beans. However, someone did buy some whole beans for me. It was like a gourmet brand. It was quite good.

At this point, I try not to buy coffee unless I can spare the money. Even the low grade coffee is getting expensive.

Best thing to do is to look at what's on sale. I typically rotate between Starbucks, Caribou, Peace Coffee, and CityKid Coffee (love that profits go to a good cause). One of those is always on sale at either Target or Lunds (the two places I tend to shop) for about $7-8/lb. That's really not too bad. I spend way more on other things and since coffee is a major part of my morning, I might as well enjoy it.

[Radical_Car]

Originally Posted by xandrex

Coffee is more than $3 at Caribou and Starbucks. Well, the specialty drinks are. The actual black coffee probably isn't more than $2. I'm not sure. I don't go to Caribou to Starbucks to get black coffee.

I haven't been to an actual coffee place in a long time, but black coffee is like the only thing I get. I'm not into specialty stuff and cappuccinos and what not. I love the coffee from coffee places like Caribou, but the money you spend just adds up a lot, especially if I stop twice in a day, on my way to work and on the way home. Even getting a dollar cup of coffee from Mcdonalds will add up. I just get a bag of coffee beans from Walmart or Target or Byerlys, whatever is on sale, I never spend more than 10 dollars. When I grind them up and use my french press, it's comparable to Caribou or Starbucks and saves me a ton of money. Yeah, I am pretty frugal with my money, try to eat out as little as possible and what not. But when you're just starting out with your life you need to be frugal.

Coffee snobs will probably cringe when I say this, but sometimes I use regular coffee grounds in my french press, usually Folgers or Maxwell House, or *gulp* store brand coffee grounds. hahahaha

You want some terrible coffee? Try the free coffee in the breakroom at my work. NOW that is some pretty wicked stuff. Folgers or Maxwell House or store brand grounds in a drip coffee maker taste like heaven compared to that stuff. hahahaha

[Beenhere4ever]

Howard Schultz says he was trying to create in America the social significance of coffee houses in Europe. Why the coffee had to be so fancy or cost so much is never clear to me. Probably to attract investment. So Schultz's vision wasnt pure. But the truth is that if you understand the cultural side, coffee really doesn't have to cost so much. In London, writers had favorite coffee houses. So different schools had their own place to sip and crossfertilize their work. The expensive stuff is really capitalism at work.