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Having an intense sucessful marketing career does not make
for an expert in the retail coffee shop business or assessing the
reasons for sucess or failure, but since their not the boss of me
let's get a basic glimse. Stabucks somehow survived but perhaps not because of their COFFEE! The regular for years was
a low rated ( behind McDonalds) and could be used to clean
gutters or a rifle barrel! 0ver dosed, bitter swill was my take and
many other forcing them to a palatable "blond" ridiculously made to order...really? Their "swill" drove people to the Frappes, Lattes and other addicting drinks (requiring second mortages! Their drive thru combined with great demographics not withstanding malls got it rolling. They have a great CEO and humanitarian. Barnes had a great product but not enough drive thru to carry them plus franchisees plunked down in marginal malls whete economies didn't ching ching their ching ching ,but their Kenya AA was the best coffee on the planet. Mom and Pops just didn 't "kick it " as you have to sell more than coffee and without drive thru its curtains ( some creative exceptions who have lounges ,wi-fi, library, folk, poetry, pleasant veranda's, specialty coffees.) Starbucks expansion into vending, store coolers, markets have "iced" the market. From the memorable question by Wcleaf Jean "where the money at?" To the the drive thru customer sucka's coranation....$4.00!
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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We have many "Mom & Pops" that are thriving here in the Seattle area, despite being the home of Starbucks. Perhaps we have enough demand to support all of them compared to other cities. Our favorite, however, is a smaller chain, called Dutch Bros. based in Oregon. Unfortunately there are none in Northern WA yet, but when traveling in the southern part of the state, Oregon or Northern California we always stop at a few. They are drive-up only, no sitting to use your laptop, no food.
I've never been a fan of starbucks, more of a dunkin donuts guy myself. Honestly part of me feels like Starbucks is like apple, it has a cult following despite being pricey and not even necessarily the best coffee or at least not appealing to mass pallettes.
Starbucks has kind of become a cultural symbol though in terms of how they treat their employees and just kind of the epidimy of a coffee shop.
one thing I will say is when I travel starbucks is everywhere dunkin donuts is not so on vacation I typically will get a starbucks. also on holidays starbucks tends to be open more than other places so I'll get my coffee at starbucks on like xmas morning as well.
I got an interesting email from zillow hte other day which mentioned starbucks. They say buying a home near a starbucks increaseses the homes value. Kind of interesting. I think more likely its not starbucks raising home values so much as starbucks deciding to put stores in areas where home values would already be increasing anyways but none the less its kind of interesting. If anyone wants to read it Buying A Home Near A Starbucks Can Increase Your Homes Value - Who Knew?
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,551 posts, read 81,085,957 times
Reputation: 57734
Quote:
Originally Posted by doodlemagic
I've never been a fan of starbucks, more of a dunkin donuts guy myself. Honestly part of me feels like Starbucks is like apple, it has a cult following despite being pricey and not even necessarily the best coffee or at least not appealing to mass pallettes.
Starbucks has kind of become a cultural symbol though in terms of how they treat their employees and just kind of the epidimy of a coffee shop.
one thing I will say is when I travel starbucks is everywhere dunkin donuts is not so on vacation I typically will get a starbucks. also on holidays starbucks tends to be open more than other places so I'll get my coffee at starbucks on like xmas morning as well.
I got an interesting email from zillow hte other day which mentioned starbucks. They say buying a home near a starbucks increaseses the homes value. Kind of interesting. I think more likely its not starbucks raising home values so much as starbucks deciding to put stores in areas where home values would already be increasing anyways but none the less its kind of interesting. If anyone wants to read it Buying A Home Near A Starbucks Can Increase Your Homes Value - Who Knew?
You may be right, our small city of Sammamish was just named the top-earning city in the country, and with under 50,000 residents we still have 4 Starbucks. We also had two Tullys but they both closed up.
In the movies, Mom-and-Pop businesses always have friendly, helpful, and wise proprietors and employees who sell top-quality products while catching you up on the local gossip. In real life, a lot of them staffed by somebody's slightly retarded cousin's father's brother who doesn't quite understand how an espresso machine works, you are chased out if you don't buy something within three minutes, and the product is very uneven. I'll stick with Starbucks.
The problem is that those Mom-and-Pops are also hit-and-miss in how they make product, how they choose real estate, how they manage expenses, how they hire, and a host of other factors.
Starbucks coffee is indeed mediocre and, in one of the worst business initiatives ever, is now in the business of self-appointed racial dialog facilitator. But as I tell everybody, a mediocre product well executed will be a superior product poorly executed every single day of the week.
I'll give you an example. McDonalds. Compared to your local hamburger stand, McDonalds is a lesser imitation. But wherever you go, you will have a highly dependable standard of quality. You know what you're getting. Several years ago, I was traveling abroad and needed a quick bite. There was a McDonalds and, guess what, it tasted precisely like the one a mile from my house. Same thing with a Starbucks. At the very least, I know what I'm getting. Unless some nitwit barista starts to lecture me about racial awareness. Then I'll start taking my biz elsewhere.
The problem is that those Mom-and-Pops are also hit-and-miss in how they make product, how they choose real estate, how they manage expenses, how they hire, and a host of other factors.
Starbucks coffee is indeed mediocre and, in one of the worst business initiatives ever, is now in the business of self-appointed racial dialog facilitator. But as I tell everybody, a mediocre product well executed will be a superior product poorly executed every single day of the week.
I'll give you an example. McDonalds. Compared to your local hamburger stand, McDonalds is a lesser imitation. But wherever you go, you will have a highly dependable standard of quality. You know what you're getting. Several years ago, I was traveling abroad and needed a quick bite. There was a McDonalds and, guess what, it tasted precisely like the one a mile from my house. Same thing with a Starbucks. At the very least, I know what I'm getting. Unless some nitwit barista starts to lecture me about racial awareness. Then I'll start taking my biz elsewhere.
I recommend Starbucks customers talk about NASCAR and see how Howie likes it.
The problem is that those Mom-and-Pops are also hit-and-miss in how they make product, how they choose real estate, how they manage expenses, how they hire, and a host of other factors.
Starbucks coffee is indeed mediocre and, in one of the worst business initiatives ever, is now in the business of self-appointed racial dialog facilitator. But as I tell everybody, a mediocre product well executed will be a superior product poorly executed every single day of the week.
I'll give you an example. McDonalds. Compared to your local hamburger stand, McDonalds is a lesser imitation. But wherever you go, you will have a highly dependable standard of quality. You know what you're getting. Several years ago, I was traveling abroad and needed a quick bite. There was a McDonalds and, guess what, it tasted precisely like the one a mile from my house. Same thing with a Starbucks. At the very least, I know what I'm getting. Unless some nitwit barista starts to lecture me about racial awareness. Then I'll start taking my biz elsewhere.
That's huge and they also have a ubiquity nobody else has.
Once I had an indie burger in Boston and it had embedded flakes of green and red pepper. What's up with that?
I love supporting a mom and pop, or even a local chain ahead of a national one, but they better have a superior product offering. There is a local coffee shop that I sometimes go to, that has a better ambience than Starbucks, but their coffee and iced coffee is only so so. If I'm going in the afternoon, I'll go because they have good tea, better seating, etc.
In my last city, the local joint was of such quality and ambience that I never had reason to visit a chain.
I disagree with OP's assertion that their coffee is bad. I've had better, but it is certainly consistent and has a good, palatable taste. I drink mine black, Pike's Roast or Blond roast. That people order high sugar, high fat drinks all the time has little to do with Starbucks quality, and much more to do with the fact that people like sweet and milky tastes to dilute their coffee.
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