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Yes, this!! An insult to everybodys' intelligence to think that we can't figure out that this program is far less beneficial to us! That's what irritated me above all else!
What do you expect? A notice saying
Dear Idiot Consumer
We are changing our rewards program because too many found a loophole and it's counterproductive to our bottom line. We hope you bend over and take it for the team. We appreciate you being a loyal customer. Enjoy the new rewards without a reach around
Sincerely
The Starbucks Team
"We are not really here for you"
Imagine if every customer that went to Starbucks decided to simply stop going there for a month. Just go to a different coffee shop. Imagine not going there for two months. I bet by month three (if it takes that long) there will be other exciting changes made to the rewards program pretty quickly. But consumers are like a herd of cattle and it's never gonna happen. They rather get shafted than be inconvenienced.
The great thing about this country is that you can vote with your feet and your wallet. You don't like how a shop treats you. Don't go back.
I didn't know about the rewards program until they announced it. I hardly go in there. I like to support my local coffee shops really. Really, these days everyone is having some sort of rewards program with coupons or something similar to Starbucks....just to get you to come in and spend the bucks~!
Wow...I got really behind on this thread. I was busy making all of my own clothes. Did you know that you can buy your own fabric and sewing machine? (I am also just planting cotton for the first time...will update you on my progress there) I also stopped going to restaurants. Did you know you can buy uncooked food and put it in your own oven? It takes a lot of time, but one of my favorite ways to save money is to make my own dishes. Did you know you can put clay on a wheel and do that? I kind of giggle at the idiots with perfectly round bowls who go to stores to get them. Screw that Target REDcard. They're not getting sucking me in to the trends and the hype!
Don't think SB customers are "dumb", just perhaps taken in by a culture promoted and grew out of the Seattle coffee scene (remember Frasier?) and has been heavily marketed the world round ever since.
Remember back in the 1980's, the era of "greed is good" and "preppies & WASPS" that the whole Starbucks thing began to take off. It was sort of like driving a BMW, drinking Perrier, and the rest of the status seeking culture.
Then you had "Friends" and other shows that glorified turning a local coffee bar into one's local "spot" where everybody knew your name. Our parents and grand parents had local bars to hit after work or whatever, tail end boomers and the rest went to Starbucks.
Personally have not then nor now get SB. Their coffees except for a few are over roasted, acidic and usually give me stomach problems. Only drink the stuff when out on the road and need something to keep me awake. Sad thing is that SBs rapid expansion pretty much killed off local independent coffee places. So now they pretty much are the only game in town.
If Starbucks killed off the local independent coffee places in your city there must not have been a very strong coffee "scene".
Here in Seattle, the birthplace of Starbucks independent coffee places thrive, there are probably more now than ever.
What do you expect? A notice saying
Dear Idiot Consumer
We are changing our rewards program because too many found a loophole and it's counterproductive to our bottom line. We hope you bend over and take it for the team. We appreciate you being a loyal customer. Enjoy the new rewards without a reach around
Sincerely
The Starbucks Team
"We are not really here for you"
Imagine if every customer that went to Starbucks decided to simply stop going there for a month. Just go to a different coffee shop. Imagine not going there for two months. I bet by month three (if it takes that long) there will be other exciting changes made to the rewards program pretty quickly. But consumers are like a herd of cattle and it's never gonna happen. They rather get shafted than be inconvenienced.
The great thing about this country is that you can vote with your feet and your wallet. You don't like how a shop treats you. Don't go back.
Well perhaps the notice could have been more honest without being quite so blunt as your example. I think we all understand the bottom line why Starbucks is making this change. And to be honest with you, it probably does make the program more equitable.....stars per dollar spent, rather than per unit as it has been. We all know this change wasn't make because of millions of customer requests.....it was made because the old program was hurting the bottom line financial numbers. No shame in that, we're all in business to make money, but let's not pretend that's not the main factor in most business decisions.
You can be honest in promoting something and yet show your best side. I've been in commercial sales all my adult life, and the best relationships I've developed are the ones where I'm not afraid to tell a client the positive of our companies product/policy/decision, while also acknowledging that perhaps there is a downside here or there as well. People respect honesty, and when you find someone (or a business) who treats you like the intelligent being you are (or think you are....lol), it's better for everyone all the way around. Blowing smoke is short term gain and long term loss.
I don't know how others are, but I like Starbucks coffee. I've explained many times how the actual coffee is second in importance.....the most important thing is meeting something there for a good chat in a pleasant atmosphere. Losing a few free cups of coffee over the year isn't going to make or break me, but if there is one things that ticks me off it's when a company tries to "sell" it's clients on something using a reason that is absolutely implausible. Watching the game show Jeopardy makes me legitimately feel that I'm kinda stupid, reading Starbucks message to me about the plan changes and how excited I'd be, and that they made this change due to overwhelming customer requests.....make me realize how stupid they think I am.....and that, I don't like.
I agree completely. I bought our small medical office a coffee pot, filters, and starter can of Folgers for Christmas because all the girls in the office were not only leaving the office too much and blowing off work to get it, they were also whining about how expensive Starbucks drinks are (big surprise, not). I was dubious about whether my gift would actually reduce the number of Starbucks visits my coworkers made, but thought it was worth the $30 investment to see. There are 6 of us: 3 of us are 38+ years old, and the other 3 are 20-30 years old.
The age/Starbucks spending differential is striking. 2 of the older women who have more money and can afford more Starbucks buy it the LEAST often, and use the coffee pot for regular coffee about 5 times a week while getting a Starbucks the other 2 times (we're open six days a week, and there's always at least one multi-trip day). I'm the lone zebra employee, 38+ years old, who never buys Starbucks. The 3 younger women have NEVER drunk the regular coffee and continue to buy at least one Starbucks drink EVERY DAY since I bought the coffee pot. They don't get the cheap drinks either: They buy those $4-5 large drinks each day with the whipped cream and shots and all that stuff. Expensive habit indeed. . .
And I bet if those younger women got laid off they wouldn't have enough in the bank to get them through one month.
I get Starbucks every once in awhile, I don't think it's all that.
These young women could drink the office coffee and do Starbucks once a week, saving $20 a week, that's $80 a month, and almost a $1,000 a year. That's probably their car insurance for the year.
I make my own latte at home. And when I can't, I support my local coffee stand. Better latte, cheaper price and every ninth one is free. And they know what I want when I drive up.
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