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At one time, Starbucks was opening branches inside of Wells Fargo banks. Or maybe they weren't real - just the result of aggressive WF corporate coffee goals pushing branch managers into opening phantom Starbucks.
We need a starbucks on every corner. Basically we always have starbucks. And then at every starbucks we have a corner. In other words if you make a turn and don't see a starbucks, then you really didn't turn around a corner.
Note to self : Walk around in circles and miss all starbucks.
How many is too many? 1 is too many. I say this as a reformed daily SBX customer who got tired of getting a political lecture with my morning coffee. Switched to a very small, local roaster/brewer/coffee shop the first of the year and wonder why I didn't do it sooner. Unfortunately the local company is not publicly traded, or I would buy some of their shares.
Quality of Starbuck coffee has declining for years while their cost has increased considerably. Also in the Pacific Northwest holding a Starbuck coffee cup has become a status symbol, and that is silly. So is Starbuck stock. I have been buying from a local coffee shop with better pricing and much better quality coffee.
We have a small strip mall with a Starbucks at each corner. Many/most grocery stores have Starbucks counters, some with seating. The newest Starbucks here is a drive-thru with no inside seating (right off the freeway). It set up next to Wood's coffee. Counting McDonalds that makes 3 coffee places almost next door to each other. Of course, this is between Seattle and Canada so coffee still sells late in the afternoon.
I was told that there are so few Starbucks in Australia because they developed their retail coffee market before Starbucks and Starbucks simply can't compete.
I sought them out for their mugs, not for their coffee. Cheap travel memorabilia, and functional. What am I going to do with a Sydney Harbor bridge paperweight? At least I can drink real (not Starbucks) coffee out of a mug.
For some of us drinkers the Starbucks bummer is that they made their overroasted / burnt-tasting style so prevalent. The DD espresso is much more like what you would find (or used to) in Italy or France than the bitter Sb espresso, although maybe that's changing in Europe too.
You may not realize the scope of Starbucks' failure in Australia, or the depth of contempt for the brand there. Starbucks has around 200 stores in Mass (based on your links); it was forced to close about 1/3 of that number in Australia. Cambridge, Brookline, and Newton combined have about the same number of Starbucks as remain in all of Australia.
Prof Patterson said in the UK and China, Starbucks were partly responsible for introducing coffee culture in countries where a nice cup of tea was the hot beverage of choice.
But in Australia independent coffee shops were already part of the fabric.
“Starbucks failed to realise people were brand loyal to their local coffee shops because they know their barista and people weren’t going to leave that to go to a global brand.”
Nearly 100 stores collapsed to 22, targeting visitors in tourist areas, not locals. It's not that Aussies go just for mom-and-pop's; "Coffee Club has 350 outlets."
Reminds me of an experience in Turkey years ago- asked directions to a good local coffee shop, got pointed to a Starbucks located right behind me next to the ship dock. Finally convinced the young policeman that we wanted the real thing- then we had a really nice lunch.
? First link works for me. Yours is a third. Thought I had enough. Was not making a disputatious point, was saying only that we have lots of Sb. I know nothing about Sb Aussie failures. 'I think you mean' (without knowing it) that DD put a real dent in indy 'corner' (so to speak) coffee shops in Mass. Except for upscale / snob places. Regardless, I have always thought it striking that Sb has done as well as it has here. Some of it's a class thing, or was, and if DD had made any gesture toward upscaling, whatever that is in coffee, it might've been different. Surely there are dozens of case studies of all this. One of the first individual broker-pushed stocks I ever bought was DD, in the 1970s or 1980s, not clear on the corporate history, and I made money.
The American consumer absolutely craves a good cup of coffee. When I was at my former company's HQ in NYC, they were right next door to a coffee emporium which was packed...Gregory's Coffee, which was really good, and better than SB.
Here in Cleveland, there are many coffee houses...all busy.
@Old_Joe, The whole point of traveling aboard is to enjoy other cultures including their food. Some tried to do a better job by modifying their menu to accommodate the locals as one can get beer at McDonald. We also like Turkey strong coffee. One small cup is enough for the morning.
We do A&P 8 O'Clock most mornings for the caffeine fix. Tastes pretty fine. However, it's harder to find good tasting decafs - which we drink evenings. More often than not I buy Starbucks decaf in different varieties. Hard to find locally, but available online. Always whole bean. Grind just enough for a carafe in a decent burr grinder.
It fetches a pretty price. Sometimes find the stuff for $14-$15 in 1-pound bags on Ebay or Amazon. Sometimes not. Last time we bought 3 1-pound bags of decaf Cafe Verona directly off Starbucks' website for about $14-$15 a pound with free shipping.
Depends how much you like your coffee and what you're willing to pay for a nice flavor. Realize this wasn't Maurice' purpose in posting - but most threads here are firmly out of control after about 3 days - so didn't think it would hurt to toss in a favorite brand. - What is it in our society that arouses a certain anathema towards successful business entrepreneurs? Especially males and especially those who paved new paths at relatively young ages? I sense it (hard to document) in the cases of Bezos, Shultz, Musk - and sometimes even Buffett. Or is it just me? ... Or perhaps it's simply that the 4 noted above all espouse generally liberal social and political viewpoints?
All jokes aside guys, you cannot question the reliability of starbucks. You can TRY other coffees and they might be good, but you know you will never be dissapointed with starbucks basic coffee.
I'm not a big coffee drinker, but if I'm on the road and need one, I look for a Starbucks.
PS - WTF do you want to take political lecture from anyone at Starbucks. I don't do small talk. I'm paying for my coffee it is not free. Give me my coffee, take my money and STFU. Sorry, this is not a problem at all.
Comments
http://articles.latimes.com/1997/oct/10/business/fi-41154
Note to self : Walk around in circles and miss all starbucks.
Regards,
Ted (
I sought them out for their mugs, not for their coffee. Cheap travel memorabilia, and functional. What am I going to do with a Sydney Harbor bridge paperweight? At least I can drink real (not Starbucks) coffee out of a mug.
The same is true of Massachusetts, but there are puhlenty of Starbucks around here.
These are interesting, a few years old though:
http://archive.boston.com/yourtown/specials/starbucks_vs_dunkin_donuts/
nationwide:
http://archive.boston.com/yourtown/specials/starbucks_vs_dunkin_donuts/
For some of us drinkers the Starbucks bummer is that they made their overroasted / burnt-tasting style so prevalent. The DD espresso is much more like what you would find (or used to) in Italy or France than the bitter Sb espresso, although maybe that's changing in Europe too.
http://archive.boston.com/yourtown/specials/dunkin_donuts_vs_starbucks_massachusetts/
You may not realize the scope of Starbucks' failure in Australia, or the depth of contempt for the brand there. Starbucks has around 200 stores in Mass (based on your links); it was forced to close about 1/3 of that number in Australia. Cambridge, Brookline, and Newton combined have about the same number of Starbucks as remain in all of Australia.http://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/starbucks-coffee-is-quietly-expanding-in-australia-after-humiliating-retreat-eight-years-ago/news-story/b7f136c4d78f24aaa600a3822b1e31b4
Nearly 100 stores collapsed to 22, targeting visitors in tourist areas, not locals. It's not that Aussies go just for mom-and-pop's; "Coffee Club has 350 outlets."
Was not making a disputatious point, was saying only that we have lots of Sb. I know nothing about Sb Aussie failures. 'I think you mean' (without knowing it) that DD put a real dent in indy 'corner' (so to speak) coffee shops in Mass. Except for upscale / snob places. Regardless, I have always thought it striking that Sb has done as well as it has here. Some of it's a class thing, or was, and if DD had made any gesture toward upscaling, whatever that is in coffee, it might've been different.
Surely there are dozens of case studies of all this.
One of the first individual broker-pushed stocks I ever bought was DD, in the 1970s or 1980s, not clear on the corporate history, and I made money.
Here in Cleveland, there are many coffee houses...all busy.
SB is merely the poster boy...
It fetches a pretty price. Sometimes find the stuff for $14-$15 in 1-pound bags on Ebay or Amazon. Sometimes not. Last time we bought 3 1-pound bags of decaf Cafe Verona directly off Starbucks' website for about $14-$15 a pound with free shipping.
Depends how much you like your coffee and what you're willing to pay for a nice flavor. Realize this wasn't Maurice' purpose in posting - but most threads here are firmly out of control after about 3 days - so didn't think it would hurt to toss in a favorite brand.
-
What is it in our society that arouses a certain anathema towards successful business entrepreneurs? Especially males and especially those who paved new paths at relatively young ages? I sense it (hard to document) in the cases of Bezos, Shultz, Musk - and sometimes even Buffett. Or is it just me? ... Or perhaps it's simply that the 4 noted above all espouse generally liberal social and political viewpoints?
I'm not a big coffee drinker, but if I'm on the road and need one, I look for a Starbucks.
PS - WTF do you want to take political lecture from anyone at Starbucks. I don't do small talk. I'm paying for my coffee it is not free. Give me my coffee, take my money and STFU. Sorry, this is not a problem at all.