Glam Rock collection or Starbucks, what were you thinking?!

[ForeverAutumn]

I was in Starbucks last night getting a little fake fix with a cuppa decaf and started looking at a CD that was at the cash register which was a collection of glam rock tunes. Some nice choices from David Bowie, Queen, T-Rex, Roxy Music, Sweet and other classic 70's artists that you would expect to see there. And then, right smack dab in the middle of the disk...Mika.

Mika?

MIKA???

Are you freakin' kidding me?

No offense to Mika fans out there, it was more a case of "one of these things is not like the others",

[Finch Platte]

That's like the funk compilation I got from the used bins a while ago. Lots of classic, blacktastic funky stuff, but it started w/ Queen's Another One Bites the Dust.

fp

[Swish]

I was in Starbucks last night getting a little fake fix with a cuppa decaf and started looking at a CD that was at the cash register which was a collection of glam rock tunes. Some nice choices from David Bowie, Queen, T-Rex, Roxy Music, Sweet and other classic 70's artists that you would expect to see there. And then, right smack dab in the middle of the disk...Mika.

Mika?

MIKA???

Are you freakin' kidding me?

No offense to Mika fans out there, it was more a case of "one of these things is not like the others",

...'Our business model is broken and our coffee sucks, so we have to figure out how to attract customers'.

Swish - serving real coffee since 2001

[ForeverAutumn]

Judging by the line-ups every morning, their business model isn't that broken.

But I'd love to see more independent coffee pushers like you.

[Swish]

Judging by the line-ups every morning, their business model isn't that broken.

But I'd love to see more independent coffee pushers like you.

...they just closed a large number of shops world-wide and their profitability has dropped like a rock. That's what I meant by the business model being broken. If all you sell is coffee and related products, you won't make very much money unless you're packed all day long, and that's just not the case in many of their locations. The other thing that bugs me is that they likely pay bottom-of-the-barrel prices for their beans and still charge more than independents. As for the taste of their coffee, I stand by my comments.

Swish

[ForeverAutumn]

The other thing that bugs me is that they likely pay bottom-of-the-barrel prices for their beans and still charge more than independents. As for the taste of their coffee, I stand by my comments.

I completely agree with you.

(huh? did hell just freeze over? )

[bobsticks]

...they just closed a large number of shops world-wide and their profitability has dropped like a rock. That's what I meant by the business model being broken. If all you sell is coffee and related products, you won't make very much money unless you're packed all day long, and that's just not the case in many of their locations. The other thing that bugs me is that they likely pay bottom-of-the-barrel prices for their beans and still charge more than independents. As for the taste of their coffee, I stand by my comments.

My perception is, at least around here, Starbucks did a little gambling with the locations. In my immediate neighborhood they speculated on some of the urban restoration projects and lost. Not a lot of Benzos rollin' through when the Latin Kings got through tagging the walls. In fairness, this is one of the most corrupt cities anyone's ever invisaged and I'm sure the Seattle boys bought into the City Council's schpiel hook, line, and sinker.

It's probably reasonable to assume as well that in dire economic times with limited discretionary funds available the public may opt out five dollar cups of coffee.

[Swish]

It's probably reasonable to assume as well that in dire economic times with limited discretionary funds available the public may opt out five dollar cups of coffee.

While coffee has a very high profit margin, our shop wouldn't survive without food sales. You can't make a whole lot if every customer spends less than $2 when they visit, at least not in our fairly small town. I've been to plenty of big cities and drooled at the long lines at Starbucks (San Diego in particular), thinking of how awesome that would be if we had that kind of foot traffic. But alas, it will never happen here. We've only raised our cupped prices 3 times in 7 years, but need to again because our suppliers keep raising theirs, and at some point, we can eat the increases any longer. We're still well below Starbucks price, and with a better product, but it doesn't matter if we're not in a major market. We do find that people are cutting back some, and we're selling fewer of the specialty drinks like cappuccinos and lattes.

Swish - Enjoyin' my coffee

[Auricauricle]

Coffee culture here in the Holy City has been remarkarbly resilient, and Starbucks gets a pretty good---and well deserved---kicking. A friend, who started out by repairing machines for Lavazza now owns one of two or three local roasters and has the coveted distinction of being the most sought out supplier. Various firms have come and gone, but another couple of friends, who put up shop in places where the proximity to Starbucks, a stonethrow away actually, or to the local college has help keep them afloat. More importantly, and in fairness to their product, the coffee served at these places is far superior to Starbucks' brew and their "Mom and Pop" appeal converts many Bucko's who defect in the spirit of "keeping it local" and disingenuous appeal.

Still, you have to give credit to Starbucks. My German wife mentions that American coffee was a non-entity (keeping the language safe, here) before the firm raised the bar.

Choc-full-o'nuts anyone?

[3-LockBox]

I think Starbucks have gone to the new espresso machines and have cut way back on the number of barristas they employ. They also got into hot water (har har) with their payroll scheme, whereby tips trickled up, and different shops 'shared' employees as a means of skirting around overtime pay. A few other chain outfits use the same practices, but Starbucks was called to the carpet for those just this year. They are of course, appealing Washington state's ruling that Starbucks owed both former and current employees back overtime pay and tips.