It looks like Starbucks is closing 700 stores. Hmmm. Could it be that the sane people have decided to A) go local, intimate and less expensive, or B) brew their own?
The article suggests that the economy is at fault, rather than the obvious, that it's just not good business sense to open a store across the street from an existing one. I mean, what moron thought of THAT plan?
I love Starbucks for introducing the county to the idea of coffee as a treat and social experience. Really. I come from a culture where there is great ceremony in offering coffee to guests (and the subsequent faux pas of refusing), and my two stints in Europe further cemented that drinking coffee is more than just the ingestion of caffeine, but something to be enjoyed, even linger over.
Too bad for Starbucks for missing that part of the equation. Too many drive-thrus have diluted the experience for me. Thank God for places like this.
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And yet, last i was in Boston, the big jewelry stores were all in one spot. The best sheet music stores are all on the same block.
It's not how i shop today. On the web, everyone is about the same distance. Though there is a computer bits vendor that ships faster because of physical distance.
With all due respect, a "cup of joe" is NOT $4. I HATE when people say stuff like this! It's a grossly unfair and egregious exaggeration.
A standard cup of brewed coffee is, at most, a little over $2. That's only a few cents more than what you'll pay at Dunkin's or Tim Horton's or whatever your local donut shop charges. It's the specialty drinks - the lattes and the other espresso and milk-based drinks that cost the big bucks. Any coffee shop charges about the same for comparable drinks.
What you're also paying for at Starbucks is not JUST a cup of coffee. You're paying into employee health insurance, benefits, salaries, and other factors. And for that, we appreciate you.
Was Starbucks remiss in opening so many stores so quickly and in such close proximity? Yeah, of course they were. But it doesn't make them a bad company. It makes them ambitious, yes, but not bad. Listen, nobody is totally gung-ho about their jobs, but if I didn't think Starbucks was a decent place to be, I wouldn't have stayed there as long as I have (five years in January).
Please, just lay off with the "Starbucks is evil and charges a million dollars for something I can make at home for pennies" garbage. Sorry we can't quite recreate your European coffee shop experience, but we DO strive to make it your "third place." If you're not feeling like that in your local store, then they're not doing their job.
Awesome!
And don't forget this place. http://campbellscoffee.com [new website coming in the next week or two] or http://facebook.com/campbellscoffee
Elizabeth at Campbell's encourages us to Think Global, Buy Local. Great message. She is the one who will be roasting the new Catholic Foodie coffee [coming soon!].
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