Shouldn't Starbuck's be out of business?

I do. I get a tall no whip hot chocolate.
It isn’t terribly expensive, and while I like Mexican hot chocolate better, it is convienent, and tastes good.

I’ve gone to Starbucks almost every single day since late 2007.

Edit: Reason being, since I guess it sort of matters: there’s been a Starbucks across the street from me since late 2007 and it’s s incredibly convenient. And the people who work there are very nice and recognize me and give me free drinks and pastries (although Starbucks pastries are generally terrible), and I don’t want to betray them. Which is part of their evil corporate plans, surely, for caffeinated domination, guilt-tripping me, but I don’t care, I love my Starbucks ladies/baristas.

And I’m about to go there now!

I’ve been, but between them and the local coffeehouse, I go to the local shop.

There is not a Starbucks near me, but when I travel about an hour away from here there is one, and if I go near there, chances are I’ll buy a coffee. I don’t think the price is that bad really, It’s only all the disposable stuff that bumps it up a little.

I only do when I have no other choice.
I think their coffee is too strong and ask them to put water in it for me.

Love the coffee from them. Hate the price. Make my own espresso and latte’s for that reason. Only if I am craving and have to have one will i stop.

I buy Starbucks beans to make coffee at home. Not all of their coffee is terrible. I love the Cafe Verona.

For me it’s only a conveniance thing, and then only rarely. I didn’t like the taste of Starbuck’s coffee when I lived in Seattle, I don’t like it any better 3,000 miles away. Just a preference thing.

Starbucks regular coffee has to be the worst on the planet. when you burn the coffee beans, you make a terrible, scorched pot of coffee and that describes Starbucks.

I never buy coffee at Starbucks.

There’s a Starbucks across the street from me, and a Second Cup on my side of the street. I usually go to Second Cup, though, if I’m going to get a coffee. That’s more due to the fact that I don’t feel like crossing Yonge Street, though.

Starbucks’ fancy drinks are expensive, but regular coffee is no more expensive there than at Second Cup or Timothy’s, and only a little more expensive than Tim Hortons.

@Seelix – Wow, I haven’t been to Toronno in yonks! We’ve got Tim Horton’s down the road in Brooklyn, now.

Sometimes I do, though I don’t think their coffee is any better that other, cheaper places. Nonetheless… imagine how many people would lose their jobs if it did go out of business.

The only thing i can drink are soy lattes (iced or hot) but they are ADDICTIVE as hell! Otherwise the coffee tastes like ass (we refer to it as CHARBUCKS) + really hard to bury the badness. I used to work at an indy coffeeshop + we always joked about that. However, the drinks are not too pricey (esp with a gold card – which pays ya back inna way) compared to other places. The service is usually friendly. And now they have those breakfast sandwiches. Looks like management has made some smart changes as well which is reflected in the current market price point + position within the sector.

@aprilsimnel – I love how you spelled that – shows that you pronounce it the Canadian way :)
Tims in Brooklyn? :O

As I understand it, having Starbucks is a status symbol for the rich(er), to show how sophisticated and comfortable you are. Bitching about it (while secretly dying to have it) is a status symbol for the poor(er), to show how sympathetic you are to the plight of the working man.
I don’t actually like coffee, but I do enjoy their teas and other beverages. And the convience of a yummy, not heart-attack-inducing breakfast made by someone else.

Status symbol? really? As in designer coffee?

No Starbucks won’t go out of business anytime soon. I live in the founding city (Seattle) and we have a street where there is a starbucks on EVERY CORNER and there is a usually a line in all of them… and thats just one street. The shopping mall near my parents house has FIVE (2 stores and 3 kiosks) and again… all of them are always busy.

Like i said, if their presence isnt enough to convince you, check out the performance for the past year! Despite a recession + all, it’s stellar – http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=SBUX+Basic+Chart&t=1y.

I went to Starbucks once…I wanted a regular coffee (ie: cream and sugar) and they gave me a empty cup ($2.15) and said I could make my own at the little table…..

Kinda defies the reason of going to a coffee shop….

Anyway I’m banned for life at that location…. lol

Alot of people are full of hot air. They may say they will not buy it but they do anyways.

Starbucks will never go out of business, I don’t think. They are always busy. Yeah, I used to feel bad going there because I’d rather be supporting local coffee shops, but Starbucks is the only place that can do a caramel frappucino. Seriously, I have given every other coffee place in town the opportunity. I step by step explain it to them. They fuck it up every time and usually I throw most of it away. So, oh well. I want my caramel frappucino made right so I go to Starbucks. I do not feel bad anymore. They will continue to get my 4 dollars for one drink.

It’s expensive, and inefficient. I wonder myself how they stay in business.
But…
I go every morning.
Every morning.
They know me. They know my name.
I don’t even order, they load up my coffee when they see me walk in the door. Vente Pike Place.
When I am out of town, the first thing I ask at the hotel or whatever is “Where is the closest Starbucks?”

Once I kicked my cigarette habit to the curb, my coffee habit went with it. So nowadays I drink Starbuck’s (from the actual store) about once or twice a month. I do have their bean coffee that I brew at home though, and more frequently (like once or twice a week) – but I get that for free as my sister works there :) I worked at Starbuck’s for 3 years or so, a long time ago, and I do enjoy their coffee (I like strong coffee). Though the Italians got them beat in the espresso department. Anyways, I simply can’t afford the $4.80 every day or every other day that I was paying for my special drink. I was spending almost as much as I was spending on smokes on java. They are a juggernaut of a corporation, and as long as Howard stays CEO I don’t see it going under in the foreseeable future.

Starbucks drinks are expensive, but the atmosphere is very pleasant and the drinks are good. For people who didn’t lose their jobs during this recession, not much has changed for them. So there’s no problem for them to continue supporting Starbucks.

I occasionally go but in the UK we have two other chains, Caffe Nero and Costa Coffee, and they are much nicer. I have a loyalty card with Nero’s.

@downtide You lucky people across the Atlantic. I love coffee and I think Starbucks plain coffee taste horrible. It’s overrated if you ask me.

@Mikewlf337 Actually I don’t really like Starbuck’s coffee either. It’s kind of bitter and I have to admit to drinking (and liking) cheap instant coffee at home. But I do love Starbuck’s iced tea and some of the other coffee-less drinks. And I enjoy going in there because of the atmosphere. I can’t actually afford to go there very often. Thank goodness for the Xmas gift card I got.

@963chris No, like gourmet food. Same as with nice wine, scotch, cheese, meat, fish, produce, etc.

@papayalily: well thats whack since its far from gourmet! like i said it’s over-roasted, even for a french or dark roast. only way i can stand it is in the addictive soy lattes.

@963chris Perhaps. But they did sorta pioneer gourmet coffee – at least in terms of making it mainstream. Before Starbucks, you had crappy coffee, road tar, and taking your chances with independent coffee shop (which is no guarantee of quality, better service, better prices, etc). Over-roasted is usually better than road tar. Plus, since it was mainstream, you didn’t have to explain to anyone how your coffee was better like you do with independent cafes. The status symbol of gourmet is different from what your personal preference is.

@papayalily: hmm. not sure i follow as far as what’s considered gourmet then; however micky d’s has always had pretty good stuff (even from way back in the day). espresso has been around a lot time before sbux came around for the consumer with brands like illy + nespresso.

@963chris Gourmet is a cultural ideal associated with the culinary arts of fine food and drink, or haute cuisine. Like all things haute, it has as much to do with making and enjoying a better product and experience as letting others know that you are doing so.
Espresso’s been around, so have many things. Doesn’t mean it was mainstream.

@papayalily: ??? so gourmet is mainstream or v.v.? sbux isnt gourmet, jamaica blue mountain is.

Starbucks coffee is overpriced and is too strong. I hate it when you get your coffee and then find all the seats are taken.

Only a few people don’t like the coffee, most people who drink at Starbucks do like it.

In my neighborhood, Starbucks is a social experience, so they aren’t just paying for the coffee. It’s sort of like the TV show Cheers. One franchise owner has two shops, one caters to young people and the other is for the retired folks.

I never set foot in one unless I’m traveling, and there’s nothing else in sight. I have 5 perfectly wonderful locally owned coffee shops within walking distance of my house; why would I want to support big box beverage who actively targets independent businesses? In my opinion, they are the Wal-mart of coffee. We have one part of town where there were at one time 32 Starbucks locations in 8 square miles. Ridiculous.

Yes, yes of course. Starbuck’s coffee stinks and it’s over priced.

i dont do starbucks everyday like i did back in the late 90s, but when i want coffee on say a saturday morning before a meeting or a home project, i want starbucks coffee, because it delivers that certain flavor and kick that says “take on any challenge.” buying it, over say, fast food coffee, gas station or dunkin donuts coffee, says “i am a go-getter and everybody better get out my way.” and while you’re at it give me the $4 oatmeal—i’m about to conquer the day!

Starbucks is a heap of shit in my experience, I don’t know how their still doing business in Australia. After the second world war we had a lot of italian and greek immigrants who raised the bar with their coffee skills, and as a result most aussies prefer a stronger cup than starbucks.
So they mostly only exist in the big cities and heavy tourist paths.
Their also a bunch of slave driving, thieving corporate bastards, and you wont find me in line.

@charliecompany34: that oatmeal hits the spot – esp with those dried fruits, brown sugar + a lil milk!

@963chris I don’t know what v.v. means. Starbucks is gourmet – maybe it’s not gourmet enough for you, but still is.
In the United States, a 1980s gourmet food movement evolved from a long-term division between elitist (or “gourmet”) tastes and a populist aversion to fancy foods. Gourmet is an industry classification for high-quality premium foods in the United States. In the 2000s, there has been an accelerating increase in the American gourmet market, due in part to rising income, globalization of taste, and health and nutrition concerns. Individual food and beverage categories, such as coffee, are often divided between a standard and a “gourmet” sub-market.

@papayalily: v.v. = vice versa. & yes sbux isnt gourmet enough for me at all – anyone whose worked in the roasting field or a viable indy coffee joint will fill you in on the inside joke of charbucks. haha. i too can read wikipedia of course;)

To further quote wikipedia (which you happened to overlook):

“characterised by elaborate preparations and presentations of large meals of small, often quite rich courses. The term and its associated practices are usually used positively to describe people of refined taste and passion.”

That definitely doesn’t sound like the sbux crowd to me. I’m thinking Dean & Deluca or something thereabouts. Just my 2 cents. cheers!

One man got it right. Ray Croc. The customer is always right. At Starbucks the customer is always right. So customers go in confident knowing what to customize and what not. Small coffee shops for the most part seem very firm in how they run things and what they serve. Of course not all small coffee shops are like that, but chances are you’ll never hear a barista at Starbucks say no or question you in a demeaning way. That is the culture Ray Croc founded, and it’s a culture that empowers the customer. To answer the OP, I don’t see how Starbucks could ever go out, matter of fact they just keep popping up all over San Diego. Heck, there’s two Starbucks in two malls in San Diego! They’re some across the street from each other in downtown, it’s just irresistible.

@auhsojsa there are many that would disagree about Ray Croc getting it right

@blueiiznh That’s a great documentary. However the statistics in the documentary are based solely on a McDonald’s diet. Obviously any diet high in fatty content is horrible. Plus he doesn’t bash Ray Croc. Essentially he’s bashing anyone who is unwise in choosing their diets because McDonalds is a choice food, it’s not force fed. I stand by my Ray Croc statements. His business model thrives off of free choice yes, but that sounds like a personal problem to me.

@auhsojsa Agreed on Mr Croc’s business model. I did not mean to bash him.
I am actually very glad that Starbucks is still in business. I am very pleased in the quality of the product.