Posted on 12/27/2012 8:26:28 AM PST by US Navy Vet
“Room for smarm in your latte?” Isn’t there something creepy about Starbucks’ CEO Howard Schultz having [in Politico's words] “asked his Washington-area employees to write ‘Come Together’ on each customer cup today, tomorrow and Friday, as a gesture to urge leaders to resolve the fiscal cliff”? Did Schultz take a poll of his employees–sorry, “partners,” he calls them–before ordering pressuring asking them to join in this lobbying effort? What if he were, say, the CEO of Chick-fil-A and he “asked” his “partners” to write “Preserve the Family” on the outside of cups and containers.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
Well said ... a very accurate portrayal of your typical (winter male edition) Starbucks coffee drinker.
I've been around awhile, long before Starbucks, and in spite of their proliferation I can count the number of times I've visited a Starbucks on one hand.
Humans are strange psychologically. Hand them something that tastes like crap, for free, and they spit it out. Charge them an exorbitant price for something that tastes like crap, and they will love it, because they assume that it must be great if others will pay that price for it.
It’s like the debate about Apple. To me Apple is a cult. To those that adhere to it they are simply delivering a better product and overall consumer experience.
I happen to like Starbucks. I think they charge more but when it comes to just regular coffee not THAT much more. They get about $1.50 or the smallest size cup whereas a gas station or quickie mart might get $.99. For me the extra $0.50 is not going to keep me from buying a cup of Joe that to me taste tastes better and predictably so.
If you really want to get down to it one man’s branding is another man’s cult. The whole point of having a brand is for the company to be able to charge more for said brand and to ensure customer loyalty. For the consumer it’s about paying a bit more for a product or service that is perceived to be superior and also having a company willing to stand behind their products or service (because they want to protect their brand). There are cult like aspects to all of this. But it depends on your point of view - if you’re a cult adherent or if you are not.
You can see the same phenomena at work with all sorts of products and services - take the Chevy vs. Ford feud as one example. Or adherents of a particular beer. Or handguns. Or what have you.
I have no idea if this is the case with Starbucks not having done the research myself however, it is not unheard of for Ceos to use their companies’ profits and popularity to promote personal political agendas. This is why some people are interested in the politics of the people in charge of stores that they patronize.
And oggling the beautiful black barrista behind the counter.
I love coffee, but not Starbucks. They consistently over-roast the beans or something - can’t stand the stuff.
I personally don’t care. I spend my money on the product. What is done with the profits is irrelevant to me.
You must not live where there are a lot of military.
your point of view is as valid as those who do care...it is your right as a consumer to spend your money however you please
I can't stand the atmosphere in Starbucks, the waiting in line and the arrogant attitude of the cultists ordering their special drinks with details longer than the preamble to the constitution. It's like they're pledging allegiance to some sort of coffee bean deity. Subsequently, I haven't been in one since the late 90's.
However, there are two markets I shop at that have Starbucks franchises in them. When ever I pass that area of the store my dislike for the cultists is reaffirmed. The people with silly clothes and dreadlock hair that come to sit there with their laptops in some sort of pompous show of superiority creeps me out.
I agree
The only SB we stop at occasionally is the one in our Base Exchange. Of course, the clientelle there is somewhat more select.
Haven’t run into many of those. We tend to get the other races here in Orange County.
I think I’ve darkened the threshold of a Starbuck’s a half dozen times; my last visit was in 2000.
After waiting in line twelve minutes, I had the pleasure of arguing with a fetus behind the counter exactly how an “espresso americano” was made, did not get what I ordered, and was overcharged.
I’d rather pay a hobo to make me coffee in a soup can over a buffalo chip bonfire.
Starbucks charges like a Mooney cult though. Outrageous prices for what you get.
Got a Starbucks gift certificate for $10. I wonder what the expiration date is. Will gift it forward.
Hubby and I went to a restaurant that was full where they give you a pager that beeps when it is your turn. Next door was a Starbucks so we got a cup of overpriced coffee and sat outside and laughed at all the pretentious idiots going in and out until our pager beeped.
Only time I have ever been to a Starbucks.
I confess to getting a latte there now and then. To Go. Those 20k machines can make some mean espresso and I haven’t found a better elsewhere, yet.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.