Automatic espresso machines and streamlined store designs are symptoms of the furious growth to 13,000 stores at Starbucks Corp. - and, it seems, the loss of some cafe magic. Or so considers Chairman Howard Schultz in a memo to executives posted on starbucksgossip.com last week.
The company has confirmed the authenticity of the memo, Nichola Groom reports, with some suggestion from a spokeswoman that it’s not being viewed as idle musings internally.
Schultz writes that the streamlined stores “no longer have the soul of the past and refl
ect a chain of stores vs. the warm feeling of a neighborhood store… In fact, I am not sure people today even know we are roasting coffee.”
What do you think? Has Starbucks lost its ’soul’?
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Yes it has. Around the world it pains me to see beautiful colonial squares in the centre of ancient historic towns, with a starbucks overlooking.
- Posted by JTHere are the reasons Starbucks is doomed, and why I stopped going to them:
1) It used to be all about quality. Quality of the bean, quality of the brew, quality of the preperation/training, etc. This is now NO LONGER the case, as a few of the points below attest. Starbucks lost it’s way in the last year, and unless they change course are DOOMED as the overpriced, underquality establishment. NIche players will destroy them for the discriminating coffee/espresso drinkers.
2) Introduced “breakfast” which comprises of pre-made, quick-heated breakfast sandwiches easily replicated at any mediocre breakfast chain, with a couple exotic cheeses and meats to maintain their charade of quality.
3) Weakened their already mediocre but servicable baked goods by banning trans-fat, resulting in dry/stale baked goods.
4) Switching from whole milk to 2% is an insult to a discriminating espresso/latte drinker. For me this was the last straw that woke me from my false perception of Starbucks striving for quality. This move wasn’t about quality at all.
5) Lets face it, success has diminished greatly their one remaining lead in quality of bean and preperation/training. They just can’t keep that bean quality as high with these expanding volumes. Numerious blind taste tests have shown even pedestrian brands at least equalling them now.
6) Amazing many don’t know this, but Starbucks is one of the very few to only have 2 shots of espresso in their large lattes. Thats right, small = 1 shot, medium = 2 shots, large = 2 shots for Starbucks. So much for quality of their large. Every other quality coffee chain uses 3 shots for a large which is consistent with quality.
7) Fake-me-out- elitism. “Grande” for medium and “Venti” for large is just so contrived it reeks of attracting morons just trying to act sophisticated but in reality being imbeciles. Like if McDonalds called their Big Mac “Le Big Mac”
Sorry Starbucks, you’ve lost me for good. Too many options now to pay a premium price for coffee where quality is no longer your primary goal.
- Posted by Brian JonesBrian says:
February 26th, 2007 at 5:15 pm GMT
Starbucks never had a soul.
… My sentiments exactly! If anything it may’ve what’s called a ’spirit’ that’s the spirit of growing and doing business.
Starbucks’ AXIOM of Growth #1:
- Posted by P-When the competition becomes more of a threat and less a nuisance, buy him out then shut it down.
Who cares about Starbucks, its horrible Tim Hortons is where its at.
- Posted by John DoeHere’s a thought for all those who complain about Starbucks.
Take your great ideas and business insight and open up your own darned business. See if you can compete in the market place without artifical support (grant money, daddy’s trust fund, competitive businsses restrictions).
Can you build a better mouse trap. Probably not.
- Posted by T NicholStarbucks had a soul? Now that is something that even the most caffeine-addled zombie would have a distinctively hard time even figuring out.
I knew Starbucks had no soul to begin with as property owners enticed by the big bucks turn over their property to Starbucks. The result of such transactions was the demise of our beloved, local and real neighborhood coffee houses. Starbucks was trying to create realistic stores instead of being a real coffee house. It was obvious, especially to their target demographic — the young urban professional attempting to align himself with anything looking ritzy, corporate, and Euro-centric that boasts an inflated price tag. You know, nouveau riche
The soullessness of Starbucks became more evident as more of their stores populated everywhere with the ubiquity of McDonalds. I know this was mentioned many times in this forum alone, but ponder this: One can walk in downtown Portland, Oregon and never walk any more than a block away in any direction from a Starbucks. Lincoln Park in Chicago is now tragically in the same state. New York City is already a forgone conclusion.
Starbucks obviously lost its soul when instead of sticking to their roots, they further their Wal-Mart strategy by buying out their competitors: Torrefazione, Seattles Best, and now Coffee People. This is similar to the hypothetical situation of Mickey Ds buying out Burger King, Hardees and Jack-in-the-Box. Congratulations, you now have a near-monopoly in some places. So now I wake up with people equating coffee with Starbucks. I walk outside and see a Starbucks down the street from another Starbucks.
I remember one time in my former neighborhood; there was a Starbucks under construction (two blocks away from another active store). A woman, oblivious to the construction workers, paint and disassembled array of wood and concrete, futilely yanks on the door. Frustrated by this, the woman yells at the two men inside consulting their blueprints, demanding service. All she cared about was the green sign with a cropped, now-breastless female deity offering coffee. No doubt this is proof that a company that has lost its soul creates a customer with similar values.
- Posted by D James BellStarbucks once a coll idea fro the Northwest is now the McDonald’s of coffee. It’s cookie cutter big bland brand ( or in this case over burnt brand) I’m not even sure what they pas off as coffee is truly coffee.
The chalenge is Starbucks is a victim of its own success. With 1300 locations the Starbucks “look and feel” is now ubiquitous. It’s the coffehouse answer to Greens, Brass and Glass restaurants of the 80’s. The only way i see Starbucks regaining any sense of cool is starting ew brand who’s space is unique in every location. Who looses the Starbucks over roasted coffe toward something that stimulates any other taste bud than bitter.
Roast the muffins & pastries on site so they are fresh and tasty. In essence, move away from the huge factory processed genre that Starbucks itself has created.
But then again I think it was P.T Barnum who said, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” So I guess that’s 60 suckers an hour that Starbucks can depend on as customers.
- Posted by ChrisI think every store should be judged on its own for soul, as the corporation it self is just that ; a corporation. My regular store is very attentive as they know me. My corner store that serves up Seattles best (self serve) has hit and miss days.
- Posted by DavekBy the way, judging by all of the comments it appears that all of the Mom and Pop stores (independants) are doing okay.
Starbucks never had a soul!
- Posted by F.A. Hutchison, ChinaStarbuck’s is lost. It takes too long to get and pay for a simple cup of coffee. And that cup (grande) is costing $1.87! The americanos are no longer hand pulled and have gotten so weak, I don’t bother to drink them anymore. Forget about trying to find someone competant to make a drink properly as I am weary from repeating myself and babysitting process. There is rarely hot enough water for an americano and I wouldn’t order anything from the window, they will screw it up. I stop at Nordstroms to get a strong, hand-pulled americano and better service. It’s worth the walk.
- Posted by RickStarbucks is staffed by people who seem to have no idea of what coffee is about. Whipped cream, rasberry flavor, chocolate and all of the other nonsense have nothing to do with coffee. A brilliant money making machine but not about coffee. I dread when I’m travelling and have nothing but Starbucks to pick from.
- Posted by L ValenchPerhaps Starbucks should diversify buy taking over Krispe Kreme. They’re having management problems too and their stock is headed towards the basement. Just think, you could wash that sugar and grease doughball down with a cup of battery acid!
- Posted by Jack BauerIf Starbucks has/had a soul then I hope it suffers greatly!
How many excellent locally owned coffee shops have been put out of business by this corporate monstrosity? Just because some people like their coffee does not mean that they have to put up shops on every other corner and drive everyone else out of business.
Sure, technically this may be “good for capitalism and free trade”, but it’s taking money away from local economies and shutting down the old mom&pop type of stores.
Go join the Borg!
- Posted by PhoenixThey love your kind of bland conformity!
And while you’re at it take Wal-Mart, McDonalds, and Pizza Hut with you!
Death to corporate greed!
I was unaware that Starbucks had a soul…
- Posted by Henk VerhoevenStarbucks serves coffee? When did that happen? I thought they served “the image of drinking coffee”. Wait, you mean that black stuff they put in cups is being called coffee? Who is fooled? Teenagers who have never had coffee before? Maybe Starbucks management should write a book on how to sell image, since the whole franchise has consistently failed in the coffee department. As has been mentioned several times in the comments above, anyone can roast their own coffee and achieve results superior to Starbucks.
Maybe Starbucks had a soul before it left Seattle, but for as long as it’s been here in Chicago, it’s been the same malignant tumor that’s been infesting every street corner, sometimes twice. Where else can you go where “tall” means “small” ?
Not only would I not drink “coffee” bought there (because it tastes awful) but I also try to avoid even walking past them, because the people that tend to work and congregate there are also awful.
- Posted by RichardThe Starbucks monstrosity is emblematic of corporate greed and souless consumerism at it’s worst.
- Posted by Andrewhttp://www.oxfam.org.uk/press/releases/s tarbucks261006.htm
In the creation of a massive brand, they have commoditized themselves. They are now the establishment, and the young hipsters will look elsewhere. That, and the coffee at Exxon is better and they give me a free water. Many folks I know, when given the choice will avoid Starbucks to go to a Panera Bread or a Caribou or a CC’s. The problem is, Starbucks put so many of those out of business, the rebirth of ‘coffee cool’ may take a while…
- Posted by sherbelI have been going to the same Starbucks everyday for the past 9 years and I must say they have lost all ’soul’ and are going down hill. The quality of staff sucks & everything that gets done is like an assembly line…they don’t even have to remember how much ice goes into grande frap because they have an ice cup for each cup size. That to me is as bad as pictures on the keys at MacDonald’s.
- Posted by Car