GregoryBowers.com

marco:

I’d expect a move this odd to come from Microsoft’s PR department.

I really don’t understand why this is such a bad thing. Big companies making a small attempt to reach back to their roots… is that so wrong? People get their knickers in a knot because they’re not using the Starbucks brand, but I’ve certainly been to my share of coffee shops / restaurants that are owned by some other company, but don’t advertise it. Hell, this sort of thing lives across all product lines out there. How many people out there own a VW minivan, feeling a little more hip, but not realising it’s a Chrysler minivan with some VW badges?

When ‘bucks announced they were closing 600 stores around the world about a year ago, the 15th Ave location was on the chopping block. Rather surprisingly, people got up in arms about it. They liked this location. This was their coffee shop. And now they were to lose it?

My fiancée went into another “famed” ‘bucks location recently, the 23rd & Jackson shop, frequented by the company executives and lauded as an example of a neighbourhood coffee shop. She said there was a grandma & grandkid sitting in the corner, granny knitting, kid playing. People, hanging out, drinking a cuppa. Starbucks isn’t a status symbol here. It’s just the place to grab a coffee, tea, etc.

I love my local coffee shops. I frequent Tougo Coffee (and their A/C saved my ass when Seattle’s temps reached 103º last week) for iced tea when working. I used to hit up Katy’s all the time at my old job. I love seeing local businesses supported by the community and succeeding. But does that make me hate Starbucks? Absolutely not. I frequent their stores just about as often, usually while waiting for my bus or when exploring a new area of town. Would I be angry if I went to Tougo and found Brian making my iced tea with their products? Only if it tasted it like shit. People seem caught up in the anti-corporate mindset, as if hating a big company makes up for the mistakes we make in life. Oops, I nearly hit that guy on the bike back there and caused him to crash—but it’s okay, because I hate Starbucks and Burger King!

If you like the product someone sells, and it’s not killing you or other people, then hey, go consume it. Who gives a rat’s ass what label is affixed to the container? If they make a place you like to go, a product you like to use or consume, you decide their fate with your dollar. You don’t like the Starbucks drip? Okay, don’t go there. I like their black iced tea, and can usually get one in a hurry for a cheap price. So I do. If I got a similar thing, similar experience with a different label on it, I wouldn’t be upset at all. Is it a bad thing that Starbucks is trying to focus on the customer’s experience in a one-off manner? How can it be bad when a company wants to cater to the taste of the customer?

I will admit, though, that there is a fatal flaw in most Starbucks locations, much larger than a brand, etc.

They need to get on the free WiFi wagon. Jeez.