"The last thing that Starbucks wants is watered down coffee" says Leslie Wayne in an article for the New York Times
. And if like me you can't get through the day without a gallon of coffee flavoured milk, your head will be rocking back and forth like a nodding dog.
Still, we gotta face the facts. From the mouth of Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz via a recent internal memo comes the admission that the company "no longer has the soul of the past" due to a drive for efficiency that has led to a "watering down of the Starbucks experience." Blimey, you said it Howard.
Maybe if he'd been writing to us consumers he'd have kicked off "to all of you silly, sad caffeine addicts who line up like lemmings for your overpriced lattes every morning: there are some things you should know..." - words that were actually used in a rant by an anonymous Starbucks barista on why he and his compadres are most definitely not our friends.
So what's the problem? Two ex-Starbucks marketers suggest that the lack of merchandise focus at the world's largest chain of coffee shops is one reason it doesn't appear serious about coffee. Just because Starbucks can sell finger puppets, books and music, doesn't mean it should. So the recent signing of ex-Beatle Sir Paul McCartney to the new Starbucks label ain't gonna help then. Is it loss of coffee theatre, loss of coffee aroma, loss of store soul or even loss of identity they ask in a volley of posts and replies between their two blogs on all things Starbucks.
Perhaps Winter, the slightly deranged American who has devoted his life to visiting every Starbucks in the world will shed some light on the issues in his upcoming film Starbucking which is due to be released on 24th April.
Last word though from my fave vlog Wallstrip and Lindsay Campbell's quirky take on SBUX. Like me, you'll likely know already whether you're a lover or hater of America's favourite drug dealer. This clip, however, does beg the question, just how many grande double shot lattes can you carry?
Comments (2)
Glad you like our show - thanks for the kudos
Posted by howard Lindzon | April 5, 2007 4:49 PM
Posted on April 5, 2007 16:49
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Posted by White Flood | February 19, 2010 4:56 PM
Posted on February 19, 2010 16:56