January 28, 200916 yr LOL. Alas, probably not for a long while as I plan to feed him the free way, which necessitates limiting the booze to very small and rare occasions.
January 28, 200916 yr I hope they all shut down. Less wannabe hipsters in our business districts and Krogers.
January 29, 200916 yr 3-4 dollar cups of coffee is a luxury. It's really an unnecessary expense if you have to cut back on stuff right now. Most people get it and go so it's not like it's a "third place" for many people. The seating areas are often small - indicative that they want your @ss out of there after you get your coffee. Gas station coffee and home made brew is much cheaper and it's good enough for most people. $3 x 30 days is $90 a month for a coffee fix. $120 if you get something fancy as a daily routine.
January 29, 200916 yr One gets tired of water. And in the winter, one would like something hot to drink, and not 3000 calorie hot chocolate or something with artificial sweetener. I drink about 1.5 gallons of water a day. Sometimes I want something else. Exactly! I drink tons of water myself, and I do want something else that is calorie free at times. 3-4 dollar cups of coffee is a luxury. Their regular coffee is under $2 a cup, which is line with most coffee houses. I don't get the $3-$4 drinks too often for several reasons.
January 29, 200916 yr I think most that complain about Starbucks either can't afford the coffee regularly, or they just don't appreciate or understand coffee houses (e.g. Enquirer comments on this). I really don't like Starbucks, myself, but it is a personal preference over taste -- I tend to favor locals, such as Coffee Emporium. Every week, I'll purchase at least 3 $3-$4 drinks. Sometimes, cane sugar soda if the mood is right. Sometimes, food. The atmosphere is conductive to sit back and relax at most coffee houses, or to catch up on work, or to converse. That's why I hate drive-thrus, and Starbucks prior to the drive-thru fad was great; they take away from the ambience of a coffee house, and less are inclined to enter inside.
January 29, 200916 yr To be honest I dont drink the coffesshop coffee that much. My preference for coffee is McDonalds. For some reason they have very good coffee. Here in Dayton I never really found a latte/espresso type coffee shop that really equaled what i had in Calfornia. I know this sounds like a coffee snob, but the quality here, either the roasts they use or the way they make them, just dont compare to some of the lattes I had in Berkley, San Francisco or Sacramento and other Nor-Cal places. This applies to Louisville, too. The favorite local coffee place (Heine Bros) really sucks, IMO. But WoM says their good (and local), so the Emporers New Clothes phenomenon ensues.
January 29, 200916 yr David....you are such a hater! It's true! I hate hipsters. They think they're so artistic and bohemian with their Mac laptops and Urban Outfitters clothing. Those are the regulars who actually sit down with their coffee and hang out at the Starbucks I've been in. You're in grad school and grew up with a nuclear family, you're not a tortured soul. :-P
January 29, 200916 yr David....you are such a hater! It's true! I hate hipsters. They think they're so artistic and bohemian with their Mac laptops and Urban Outfitters clothing. Those are the regulars who actually sit down with their coffee and hang out at the Starbucks I've been in. You're in grad school and grew up with a nuclear family, you're not a tortured soul. :-P Lawd boy. Let it go! Just let it go! All that hate will consume you. One day you're going to look back at these post and laugh.
January 29, 200916 yr Oh please.. I'm nice and I'm positive. I don't mean anything by my hateful comments. I just have a vendetta against starbucks because of the people who worked at the one I had a few bad experiences in. Best coffee shop in the world is Baba Budan's in Cincy! Kaldi's is nice too. Or was nice. I think it's closed now.
January 29, 200916 yr Oh please.. I'm nice and I'm positive. I don't mean anything by my hateful comments. I just have a vendetta against starbucks because of the people who worked at the one I had a few bad experiences in. Best coffee shop in the world is Baba Budan's in Cincy! Kaldi's is nice too. Or was nice. I think it's closed now. You hate anything that is viewed as a luxury.
January 29, 200916 yr Starbucks is luxury!? LMAO!!!! The quality of the their product has gone downhill. They're surviving off of brand recognition and emotional attachment.
January 29, 200916 yr Starbucks is luxury!? LMAO!!!! The quality of the their product has gone downhill. They're surviving off of brand recognition and emotional attachment. not starbucks. but the next time you hate...remember this thread.
January 29, 200916 yr Starbucks is luxury!? LMAO!!!! The quality of the their product has gone downhill. They're surviving off of brand recognition and emotional attachment. Starbucks is equivelant to eating at BW3's or going to a movie after 5pm. You're filthy rich if you can do that. Or maybe I'm just poor... I'm used to only going to Starbucks on special occasions like a holiday or birthday. I'm just saying, for the price there are so many great local places and the coffee is just as good if not better. I love coffee. It gets the adrenaline going. But Starbucks is too bitter for me. And I don't hate wannabe hipsters. Live and let live :angel:
January 29, 200916 yr I hate hipsters. They think they're so artistic and bohemian with their Mac laptops and Urban Outfitters clothing. Those are the regulars who actually sit down with their coffee and hang out at the Starbucks I've been in. You're in grad school and grew up with a nuclear family, you're not a tortured soul. Ive noticed that at the Starbucks over at the Dayton Mall, which I rarely go to but cant miss because its next door to my bank. Sort of like Barnes & Noble with people hanging out there doing literary or intellectual things (I suppose) with their blank books and laptops. I often wondered if they pay actors to do this to make a place look cool because Ive never seen these people around before until the Starbucks or B&N opened. Oh, about hipsters, grad school and nuclear families...in the 19th century La Vie Boheme' did draw from the bourgouis and there is that cultural stereoype of left bank coffeehouse intellectuals, the "left bank" being the college neighborhood (Sorbonne), so nothing new there....we're just Version 5.0 or so of a cultural style that originated in 19th century France.
January 29, 200916 yr As to locals and buying it at home, when you are working 2 jobs and have a whole 15 minutes between job one and job 2, or a 15 minute break, which is all you get if you work 6 hours, by the time you get to the 2nd job location, you do not have time to go out of your way to get in your car and drive to an indie. You have to get coffee in the mall. There are no indies in the mall, the choices are Caribou or Starbucks or a fast food place. And making coffee at 6:30 a.m. for my job that starts at 6pm isn't really practical. This is seriously the only time I ever patronize starbucks, when I need a little caffeine or half-caf between job 1 and job 2 or when I'm on my 15 minute break at job 2.
January 29, 200916 yr As to locals and buying it at home, when you are working 2 jobs and have a whole 15 minutes between job one and job 2, or a 15 minute break, which is all you get if you work 6 hours, by the time you get to the 2nd job location, you do not have time to go out of your way to get in your car and drive to an indie. You have to get coffee in the mall. There are no indies in the mall, the choices are Caribou or Starbucks or a fast food place. And making coffee at 6:30 a.m. for my job that starts at 6pm isn't really practical. This is seriously the only time I ever patronize starbucks, when I need a little caffeine or half-caf between job 1 and job 2 or when I'm on my 15 minute break at job 2. Have you tried caffeine pills? I get sick of drinking coffee sometimes and use those. They're convenient too. They probably make some people nauseated though.
January 29, 200916 yr Those make my heart pound and make me sweat and give me the runs. I'm not into pills, especially ones with caffeine. Besides, the whole point of making a 15 minute break nice is to sit down and have something hot to drink (for me). I am not a cold-drink drinker. I don't drink pop or iced tea and drink my water at room temperature, even in the middle of summer. It's just nice to sit down and have something warm to drink, hopefully with a little caffeine to get me through the rest of my shift. Also nice if you are out all day running errands. It's almost n/a anymore because I'm pretty certain I'm going to get the axe with the layoffs taking place at my PT job, but interesting to discuss nonetheless.
January 29, 200916 yr Oh, about hipsters, grad school and nuclear families...in the 19th century La Vie Boheme' did draw from the bourgouis and there is that cultural stereoype of left bank coffeehouse intellectuals, the "left bank" being the college neighborhood (Sorbonne), so nothing new there....we're just Version 5.0 or so of a cultural style that originated in 19th century France. That Europe show on PBS was just talking about that last week.
January 29, 200916 yr I drink a lot of coffee and I am not going to defend Starbucks quality as being anything better than average. And they expanded way too much and marketed the crap out of the brand. However, their prices for drip coffee are not expensive at all. I would say that they are about average for a decent cup of joe or espresso. I know they are lower than caribou and a lot of the independents. They kill you with $3-$5 sugary sweet drinks. If you want the anti-hipster coffee house experience stop by the Caribou in Lakewood. There are always one or two table of Eastern European guys ( I think the majority are Albanian) playing domino's or cards. They are there pretty much from 9 AM on. I swear it is like the cabstand/pizza place from Goodfellas.
January 29, 200916 yr Starbucks is not selling coffee, they are selling an experience/culture (which has been touched on with the hipster bit). Their whole marketing program is centered around selling an experience, not a product. The coffee is ancillary.
January 29, 200916 yr Starbucks is not selling coffee, they are selling an experience/culture (which has been touched on with the hipster bit). Their whole marketing program is centered around selling an experience, not a product. The coffee is ancillary. Bingo!
January 29, 200916 yr Starbucks is not selling coffee, they are selling an experience/culture (which has been touched on with the hipster bit). Their whole marketing program is centered around selling an experience, not a product. The coffee is ancillary. Bingo! I try to avoid starbucks for that reason. Everything about it seems so fake and forced. Their ridiculous size-names like "venti" have been parodied so much you think they would quit, but no. They still correct me when I say large. Hell, Fridays quit using flair after it was parodied in Office Space. Try a little self-awareness, starbucks. Obviously this total-immersion marketing plan has been effective, but I want it to collapse as soon as possible.
January 29, 200916 yr Starbucks is not selling coffee, they are selling an experience/culture (which has been touched on with the hipster bit). Their whole marketing program is centered around selling an experience, not a product. The coffee is ancillary. Bingo! I try to avoid starbucks for that reason. Everything about it seems so fake and forced. Their ridiculous size-names like "venti" have been parodied so much you think they would quit, but no. They still correct me when I say large. Hell, Fridays quit using flair after it was parodied in Office Space. Try a little self-awareness, starbucks. Obviously this total-immersion marketing plan has been effective, but I want it to collapse as soon as possible. You're my new best friend :) They kill you with $3-$5 sugary sweet drinks. Yeah - I was going to try one of those but they said the one I wanted didn't have caffeine in it :-/ . Caffeine is the reason I came into Starbucks in the first place :|
January 29, 200916 yr Starbucks is not selling coffee, they are selling an experience/culture (which has been touched on with the hipster bit). Their whole marketing program is centered around selling an experience, not a product. The coffee is ancillary. Speaking of the hipster coffee house bit, that McDonalds commercial with the two guys who get excited about the new McDonalds coffee drinks cracks me up. My favorite two lines are 'I can shave this thing off" and "We can call movies, movies again and not have to call them films"
January 29, 200916 yr Starbucks is not selling coffee, they are selling an experience/culture (which has been touched on with the hipster bit). Their whole marketing program is centered around selling an experience, not a product. The coffee is ancillary. Speaking of the hipster coffee house bit, that McDonalds commercial with the two guys who get excited about the new McDonalds coffee drinks cracks me up. My favorite two lines are 'I can shave this thing off" and "We can call movies, movies again and not have to call them films" McDonalds (or Dunkin Donuts or other simlar place) needs to start advertising something like "I have inexpensive coffee that tastes good and does not require knowledge of any sort of insider jargon to order." They should compete with Starbucks by trying to be the opposite, not mimic.
January 29, 200916 yr I think the moment that Starbucks decided to replace real espresso machines with those auto vending things that spit out espresso at the touch of a button was the begging of the fall.
January 29, 200916 yr Starbucks is not selling coffee, they are selling an experience/culture (which has been touched on with the hipster bit). Their whole marketing program is centered around selling an experience, not a product. The coffee is ancillary. Speaking of the hipster coffee house bit, that McDonalds commercial with the two guys who get excited about the new McDonalds coffee drinks cracks me up. My favorite two lines are 'I can shave this thing off" and "We can call movies, movies again and not have to call them films" McDonalds (or Dunkin Donuts or other simlar place) needs to start advertising something like "I have inexpensive coffee that tastes good and does not require knowledge of any sort of insider jargon to order." They should compete with Starbucks by trying to be the opposite, not mimic. They're doing just that. You haven't seen the McDonalds commercial where the guys in the pretentious coffee shop admit they hate it and just wanna talk about sports?
January 29, 200916 yr I think the moment that Starbucks decided to replace real espresso machines with those auto vending things that spit out espresso at the touch of a button was the begging of the fall. Almost all of the places have switched to the auto machines. Yes I miss the ritual of it all. The stamping of the grounds, the pulling of the shot using the lever. Now its just push a button, then some rumblings a little hiss and presto here is your coffee. EDIT: After rereading what I wrote I just realize I am probably a coffee addict because I have seen shows on addiction where Junkies talk about shooting up the same way....
January 29, 200916 yr I think the moment that Starbucks decided to replace real espresso machines with those auto vending things that spit out espresso at the touch of a button was the begging of the fall. Almost all of the places have switched to the auto machines. Yes I miss the ritual of it all. The stamping of the grounds, the pulling of the shot using the lever. Now its just push a button, then some rumblings a little hiss and presto here is your coffee. EDIT: After rereading what I wrote I just realize I am probably a coffee addict because I have seen shows on addiction where Junkies talk about shooting up the same way.... I love intervention! My cousins claimed they were going to sign me up for that show for caffeine and/or a shopping addiction.
January 29, 200916 yr They're doing just that. You haven't seen the McDonalds commercial where the guys in the pretentious coffee shop admit they hate it and just wanna talk about sports? I'm lovin' it hehe
January 29, 200916 yr I think the moment that Starbucks decided to replace real espresso machines with those auto vending things that spit out espresso at the touch of a button... No shit? They dont make real espresso there?
January 30, 200916 yr The thing about Starbucks is that you can buy a 12-ounce bag of the stuff at Target for $7 (may last you three weeks to a month), a cheap Mr. Coffee machine for $20, and you're drinking gourmet coffee. The Mr. Coffee pays for itself in no time. I do own a few coffee makers, and I do make coffee at home. However, I'm not going to run home while I'm at work to make coffee. Also, many mornings I'm in a hurry, and it's easy to just stop somewhere to get coffee. I do agree that Starbucks locations with a drive through seems wrong. It really bugs me to see it. I usually go to the Starbucks that are downtown. I agree that there are many great locally owned coffee shops, and I support those as well. However, most of these have limited hours.
January 30, 200916 yr There is no coffee at my 2nd job, it's a retail job, they don't provide anything. There is a break room, but all it has in it is chairs and a microwave.
January 30, 200916 yr The coffee at my work is awful, and I'm not supplying everyone on the floor with Starbucks or some gourmet coffee
January 30, 200916 yr The coffee at my work is awful, and I'm not supplying everyone on the floor with Starbucks or some gourmet coffee Our coffee in the new tower is the worst, douwe egberts. I had to throw a corporate hissy fit (don't ask) to have my floor excluded from the program.
February 2, 200916 yr Aw, I didn't realize the Starbucks at Richmond mall is closing. That's too bad.
February 2, 200916 yr Aw, I didn't realize the Starbucks at Richmond mall is closing. That's too bad. Close the entire damn mall down! eek!
February 3, 200916 yr ^it would seem to be the next to go in the overretailed richmond road corridor. but it does serve its purpose as the other malls are mostly exclusively high end.
February 3, 200916 yr ^it would seem to be the next to go in the overretailed richmond road corridor. but it does serve its purpose as the other malls are mostly exclusively high end. Ick. Is there any store worth shopping over there? It has a JC Penney and Sears in it. I mean, really? >:D
February 4, 200916 yr i guess sears is good for snowblowers(?) maybe but really, the place couldn't even keep an old navy
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