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Staryucks

tanabutler

By tanabutler
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jsolomon

jsolomon

Posted
Posted
For a large chain, they put out a good product and have very good service.

For a coffee shop, they put out a mediocre product and have very good service.

Apparently, you never came to the starbucks I used to work at at 5 minutes til close when I had the smoothie machine all broken down and cleaned begging for a strawberry banana smoothie because it would just help you study so much better.

Mediocre product and damned surly service. I was nearly as bad as the Soup Nazi when there was less than 10 minutes til I had to be up stairs to count my drawer.

:angry:

I always attempt to have the ratio of my intelligence to weight ratio be greater than one. But, I am from the midwest. I am sure you can now understand my life's conundrum.

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jersey13

jersey13

Posted
Posted
For a large chain, they put out a good product and have very good service.

For a coffee shop, they put out a mediocre product and have very good service.

Apparently, you never came to the starbucks I used to work at at 5 minutes til close when I had the smoothie machine all broken down and cleaned begging for a strawberry banana smoothie because it would just help you study so much better.

Mediocre product and damned surly service. I was nearly as bad as the Soup Nazi when there was less than 10 minutes til I had to be up stairs to count my drawer.

:angry:

So basically Starbucks is bad because you would get ugly 10 minutes before the end of your shift? Interesting.... Sounds like you needed a night off or a new job.. :wink:

I got turned on to Starbucks in Vancouver years before it came to Montreal and I still love it. I have been to several branches in Canada , the US and Down Under and never have I gotten poor service or bad coffee.Admittedly, the milk on my cappuccino isn't always sufficiently foamed, but I guess they have to train staff sometime :wink:

And even at that, if I raised the point, they would make me a new one, no questions asked.

Looking at the article, any large chain looking to open in a quaint little neighborhood is bound to get heat. We had the same objections when McD's opened up in elegant little Westmount here in Montreal and in Ste-Anne de Bellevue (another quirky little area). Anything that creates an increase in traffic and creates competetion for smaller independently owned shops is going to be met with resistance. That's just the nature of the beast.

And of couse we could go the political route about fair trade coffee, but then that could lead to a whole debate about the products we consume and wear, and under what conditions they are produced.... a bit too much for me at this hour of the morning. :raz:

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Claire

Claire

Posted
Posted

Starbuckseverywhere.net

A computer programmer in Houston, who goes by the name Winter, has a goal of visiting all the Starbucks in the world. He actually accepts donations for this.

Personally, I can't patronize Starbucks. I can't buy into the concept, the marketing, the size labels, the ridiculous pricing, and the chain itself. I crossed the threshold twice and it made me feel like a complete sell out (not that I really have anything to sell). Like a caffeine fugitive, I didn't want to run into anyone I knew there. I know it's just one chain of many but I'm trying to wean myself from the corporate teat.

And no, I'm not a hippie. :biggrin:

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guajolote

guajolote

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Posted
Looking at the article, any large chain looking to open in a quaint little neighborhood is bound to get heat.

A Starbucks opened in my neighborhood a couple of years ago. It's in a nice 1920s building which has a beautiful white terra cotta facade. Of course when they moved into the building they had to paint their portion of the facade a puky yellow color to match some corporate decorating agenda :angry:. Now the whole building looks like shit.

Oh yeah, their used to be an independant record store in that building :angry: .

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jersey13

jersey13

Posted
Posted (edited)
Looking at the article, any large chain looking to open in a quaint little neighborhood is bound to get heat.

A Starbucks opened in my neighborhood a couple of years ago. It's in a nice 1920s building which has a beautiful white terra cotta facade. Of course when they moved into the building they had to paint their portion of the facade a puky yellow color to match some corporate decorating agenda :angry:. Now the whole building looks like shit.

Oh yeah, their used to be an independant record store in that building :angry: .

Just for the record, I am not necessarily in favour of chains moving into historical buildings, neighborhoods et al and making no attempt to tailor their storefronts to their surroundings. I think what you have described is tacky and chains should be obligated to blend their architecture, etc with the existing facade. It shows not only respect for previous landmarks, etc, but just good taste.

And Sandra, you're bang on with the toilets. I know where there's Starbucks, there are clean toilets. Very comforting after a tall Americano! :raz:

Edited by jersey13 (log)
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EJRothman

EJRothman

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And Sandra, you're bang on with the toilets.  I know where there's Starbucks, there are clean toilets.  Very comforting after a tall Americano! :raz:

Uh, have you been to the Astor Place/St. Marks Place Starbucks? They (along with the nearby Barnes and Nobles) bathrooms are disgusting! Worse than the bathrooms in shady Chinatown greasy wall places.

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Busboy

Busboy

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Posted
[

Uh, have you been to the Astor Place/St. Marks Place Starbucks?  They (along with the nearby Barnes and Nobles) bathrooms are disgusting!  Worse than the bathrooms in shady Chinatown greasy wall places.

But, when you're staggering the long way from the Meatpacking District to the Grammercy Park, very conveniently placed.

Of course, it's easier when you're a guy.

I'm on the pavement

Thinking about the government.

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tryska

tryska

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Posted

i'm actually sorta thankful for starbucks.

when i'm traveling and staying in strange cities with pallid complimentary hotel coffee, i'm always glad there's a starbucks nearby, no matter where, so that i can get some coffee that can actually help me join the living.

this does not apply to NYC or NO visits, however. fabulous coffee to be had in those 2 cities.

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eat2much

eat2much

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Posted

I've had worse cups of coffee in my day. The reason that I hate Starbucks is their use of the idiotic terms Vente and Grande. Maybe I'm old fashioned but I prefer to use the terms "small, medium, or large" and to be "corrected" by a teenaged coffee "expert" bugs the crap out of me. Of course, if the employees at my local Starbucks looked anything like the girls in the Playboy spread I might be willing to compromise.

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NeroW

NeroW

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I just don't like how they say shit like "here's your DELICIOUS Grande Latte" or "have a DELICIOUS cookie to go with that DELICIOUS Frappucino, won't you" or "so sorry, we're all out of DELICIOUS regular cream cheese, would you like lite cream cheese instead, it's also DELICIOUS."

:shock:

Noise is music. All else is food.

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tryska

tryska

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Posted
The reason that I hate Starbucks is their use of the idiotic terms Vente and Grande. Maybe I'm old fashioned but I prefer to use the terms "small, medium, or large" and to be "corrected" by a teenaged coffee "expert" bugs the crap out of me.

i do always feel funny ordering.

especially when beforehand my coffee order used to be "coffee regular, please."

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Stone

Stone

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Posted

My two Starbucks stories (told previously elsewhere):

1) When walking down 8th Street towards St Marks, a friend and I came upon some post-retro-hippie types protesting Starbucks. My friend, being more obnoxious than me, asked what they were about. He then burst into laughter and said, "how pathetic, are you so desperate to protest something that you need to protest a coffee shop? Too bad you didn't grow up in the '80s when we had Reagan and Apartheid. But by the way, people are still suffering out there, and I'm not talking about an expensive latte."

2) I was surprised to meet a Swiss couple who told me that they and their friends actually like Starbucks. Not because the coffee is so good, but because it was the only coffee shop that would let them sit, read and drink coffee. Others would require them to keep buying food.

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Schielke

Schielke

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Posted
i'm actually sorta thankful for starbucks.

when i'm traveling and staying in strange cities with pallid complimentary hotel coffee, i'm always glad there's a starbucks nearby, no matter where, so that i can get some coffee that can actually help me join the living.

this does not apply to NYC or NO visits, however.  fabulous coffee to be had in those 2 cities.

This is my main use for Starbucks. When I am on the road it is typically to smaller towns or suburbs or larger ones and Starbucks is the only game around. Ditto for the airports.

I also dont have to pay for it with my own money. :biggrin:

Ben

Gimme what cha got for a pork chop!

-Freakmaster

I have two words for America... Meat Crust.

-Mario

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tryska

tryska

Posted
Posted

I also dont have to pay for it with my own money.  :biggrin:

hee - another reason as well cuz there's no way i'm spending 4 bucks of my own money on coffee, i don't care how fancy your sizing language is.

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