Four solid reasons to avoid Starbucks

a reply to: knoledgeispower

But there are also reasons to return....

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A Canadian Starbucks barista has become an unlikely hero among breastfeeding advocates. When an angry customer complained about a breastfeeding mom in an Ottawa Starbucks last week, the young man, whose name hasn’t been released to the media, smiled warmly and said he’d handle the matter. The barista walked over to the mom and apologized for the customer, offered her a free refill and handed her a voucher for a free coffee. The customer who complained stormed out of the Starbucks in a rage. blog.sfgate.com...=0

I make my own coffee at home and prefer it to Starbucks. If most of the locals places offered something besides some watered down chickory, I'd support them. I actually like the coffee at 7-11 but out of town... I like the familiarity of Starbucks. Just got my mom in law a mug from Cape Canaveral that has both South Beach and the Space Shuttle on it.

a reply to: knoledgeispower

The main reason to avoid Starbucks is the same reason you should avoid dealing with any company that is not locally owned. I happen to prefer tea to coffee, but what I am about to explain is based on my experiences when out with a friend.

Locally owned coffee shops, in my experience, are better than chain ones in all the key particulars.

1) Product quality:

The teas and coffees sold at our locally owned tea rooms and coffee shops, just taste better than the nonsense Starbucks sell. It is that simple. Those products are also presented better, served with flair and personality, by people who actually enjoy their work.

2) Product presentation:

Starbucks serve most of their products, in standardised mugs, some of which are not totally clean, and serve with very little care. These mugs are placed upon company marked plastic trays, and when one sits down, it is either at a light weight aluminium framed, coated wood topped, prefabricated bit of crap of a table outside, or something a shop fitters apprentice could do a better job of designing and building inside.

At my favourite coffee shop however, hot drinks are served in mixed, interesting and beautiful china drinking vessels, on unique and lovely trays, even the milk comes in a little china serving jug. And when one sits down outside, one sits at antique sewing tables, with wrought iron legs with Victorian scrolled shapes worked into them, still sporting the pedal which used to turn the wheel of the sewing machines. These have marble tabletops, all original.

3) Personal service:

The staff at our locally owned coffee shops, are genuinely happy to work where they do. They like interacting with customers on a personal level, and have a good attitude toward customer service, product presentation, and understand that their demeanour has an affect on the ambience of the establishment, which in turn effects the level to which consuming beverages on the premises, can be enjoyed.

4) Prices:

If I rock up to a Starbucks and ask for a cup of tea, it will set me back a decent portion of a five pound note for something which does not approximate a good cuppa. If, however, I go to my favourite coffee shop, I will pay one pound and fifty pence for a fresh tasting, pleasant, and refreshing cup of tea. Prices throughout the range of their products are similarly sensible, and only change when the management really need to change the flow of finance through the company at a local level.

In short, screw Starbucks.

a reply to: knoledgeispower
I quit drinking the stuff years back when I found out they support terrorism.
Then my hunch was reinforced when they weighed into the 2A situation and were not whole heartedly full tilt in favor of my rights.

You left out the MAIN reason... Number 5. It tastes like crap.

My first cup tasted so bad I was actually in AWE of the people around
me enjoying it. I tried it again later, thinking it could be a fluke, but no...
Either my tastes buds are broken, or you people around me drinking it
are idiots. And considering HOW MANY of you are drinking it...I can only pray
that its my taste buds that are broken...

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: knoledgeispower

The main reason to avoid Starbucks is the same reason you should avoid dealing with any company that is not locally owned. I happen to prefer tea to coffee, but what I am about to explain is based on my experiences when out with a friend.

Locally owned coffee shops, in my experience, are better than chain ones in all the key particulars.

1) Product quality:

The teas and coffees sold at our locally owned tea rooms and coffee shops, just taste better than the nonsense Starbucks sell. It is that simple. Those products are also presented better, served with flair and personality, by people who actually enjoy their work.

2) Product presentation:

Starbucks serve most of their products, in standardised mugs, some of which are not totally clean, and serve with very little care. These mugs are placed upon company marked plastic trays, and when one sits down, it is either at a light weight aluminium framed, coated wood topped, prefabricated bit of crap of a table outside, or something a shop fitters apprentice could do a better job of designing and building inside.

At my favourite coffee shop however, hot drinks are served in mixed, interesting and beautiful china drinking vessels, on unique and lovely trays, even the milk comes in a little china serving jug. And when one sits down outside, one sits at antique sewing tables, with wrought iron legs with Victorian scrolled shapes worked into them, still sporting the pedal which used to turn the wheel of the sewing machines. These have marble tabletops, all original.

3) Personal service:

The staff at our locally owned coffee shops, are genuinely happy to work where they do. They like interacting with customers on a personal level, and have a good attitude toward customer service, product presentation, and understand that their demeanour has an affect on the ambience of the establishment, which in turn effects the level to which consuming beverages on the premises, can be enjoyed.

4) Prices:

If I rock up to a Starbucks and ask for a cup of tea, it will set me back a decent portion of a five pound note for something which does not approximate a good cuppa. If, however, I go to my favourite coffee shop, I will pay one pound and fifty pence for a fresh tasting, pleasant, and refreshing cup of tea. Prices throughout the range of their products are similarly sensible, and only change when the management really need to change the flow of finance through the company at a local level.

In short, screw Starbucks.

That sucks that the starbucks in your town is crap but the two stores in my town that aren't inside safeway, are fancy. I've only ever gotten to go cups because I'm usually having a frap or a tea. The staff are all super friendly, there were two girls who worked in the safeway location beside my job and they would custom make me drinks that they loved.

Most of the local coffee shops in my town are the ones with the stuck up employees & crummy cups. A new one just opened up and after a month they have been deemed the best coffee shop in town. They use tablets for tills so they don't have to pay for the POS system, I've only been there once so far but it was really nice.

I dislike the prices of starbucks but when I used to go all the time when I worked beside the one in safeway, I would get most of my drinks when they were on special, half price or you get a second one free. I'd give the other one to a co-worker.

originally posted by: rival
You left out the MAIN reason... Number 5. It tastes like crap.

My first cup tasted so bad I was actually in AWE of the people around
me enjoying it. I tried it again later, thinking it could be a fluke, but no...
Either my tastes buds are broken, or you people around me drinking it
are idiots. And considering HOW MANY of you are drinking it...I can only pray
that its my taste buds that are broken...

Some people like their coffee to be strong, I tried their coffee twice & thought it was nasty too. That's why I just stuck to their frap drinks. None of the local coffee shops have that great of fraps or as many varieties. The one that has a really good chocolate frap, made with real chocolate, is just as expensive as the starbucks fraps.

Now it's just un-caffeinated drinks for me, caffeine gives me heart palpitations & upsets my IBS