Why all the hate against Starbucks?

[U2@NYC]

Note: I posted this in 'Just the Bang and the Clatter' but I thought that it would be better here to have a wider discussion.

Why all the hate against Starbucks?

To me, and pardon my ignorance, Starbucks is a company that truly transformed America's substandard taste in terms of coffee and created a true culture. Before Starbucks, all we had in the U.S. was 'standard' American coffee which, in my opinion, was pretty much flavorless. Now we have caramel macchiato, frapuccino, moccha, etc.

I read Howard Schultz' book (Pour Your Heart Into It) and saw how a guy from the Brooklyn projects was able to realize his American dream and, at the same time, create a culture with it. Maybe I am being naive, but I see no harm in that. Overexpansion maybe?

I am a big fan of Starbucks but would like to hear your views on it to better understand why there is so much hate against it.

Thanks.

 

[Chizip]

its a giant corporation so by definition it must be evil!

 

[Liesje]

I hate coffee in general, nothing personal.

 

[timothius]

I hate coffee in general, nothing personal.

Tea on the other hand..

 

[ewen]

I'm not a coffee connoisseur, I have simple tastes in my tea or coffee. but, I hate Starbucks because I find their coffee far too hot (I was always lead to believe that coffee should be warm not scalding), too expensive for what it is and almost tasteless. I mean sue me, I don't like the taste of their regular coffee or cappacino. That's the only kind of coffee I'll drink.

There's that fast-food thing that I hate too. I'd rather sooner go to an independant coffee shop if I just want to sit and relax for a bit. If I'm in a rush I'd choose a Costa Coffee if I have the option. Starbucks would only be if I feel desperate for coffee, which really isn't that often.

When I was in the States recently I did like the coffee at Dunkin Donuts.

Pax will probably remember me having about two sips of my Starbucks coffee in Baltimore and then throwing it in the bin. She'll remember the stop at DD on our way to New York and that I liked their coffee.


my two cents. apart from that i don't care, i don't go so doesn't bother me.

 

[randhail]

The hate for Starbucks is because of the smarmy hippy people they have working there. My biggest annoyance with starbucks are the terms they have for small, medium, and large. It may be petty but I will never sell out and ask for a grande double mocha whatever. It will always be medium in my book.

 

[Aardvark747]

Coffee tastes like shit

 

[MsMofoGone]

I cannot stand the taste of coffee ... I am a "tea" drinker !!

 

[Dismantled]

Their coffee is too strong...
Their stores are annoying!!!.....
Their coffee is WAY too expensive....

I have only been once and it wasn't my choice anyway yeah the minute I walked in I was really annoyed..

 

[ewen]

The hate for Starbucks is because of the smarmy hippy people they have working there.

I have to say in defense of Starbucks (even though I do hate the coffee) I have always found the people that work there very customer friendly. just my personal experience but I have been to Starbucks less times than i have fingers because I don't like their coffee.

My biggest annoyance with starbucks are the terms they have for small, medium, and large. It may be petty but I will never sell out and ask for a grande double mocha whatever. It will always be medium in my book.

me too

 

[Chizip]

i once went to a starbucks in columbus, ohio. the person working there was a huuuuuge hippy. i think she was a U2 fan though.

 

[Liesje]

I have an old HS friend who now works at Starbucks and she's a thief, not a hippy, but yeah, a thief is not good either...

 

[Maggie1]

The hate for Starbucks is because of the smarmy hippy people they have working there. My biggest annoyance with starbucks are the terms they have for small, medium, and large. It may be petty but I will never sell out and ask for a grande double mocha whatever. It will always be medium in my book.

Hey!! Im a smarmy hippie person! I don't however hang out in starbucks because all the terms they use for their coffee are just overwhelming and make me feel stupid. Double latte, mocha something? Just give me a cup of joe!

 

[pax]

When I was in the States recently I did like the coffee at Dunkin Donuts.

Pax will probably remember me having about two sips of my Starbucks coffee in Baltimore and then throwing it in the bin. She'll remember the stop at DD on our way to New York and that I liked their coffee.

Dunkin' Donuts... Yes, I remember.

I like Starbucks well enough, but man, they're expensive. There is one near me, but I never go to it. Just a plain small coffee is, like, $1.40 or something! I usually make my own coffee at home and take it to work, or, failing that, I buy a regular cup at work for fifty cents.

I'm kind of a coffee junkie...if it's reasonably strong and actually tastes like coffee, I tend not to be especially picky. I drink it black, so I'm easy to satisfy as a coffee customer.

That said, though...a Starbucks caramel macchiato is a lovely occasional treat.

 

[Liesje]

I don't however hang out in starbucks because all the terms they use for their coffee are just overwhelming and make me feel stupid. Double latte, mocha something? Just give me a cup of joe!

No kidding! There's only ONE word for my nectar of choice: DEW.

 

[redkat]

I love and hate Starbucks. I hate it only because I'm so addicted to it and it's costing too much.

I used to agree with your views and prefer an independent shop. But, I was often frustrated at the inconsistency. I LOVE my coffee and I want the same one all the time. If I go into any Starbucks and order my Latte I know it's gonna be good. That's why I go there. That and all the local ones know me and usually have my coffee ready for me when I get to the counter I've seen very few employees that aren't really nice.

 

[popacrobat]

ill have a venti sized triple mocha chino something blah blah latte

 

[Sicy]

I like Starbucks.. but I like the Starbucks coffee I make at home better

My boss just gave me a Starbucks card.. its pretty cool. She was thanking me for handling a situation and making executive decisions while she was out of town last week

 

[Dismantled]

The hate for Starbucks is because of the smarmy hippy people they have working there.

Thank you



and everyone with their laptops sitting around the fireplace all geeked out...

 

[pub crawler]

The whole "Starbucks is an evil corporation" thing comes from the perception -- whether true or not -- that Starbucks has a history of purposely opening stores right next to or across the street from independent coffee houses with the intent of putting them out of business. I don't know if that is indeed Starbucks' strategy, but I do know it's a perception people have.

I buy coffee there. In my opinion, Starbucks' coffee is bitter, but I've developed a taste for it.

As for the employees, almost without exception I find them very cool and personable.

 

[U2Girl1978]

I don't mind starbucks but I can't drink their stuff every day. That crap will ruin your insides!

 

[AvsGirl41]

I like the Cafe Mochas. It's the only thing I'll get from there, I like to make workman's tea at home.

What drives me nuts about Starbucks is that they are literally everywhere. You know it's bad when you go to a home decor store and they have a Starbucks.

But it's less the stores than the people who go there--working at Barnes and Noble, I decided that this coffee obsession is less a sign of refinement and more a sign of serious addiction. That worries me.

 

[sulawesigirl4]

That said, though...a Starbucks caramel macchiato is a lovely occasional treat.

yum...the caramel macchiato is pretty much the ONLY drink I order at Starbucks. As to the hatred, I don't HATE the place, but I do get tired of its ubiquitousness. It's EVERYWHERE. I'll go if it's convenient (ie. I'm at Barnes and Noble in the U.S.) but if I'm in Paris or Venice for godsakes I wouldn't shame myself to step foot in the place.

That said, we had a much better chain in the Minnesota area called Caribou. The coffee was better and the sizes were actually what they say they are: small, medium and large.

 

[starsgoblue]

i once went to a starbucks in columbus, ohio. the person working there was a huuuuuge hippy. i think she was a U2 fan though.

I'm not a hippy! I come from punk rock!





There is one really wierd barista that works in a store in Ashburn, Virginia though....Talk about swarmy hippy....

 

[RedRocksU2]

I did not there was much hate for Starbucks.....

However like it was posted before, some of their employees seem to have a chip on their shoulders.....

Tower Records employees, Starbucks employees, MAC cosmetics girls (and guys?), Border Bookstore employees......all the same....I think they are clones of the same species or something... .....hmmm...this could be a good thread

 

[Golightly Grrl]

I agree that the names Starbucks gives to its sizes is beyond pretentious. But the peppermint mocha drink they put out around the holidays is the shit!

However, because I like to keep my money in my community, I usually patronize locally owned coffee places. Milwaukee is filled with them-Rochambo, Comet Cafe, Alterra, Fuel Cafe.

The funny thing is, when my friend Jean visited me from NYC, I took her too many of the local coffee places and she said Milwaukee coffee is so much stronger thatn NYC coffee.

 

[impy13]

First of all, I've never had a drink at Starbucks that I didn't enjoy thoroughly. But just setting foot in there makes me feel like a trendy piece of shit. I'm not saying this is everyone, but oftentimes a Starbucks patron is a snooty and pompous dick. Who brings their laptop to get a fucking cup of coffee?

Starbucks isn't just a place to get a drink, it's a place to be seen. And that's my biggest problem with it. It's just a trendy hot spot for people who want to be perceived a certain way. People who buy in to the Starbucks machine and submit themselves to it. It's like a cult, in a way.

The point is, Starbucks is all well and good until you think it's a cool place to be seen. Sitting on your lappy after you've finished your coffee long ago isn't "cool", it's sad. Just get your drink and go.

Hell, I think the coffee at 7-11 is just as good.

 

[randhail]

While I did say that starbucks employees can be smamy hippies, many of them I have encountered have been quite good. However, the smarmy ones can be quite bad. I'm not making a big deal about this but last winter I was in a starbucks, admittedly dressed like a slob because I had been skiing all day and had the full smarmy treatment given to me. I don't remember the exact context of the situation (maybe a long wait) but the employee said something to the effect of "it's ok because he's dressed in ski clothes" to another employee. I didn't get mad, it was more of a "are you kidding me" reaction. Oh well. Apparently since I didn't have my laptop and my jetta wasn't in the parking lot, I didn't get the best service.

 

[u2bonogirl]

I'm not a hippy! I come from punk rock!





There is one really wierd barista that works in a store in Ashburn, Virginia though....Talk about swarmy hippy....

Bugger off hippy brat!

Im the only cool person they have working there. Everybody else is yuppie cheese

Yes, stars and I work for the hated starbucks and theyre a pretty damn good place to work for.
I cant drink the drip coffee there. Its sludge to me, but for the record, the beans sold there are high quality and very good if made the way you like it at home.
Theres extensive work done to ensure that everybody behind that counter knows how to make the drink to the starbucks standard.
Weight, temperature, taste..
The reason its so bloody hot ewen, is that we're only allowed to heat the milk twice and then we have to toss it. Therefore its much easier to heat it to the maximum temperature and then have more time to keep it and let it cool

I dont like my drinks hot either. All you have to do is ask for it not too hot

My beef? I cant have my tattoos showing at work even though every freakin customer wants to see them

 

[Sparkysgrrrl]

I don't know which thread to respond to now lol
So I'll put it in this one too -

One reason for the "hatred"
Fair Trade Issue -
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaigns/fairtrade/
http://www.globalexchange.org/campa.../starbucks.html

I just wish they would do more with the power they have, especially if they are going to keep raising thier prices, at least pay the growers what they can live on.