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Coffee fans revel in Starbucks decline
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by Rob Peters | July 6, 2008 at 06:37 pm
1499 views | 22 Recommendations | 13 comments
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Remember when Starbucks was considered innovative and actually kind of cool? There was a time in the 90s, believe it or not, when coffee culture was just getting its footing and a quirky little shop from Seattle was garnering buzz.
Now, the market-saturated coffee giant is being forced to close hundreds of stores, and many coffee lovers couldn't be happier about it. What happened? How did one company singlehandedly blandify the cafe experience, and does our joy in its demise say something bigger about our culture?
Financial woes at Starbucks Corp., which is planning to close 600 underperforming U.S. stores, is evoking glee and little sympathy from aficionados who say they resent the coffee shop giant and favor small independent cafes.
The schadenfreude of coffee drinkers drawing satisfaction from another's misfortune is part of the popular culture that enjoys the downfall of companies or celebrities, said Jim Carroll, a Canadian-based trends and innovation expert.
"There are a lot of people out there who take delight in seeing an icon torn down by the masses," he said.
Starbucks fell victim to a rapid change in attitude, fueled by Internet bloggers complaining endlessly about everything from layoffs to its breakfast sandwiches, he said.
"Starbucks was a cool brand, and then all of a sudden it's not a cool brand," he said. "There's this new global consciousness that is out there that can suddenly shift."
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (13)
at 18:51 on July 6th, 2008
Rob Peters, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 14:35 on July 7th, 2008
I remember taking this photo of my girlfriend on the left and her friend on the right. Two starbucks fans who drank it at least 4 times a week if not 6 now they barely go to it. There is a new coffee house i've seen more and more of called ESparks coffee i think i see a cooperate move in as the new star bucks.
lui355 has contributed a photo to this story.
at 15:02 on July 7th, 2008
A funny piece about the Starbucks decline.
at 15:38 on July 7th, 2008
Nice post. Incidentally, "Schadenfreude" is the name of the new cafe that I'm planning to open up in the same space where my local Starbucks just closed. We're going to do a roaring business serving mochas to misanthropes and java to the generic.
Our coffee is served 20 degrees hotter than the competition, guaranteeing that you'll burn your lips every time, while our jaded baristas laughingly exclaim our corporate motto: "People taking pleasure in your pain"...Come on by!
at 16:00 on July 7th, 2008
Will you have frequent stupid clubs?
Sign me up!
at 15:52 on July 7th, 2008
Kyota has contributed a photo to this story.
at 15:58 on July 7th, 2008
However, how many of the small coffee houses would be around were it not for Starbucks? How many will survive in Starbuck's wake. I think the problems have to with $4/gal. (US) gas than $3 coffee.
Disclaimer: I seldom ever go to Starbucks. When I have gone, I have ordered regular coffee, straight espresso or tea (Earl Grey or English Breakfast). Why pay more than the price of a pint of beer for a cup of coffee?
at 19:37 on July 7th, 2008
i just took a picture
jose carlos lucatero has contributed a photo to this story.
at 22:01 on July 7th, 2008
I still drink Starbucks at least once per week. I wasn't too surprised when the info came out that they were closing down some of their stores as it really seems like Vancouver is supersaturated with Starbucks. Just down the street where I live there is a Starbucks in the Safeway, and in the same strip mall across the parking lot another Starbucks. It didn't seem to make much sense at all.
at 22:26 on July 7th, 2008
Starbucks does have some great people, like the lady in my photo. And when I'm not reading, I do enjoy meeting people & people watching. One of the things that irks me about the company is that they tend to move the baristas around once you get used to a certain location. For instance, I haven't seen either of these ladies when I return to that location, and it's happened time and again at others.
It's certainly not the coffee I go to Starbucks for! I drink regular drip coffee & theirs is some of the worst. Their other drinks are all automatic so why should they care? The coffee can sit there all day until it tears your guts apart.
I read another piece on this site about the companies change in attitude & that certainly varies by location. Pay attention to the person on the other side of the counter, not your buddies behind it. I don't need to know details about your date the evening before. And when I lay a New York Times on the counter & you ring it as the local paper, well, then I know you're not pauing attention. I recently delt with Starbuck's corporate office on a problem with one location and received sympathetic sounding e-mails which invited me to call & talk about it. However, when I did call , the fellow I wound up with wouldn't let me speak with the person who sent the e-mails, had me go over the entire story yet again before putting me on hold , and then returned to defend the company up and down. I think I hung up.
Green Lantern2008 has contributed a photo to this story.
at 00:49 on July 8th, 2008
neolai has contributed a photo to this story.
at 20:02 on July 8th, 2008
Avoiding cliches defines me. Nevertheless, I tried Starbucks again this past holiday season, and haven't had a single cup since. That doesn't mean I don't love coffee; you can still see me frequenting the independent chains around town. My reasoning for that lies in shops with actual personality and hard-work, as opposed to big chains opening a store on every corner.
pierrelourens has contributed a photo to this story.
at 01:55 on July 18th, 2008
Rob Peters, I like this story. It's good stuff.