Archives for the 'starbucks' tag
My ‘Morning Joe’
On a class break this morning, I ran across the street from school to Starbucks to grab an iced Americano. And whom did I see standing next to the bar waiting for a drink upon entering? None other than former congressman and current MSNBC star Joe Scarborough.
Initially, I walked past him. I’m a big fan, but usually try not to bug celebs when I see them (including, frequently, former Fed chair Alan Greenspan at the same Starbucks). Still, something grabbed me and I headed back to say this:
Pardon me, but I feel I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask if you weren’t here for your morning joe.
Scarborough, host of the MSNBC morning show Morning Joe, smiled and said he guessed he was. He introduced me to his wife, and we chatted briefly about law school. (He got his degree at Gator law.)
It’s rare to say this about someone on television, and so I’ll say it: It’s good to see Scarborough is as nice and real in person as he is on television.
Starbucks Splash Sticks Make Splash
I still have yet to see one, even though they went national last month, but Starbucks has rolled out a line of free, reusable, anti-splash swizzle sticks–”quietly,” most note–called Starbucks Splash Sticks. From the Boston Herald:
“I could have used one of those this morning getting into the car,” said Stephanie Vollebregt, 24, an au pair in Melrose. “Luckily it dripped down my hand, not onto my pants, but who hasn’t had that happen? This means less laundry for me, I guess.”
Fellow Melrose au pair Kristen Hedberg twirled a stick while lauding the invention and design. “It’s green. It’s pretty. And I can use it to stir my drink, too,” she said.
“It’s a coffee accessory,” Vollebregt chimed in. “You accessorize your house, yourself, your car. Why not your coffee?”
Congrats to Starbucks, which has obviously cornered the highly coveted au pair market.
While a YumSugar poll puts them firmly in the loved-by-customers category, others note they’ll cause litter. And professor frenchy, captioning a splash stick snap on Flickr, notes “the coffee still escaped from under the lid and the little ‘breathing holes’ on top.”
Starbucks Gets Back to Basics and Wins
Starbucks today unveiled what it hopes will be a new black gold. And it looks and tastes a hell of a lot like what made the company vital and famous in the first place: a new, served-everyday, drip-brewed coffee.
It’s Pike Place Roast–not Pike Place Blend (pictured). Though it’s unclear from where the beans hail, the coffee’s got more in common with a fuller-bodied Starbucks cup like Sumatra or Sulawesi than it does with some of the company’s lighter-bodied Latin American roasts. The chocolatey undertones, though, are to me unmistakably reminiscent of its Colombian coffee. I don’t taste Africa in the cup.
Anecdotally, the coffee is a huge hit. I love it. And some guy in my Property class loves it, too.
The company also ditched its censored logo–at least for the time being–in favor of the good ole nude siren. Anecdotally–again, with a sample size of two people, including my positive review and a bad one from some girl in my Animal Law class–reviews on the what’s-old-is-what’s new cup are split right down the middle.
Can I afford a $2 cup of coffee every day? Probably not. But will I pick up a cup, in colder months, 2-3 days a week? You bet. And will I buy whole-bean Pike Place Roast in stores, in order to brew at home? Absolutely.
More here. What Seattle thinks here. Crispy previously on Starbucks here.
Schultz Caresses, Ponders Coffee Bag, Company’s Future
While the consensus is that Starbucks will take a while right its listing ship here in the U.S., business is booming in some surprising international locations. Take Mexico:
Reuters reported last month that, since entering Mexico in 2002, the company’s expansion rate has increased sevenfold. In fact, Starbucks plans to open 80 new stores in Mexico this year.
For Mexico’s trendy and monied set, Starbucks has become a status symbol of indulging in American tastes.
The company is also planning aggressive expansion in China (with possibly “thousands” of stores), Great Britain, Japan and Canada.
Meanwhile, Starbucks is mining customers’ minds for improvements with its My Starbucks Idea site — linked from the corporate homepage. Easily my favorite so far — and it’s baffled me for years why no company uses this — is the order/pay swipe card.
Schultz Announces Starbucks Cutbacks
Recently returned Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced he’s cut about 600 jobs at the coffee giant. In a letter to staff, which also took the form of a press release, Schultz said the review that led to the cuts…
…was done with great thoughtfulness and respect for everyone concerned, organizational changes have been made. These changes will restructure the company, but they will also result in a decrease of both the number of positions and partners by approximately 600. This total includes the elimination of existing positions and open headcount, as well as the reduction of our current workforce. Within this context, approximately 220 partners have separated from the company. Nearly all were U.S. partners serving in non-retail support roles. We are thankful and proud of the contributions our departing partners have made, and we are committed to treating them with respect and dignity.
Though I’m no fan of what Schultz did with the Sonics, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a better CEO. I met him the first day I ever worked at Starbucks (back in 1993) when I waited on him as he made his way, like every other customer, through the line. That’s how he is, and that’s why I’m still a loyal Starbucks customer, and why I’m confident he’ll right the first mate’s ship.
Starbucks for a Buck
Starbucks, responding to competition from McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts, is testing a $1 cup of coffee in the Seattle market. It sounds like it’s basically a short coffee of the day. It’s also offering free refills as part of the test. Both of these approaches actually undercut the competitors.
At least one stock analyst is skeptical, saying the coffee giant should be focusing on competitors in its own market — Peets and Caribou — but last time I checked, I didn’t see one of those everyplace I turned.
