Radio Lady's HOT TOPICS: How do you feel about Starbucks? Do you go there... or not?

[Radio_Lady]

I'd like to know why you feel the way you do. This is in connection with the new book "How Starbucks Changed My Life" by Michael Gates Gill

You can read that thread at:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=post&forum=105&topic_id=6961800&mesg_id=6961800

On our travels in Europe, especially in England, we found their locations comfortable and inviting. Bathrooms are usually available without a problem.

A couple of times, we brought sandwiches from our hotel, ordered a small drink, and were able to stay inside for a while to get away from the cold or rain.

Has Starbucks improved YOUR LIFE?

Thanks in advance.

[Sugar Smack]

1. It's blue, but I don't really like their coffee.

[NMDemDist2]

2. avoid them like the plague. I don't spend premium prices for old stale coffee beans

if I'm gonna spend $5 for a latte, I want fresh beans that haven't been burnt in the roasting process

but that's just me

AZDD6 <------------------ coffee snob

[Sugar Smack]

4. So'm I.

The burnt quality of their coffee is horrible. I don't mean maybe.

[NMDemDist2]

5. and stale

did I mention stale?

:puke:

[MissMillie]

3. the coffee is free at work (our department has it delivered every morning)

and cheap at home.

For the price of 2 cups of coffee out, I can buy a can and make 12 pots of coffee.

I'm sure Starbucks, being blue, is a terrific establishment. I just can't afford to spend that kind of money on coffee.

[Sugar Smack]

6. Where in Sam Hill do you work, lady?

Put in a good word for me? Tell your boss I said "hi". :rofl:

[MissMillie]

13. here

http://www.hbs.edu/mba/

Our department head likes the faculty and the doctoral students (I'm not faculty, I'm staff) to congregate every day and talk shop and all that cohesive stuff, so he has coffee (enough for all of us) delivered every morning.

[skygazer]

7. Starbucks doesn't really enter my life

I'm not into fancy coffee - when I drink coffee, it's a cup of good ol' black coffee with a little cream and sugar and I usually pay a buck or so for it.

As for the company themselves, chains of any sort kinda bug me. I realize we've had chains for a long time but they weren't the huge thing they are now. Where I live, that's all you see - chains. I can drive from here to San Jose and see nothing but Targets and Borders and Starbucks and Olive Gardens and Macys and Home Depots and Circuit Citys and Walgreens and Costcos etc.

I shop at some of them but it does kind of depress me that the only gig in town is something owned by this huge corporate monstrosity somewhere and that Joe Schmoe who'd like to open a shoe store is probably not going to get any business because he doesn't have name recognition.

Back home, I used to go to a little coffee shop on Main Street that was locally owned. The coffee was great, the place was comfortable, the people were friendly, they had baked goods (and bathrooms) and the price was reasonable.

I'd rather go there but a Starbucks moved in across the street and drove 'em out of business.

[RebelOne]

8. Never go to Starbucks even though there are several near my house.

Mainly because I am not much of a coffee drinker.

[Roon]

9. Starebucks is a treat

I don't go there every day but I might go to one 2-3 times a month...if that..

[philosophie_en_rose]

10. I go to Starbucks all of the time.

I don't drink coffee anymore and tea is cheap.

[KitchenWitch]

11. I sometimes go to Starbucks, but I prefer Caribou

No Caribou Coffee here, so it is either Starbucks, Peets, or Seattle's Best.

[grace0418]

12. I go there on occasion because there is nothing else near my office. But when

I'm at home I support local coffee houses, and there are several in my neighborhood. When on vacation in the U.S. I might go to Starbucks if I don't know of any good local places, or if I'm in a place that doesn't have much around. In places like NYC, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, etc. it's easy to find wonderful local establishments so I make it a point of supporting them.

But in Europe, I avoid American chains. This is just my personal opinion, but the reason I go through all the expense and planning to get to Italy, France, Spain, etc. is to experience the culture as well as see historical places, natural beauty, and art. I like to immerse myself as much as possible during my brief stay. Buying food and drink that I can get two blocks from my house seems to defeat the purpose. That's just me though. Some folks find comfort in familiar things when they are in foreign places.

I *do* use the bathrooms at McDonalds in Europe because they're usually free. If Starbucks has the same policy in Europe (there weren't many Starbucks around the last time I was there), then that's an even better option.

[supernova]

14. Sometimes go there, but not for coffee

There's a really nice on in the B&N in the mall and I sometimes go there to use the Wi Fi. Their lighter fare is good for a late afternoon snack, a sandwich or a piece of pastry.

Their coffee though is too bitter a roast for me. It tastes acrid to me.

[Shine]

15. I have mixed feelings about them, frankly

on one hand, their coffee is always super hot, which I LOVE.

They have decent music playing (most of the time)

They are comfortable and generally a nice place to hang with one's friends.

BUT.....

on the other hand, they're a big corporation that seems to be taking over the world, which is offensive

I'm pretty sure their coffee isn't procured from Free Trade merchants, either.

I still go there, though. :D

:hi:

[Mutley]

24. A very little bit is Free Trade

The Cafe Estima whole bean is Free Trade, but that's about it.

[GirlinContempt]

47. do you mean fair trade? I certainly hope so

[MorningGlow]

16. I go there once in a while

Only because I'm addicted to their pumpkin spice latte. Most of the time, though, I can't afford their prices or their calories (DH calls the lattes "a candybar in a paper cup"). I tend to divide my coffee-drinking equally among home, Dunkin' Donuts, convenience store stops, and independent coffee houses (we still have a few--hooray), with maybe one or two Starbucks a month thrown in.

[Connonym]

17. I've been trying to wrangle an invitation to his place but he's resisted me thus far

:sigh: I've promised my slaving devotion and still no invite. Men :-P

[Shell Beau]

18. I hate to admit that I am a Starbucks junkie!

They are high, but I am willing to pay for my mocha frap with no whip!!!!

[AlCzervik]

19. Starbucks coffee makes my stomach hurt, not like pukey but like actual pain.

[Blue Diadem]

20. We don't go there, too expensive.

Even before when we had more money we didn't spend our money like that.

[Missy Vixen]

21. Yes. I love the tangerine frappucino. n/t

[Radio_Lady]

33. Yum, that sounds good! Delicious! n/t

[SacredCow]

22. Only if there's no other option.....

Nothing against them- I just don't particularly care for their coffee.

[dembotoz]

23. a cup of coffee is supposed to be cheap

got a starbucks gift card for xmas a couple of years ago and finally used it at an airport starbucks.
finally got rid of it

Was to coffee good??
It was ok--it was a cup of coffee...

[triguy46]

58. Cheap coffee is no treat. I will drink it, but I like a good cup...

and in the greater scheme of things, after 30 years of work, raising two kids, paying for their college, moving mom through two nursing homes, I have no qualms about $1.87 for a grande.

[fizzgig]

25. while they are blue and, from what i hear, are good to their employees

i can't stand their coffee and they are grossly overpriced

i can find five different locally-owned coffee shops between the two starbucks in our downtown area (a maybe 1.5 mile stretch of road)

[GirlinContempt]

49. under $2 for a large (grande) isn't overpriced.

I dont care if you like them or not, but less than two dollars is not expensive.

[Fire Walk With Me]

26. I don't care for their product. I like the teas and coffees at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

a lot more.

And joke is to call them "Fourbucks", not Starbucks, after their pricing.

[MysticalChicken]

27. I go to Starbuck's occasionally

I like hazelnut frappuccinos, caramel apple ciders, and hot and iced chai tea lattes.

I only go about once every few months though.

[cobalt1999]

28. I hit the locally owned coffee shops as much as possible

In our town, we didn't have a single until last year, now there are 4 of them. We still partronize the one local joint that was there before Starbucks though.

Traveling, I hit them all the time, especially the airport ones.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

29. If I have a choice...

I'll give my money to a Mom & Pop shop rather than a chain. I'm not wild about Starbuck's coffee, anyway. Then again, I don't drink much coffee anymore...wreaks havoc on my digestive tract. :hi:

[Mugu]

30. I don't even know where one is located at.

I go to local restaurants for coffee almost every day.

Regards, Mugu

[idgiehkt]

31. I have never been there

I don't drink coffee, so I never had a reason to go.

[Radio_Lady]

32. Anybody go to Starbucks TODAY? If so, what did you order?

[PassingFair]

52. My kids LIVE for the luxury of Starbucks.

My 82 year old aunt gets a Grande Vanilla Latte every Sunday when
we visit (and I dispense her meds). She makes the MOST DISGUSTING
SUCKING AND SLURPING SOUNDS you have ever heard, and I wouldn't deny
her the pleasure for anything in the world.....

I get a Venti Cap, the little one gets a Venti (if she's been good)Chai,
hubby's order varies and my other daughter is in INDIA for the school year.....

Yes, it's expensive. If I ever lose my job, we'll have to give the
Sunday drive-thru up....but we DO love it so.

Plus....during the week, I am in sales and DRIVE MILES AND MILES
everyday. I have to use public restrooms regularly, and Starbuck's
are always clean and the Cappuccino is always hot!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

34. I always visit Starbucks when I visit New York.

The one in Ground Zero is fantastic.

:P

[SPKrazy]

35. Only if I can go with Starbucks Anarchist and it's near an Olive Garden

:P

No seriously, I am not a Starbucks fan


I like a local small chain better where I live

and really, the fancy coffees are not that peppy to me

give me some regular coffee

or maybe an iced or frozen mocha once in a while

but as for the rest, well...

:shrug:

[GRLMGC]

36. Only for the ice blended drinks

The Coffee Bean has infinitely superior tea selections but I prefer the ice blended drinks from Starbucks.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

37. The coffee at my work cafeteria is Starbucks

so I drink it all the time at work, at least when I'm too busy to make my own (I keep a French press in my desk; can't stand the Folgers some of my co-workers make in the break room).

Otherwise I prefer to go to the small mom & pop coffee shops, of which there are quite a few around here.

[yellowdogintexas]

38. my company cafeteria uses Starbucks too. The free coffee in

the break rooms is the usual generic coffee service stuff and is ok, sort of. I provide my own half and half, no coffee bleach for this girl. Cafeteria has half and half, whole milk 2% and skim for the coffee, in those nice thermal pitchers and those icky sweet syrups too.

I make my coffee at home with free trade beans purchased at Central Market (jeremiah's pick, every variety I have tried has been wonderful)

I purchase Starbucks when out shopping, on the road or stuff like that, or when I buy coffee at work; however if I have a choice of Starbucks or Beanery or other chain/shop I will choose the other one. I like Borders in store coffee better than Barnes & Noble, too.

[JVS]

39. I don't pay for coffee. If I can't get it free at the office, I don't want it

[SmokingJacket]

40. I never go. I hate it.

Multitude of reasons. Hate the coffee. Hate the silly faux Italian. Hate how every one feels exactly like every other one -- exactly, though some are dirtier than others. We have great local places in my town owned by real people I actually know -- I love that every buck I spend there goes to them and their employees and not some lazy stockholders and CEOs. And their coffee is great and the ambience quirky.

I wouldn't be so anti-corporate if Starbucks didn't piss me off so much. They're just so in-your-face about how *cool* they think they are, but they're no different from McDonalds.

Plus it comes from Seattle, where my ex is from.

[dropkickpa]

41. No

It hasn't improved my life, but once a month I treat myself to a no whip mocha frappucino with an extra shot. Liquid crack, I tell ya. Beside, their coffee is always too hot and tastes burnt, I like warm coffee, but not hot.

[Radio_Lady]

43. Do you know that they will apparently change the heat setting for you?

I went with a friend and I think she asked for her drink at 150 degrees (or maybe that isn't the exact number), but that was cooler than they normally serve it.

She says she asks them to alter the temperature of the drink every time she is there. You might try that, if you go there again.

Just a suggestion. I am not a company shill. You'll find me frequently at Java Mama, a locally owned coffee place on Scholls Ferry Road in Beaverton, OR. Nice ambience, lots of good people there, too. The owner always asks me about movies! It's easy to park, next to the cleaners, etc.

Peace, Love and Happiness...

Radio Lady in Oregon

[Radio_Lady]

42. When I first moved to Portland (Ore.), they had a mango drink that I loved.

They discontinued it the following year.

After speaking with author Michael Gates Gill (author of 'How Starbucks Saved My Life') I had a Soy Macchiato in his honor.

Wonderful guest! Much jocularity about the twists and turns of life!

Peace, Love and Happiness,

Radio Lady Ellen

[ghostsofgiants]

44. It's expensive and slightly pretentious...

But their Double Chocolate Chip frappuchinos are delicious. I only buy them at the Starbucks that's attached to the book store whenever I buy a book or am looking at books though.

[femmocrat]

45. Never been in one.

I don't even drink coffee.

[krispos42]

46. My brother is in management training at Starbucks

He says he gets great benefits, and when he becomes a manager I assume he'll be making decent dough. So I guess it's been good to me, even though I don't drink coffee.

Diet Pepsi, though... like a fish!

[Ellen Forradalom]

48. Functions as a neighborhood hub in my suburban enclave

A great place for people-watching in the morning.

I remember my coffeehouse-less youth and am glad young people have a place to congegrate, even if it does mean they are now drinking too much caffeine.

I don't mind their regular lattes, but find their soy lattes too sweet.

It's a very expensive habit, so I've scaled back on the visits quite a bit.

My main knocks against them are using jazz as wallpaper music and popularizing the dark roasts to such a degree that ordinary coffee now tastes like the inside of a Weber grill. Whatever became of a good, light roast Scandinavian-style coffee?

[Omphaloskepsis]

50. Coffee doesn't get me drunk..

So I don't drink it. I did have sex with a girl I met at Starbucks a few times..

[GirlinContempt]

51. I go there. I like it.

And yeah, sometimes I get a triple venti non fat latte and come out $5 poorer, but it isn't overpriced. it's worth it to me *shrug*

[Book Lover]

53. I only use it as an office

When I make pickups or dropoffs for calligraphy, I always choose a Starbucks to meet folks at. I get a double espresso which is frequently too acrid for my personal taste, but at least I can drink it like a shot. I figure that's a "rent" payment, since it's pretty overpriced :-)

[applegrove]

54. I loose my ability to swallow every time I buy some food from there..so it is good for

my diet. The prices are so shocking.

[NewWaveChick1981]

55. Starbucks is massively overrated.

I think their coffee tastes burned. :shrug: I greatly prefer Caribou Coffee, which is also a blue company and has far, far better coffee. :D

[FloridaJudy]

56. I rarely go there

The coffee seems overpriced for what you get - I prefer Peet's. Every once in a while, I'll go to Starbucks with a bunch of friends - girls night out - probably every three or four months. The atmosphere does seem mellow, and even though the coffee's expensive, it's cheaper than drinking at a bar!

[triguy46]

57. Was in one yesterday....

Very good decaf. Plus a local source for the NY times.

[Fox Mulder]

59. The nearest Starbucks to me is 65 miles away.

And I thank the Gods for that.

[Radio_Lady]

62. Let's see -- they plan to open -- what did I hear -- more than 2,000 outlets next year?

This article is from last year, but it's still interesting:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/285730_starbucksdouble20.html

[Genevieve]

60. How I feel about Starbucks:

I feel Starbucks is to real coffee

as the Olive Garden is to real Italian food.

But, I am grateful that I was able to use their bathroom while traveling in London
without having to purchase anything.

[Radio_Lady]

61. Welcome to the DU, Genevieve! You're in NYC!

We love that place.

Where did you go for coffee in London? We found a little Greek restaurant on the Strand. I can't remember the name. They had Mediterranean food and it was all delicious!

Did you try the Pret A Manger? For a quick meal, they were quite good.

[Genevieve]

65. Thank you for the welcome!

but no, I will not try Pret A Manger ---

it's a fast food chain -- they're all over Europe,
and we have at least 10 of them in New York!

I'm a coffee person, but while in London I concentrated more on tea.

[Beausoir]

63. Their coffe tastes like burnt rubber. I go to a locally owned little coffee shack.

Nice folks with delicious coffee.

[JitterbugPerfume]

64. without all of the fat and fixins

it tastes burnt to me .

It is overpriced and it tastes bad

[BuddhaGirl]

66. Startbucks is next door to my work

but I don't patronize it. I'm lucky to have a Peet's not to far away...their coffee is MUCH better! :-)

[radfringe]

67. funny you should ask

if you had asked that question 2 weeks ago I would have said - don't have a starbucks where I live, I've never been in one

well they just opened a starbucks where I live, and still haven't been in one

I like my own coffee just fine, normal everyday coffee a bit on the strong side, two sugars and milk.

don't need no lima-bean-guacamole-latte-spritzer with extra foam and nutmug...

[jakefrep]

68. The nearest one to me is about 20 miles away...

It's a nice occasional treat. I really like the iced green tea lemonade, and I like the fact that Starbucks is open in the evenings. My local mom & pop coffee place closes at 4 in the afternoon.

[mike_c]

69. I HATE over roasted coffee....

Every cup of Starbucks coffee I've tried was grossly over-roasted. I suspect they do this to conceal the poor quality of the beans they buy in massive quantities. My WORST home roasted batch is ten times better than that nasty drek from Starbucks!

[elfrangel]

70. I don't do their coffee, but I love the Chai Tea Lattes....

YUM!!! :9 The downside, I have to drive 30 minutes just to get to one. So, I only go once a month. Otherwise, I support our local coffee shop, which is good except for the Chai Tea Lattes. LOL.


A girlfriend of mine loves the mocha frozen coffee thing...I never can remember what it is called.

[Radio_Lady]

71. Hi Elfrangel -- I'll have to try them sometime!

Thanks for the comments!

[Whisp]

72. predatory marketing and their coffee ain't all that shit hot.

[TK421]

73. I never understood what the big deal was with their coffee

it's alright, but not great. I prefer Dunkin Donuts coffee over them any day


Edited to add: they do, however make one MEAN caramel-apple cider ( usually around this time of year ) now that stuff is good, but their coffee tastes like it's burnt or something

[Bake]

74. Not a popular answer, but I love Starbucks

I buy the french roast to make at home.

Love it love it love it.

Bake