Starbucks

partyguinness

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/my-name-s-jennifer-and-i-m-a-recovering-starbucks-customer-1.3210074?__vfz=c_pages%3D11000002670848

Just finished reading the above.

I live in the UK and Starbucks and Costa's are everywhere. In fact you will see multiple Starbucks in the same shopping centre or street.

Was back in Ireland last month and when the wife (English) says: 'Oh we can pop into Costa's afterwards.'

Hell no...not in my town. Purposelessly sought out an independent store and went there. It is genuinely better.

This is not a Starbucks/Costa/Cafe Nero bashing thread. They do provide employment and fill empty shop units.

Any thoughts?

Slaphead07

partyguinness wrote: »

This is not a Starbucks/Costa/Cafe Nero bashing thread. They do provide employment and fill empty shop units.

Any thoughts?

Well you're mostly preaching to the converted here as we like coffee not confectionary and couches.

I don't accept the providing employment argument, the worst employers in the world do that, slavery and heroin distribution do that! It's not enough.
As for filling empty shop units? If they're viable they will be filled anyway. I've seen (and continue to see) Starbucks that are clearly not viable but continue to trade in the hope of pushing independant shops out so that the viable Starbucks up the road will pick up the business.

partyguinness

Slaphead07 wrote: »

Well you're mostly preaching to the converted here as we like coffee not confectionary and couches.

I don't accept the providing employment argument, the worst employers in the world do that, slavery and heroin distribution do that! It's not enough.
As for filling empty shop units? If they're viable they will be filled anyway. I've seen (and continue to see) Starbucks that are clearly not viable but continue to trade in the hope of pushing independant shops out so that the viable Starbucks up the road will pick up the business.

I was really pleasantly surprised at the amount of independent stores I saw around Ireland in particular in Cork. A lot of small little restaurants and shops. Great to see.

Funnily enough, I think Cork has go better on the last 10 years since the rescission. I left in 2010.

I just pray to God we do not end up like some soulless grey dreary UK city with streets and streets of the same chain stores.

Doctor Nick

Costa is OK. Only barely OK but I find their coffee tastes like coffee. Starbucks on the other hand I think is awful. Horrid coffee. If you don't order a couple of extra shots you're drinking warm milk. Just my opinion of course.

Ardent

And here is the counter argument from a Starbucks apologist:
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/retail-and-services/dublin-starbucks-coffee-protest-ran-to-a-script-worthy-of-south-park-1.3213172?mode=amp

I'm no left leaning protestor but that article is complete nonsense.

Slaphead07

Ardent wrote: »

I'm no left leaning protestor but that article is complete nonsense.

You're absolutely right. Full of broad sweeping and incorrect statements. Starbucks policy is to squeeze out smaller coffee shops. They are not part of a rising coffee culture, they are part of the worst type of homogenised cafe and there's nothing admirable about it. Then a "journalist's" argument is based entirely on a South Park episode you can assume it's (a) not very well researched and (b) downright lazy.

maxwell smart

No mention about the complete disregard Starbucks have for a thing called planning permission which is something the Irish Times is usually all over....!

http://www.thejournal.ie/starbucks-planning-2977197-Sep2016/

Slaphead07

maxwell smart wrote: »

No mention about the complete disregard Starbucks have for a thing called planning permission which is something the Irish Times is usually all over....!

http://www.thejournal.ie/starbucks-planning-2977197-Sep2016/

Paying corporation tax isn't popular with them either.

uncle_sam_ie

My sisters neighbour in San Diego opened a coffee shop next to a Starbucks. People said they were crazy but the coffee shop has taken off. It's been successful because their coffee is miles better and they focus on the local community https://www.birdrockcoffee.com/pages/lajolla .

These global corporate coffee shops serve terrible coffee and have no soul. I see only opportunity for the little guy's.