Independent UK: End of an empire? (Starbucks)

[marmar]

Leading article: End of an empire?

Starbucks is bottom of high street coffee test
Thursday, 24 January 2008


Starbucks was named after the first mate in Moby Dick, but of late the coffee chain must have begun to feel like the great white hunted whale itself. Last year, a Starbucks branch that had opened in Beijing's Forbidden City was forced to close, at about the same time as accusations of cultural imperialism were reaching a climax. The company's sales have been sliding and its quality control has reportedly declined. And now, according to a survey by the consumer magazine Which?, Starbucks is producing the worst coffee on the high street.

Accusations of cultural imperialism are one thing but claims that your main product stinks cannot be easily brushed off. Perhaps the most damaging harpoon for Starbucks is the popular belief that it is no longer cool. What began as a rather hip venture from Seattle has, in the eyes of many, become a bloated corporate monster. Crushing opposition, ripping the heart out of high streets and helping to reduce our lives to a bland uniformity may be a successful business strategy but it does not make a company loved. Satirists now target the chain without mercy. Not even the signing of Sir Paul McCartney to the Starbucks record label can reverse that kind of negative publicity.

We should not be surprised. Starbuck has been an astonishing business success story. But any organisation that expands very quickly (particularly in the catering trade) will inevitably lose touch with its founding ethos.

Enemies of Starbucks should not be celebrating yet, however. The coffee chain could still entrench its position. Remember that Herman Melville's leviathan escaped the clutches of Captain Ahab. So, too, could Starbucks.

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-end-of-an-empire-773068.html

[originalpckelly]

1. I knew it! Their chai is definitely worse! It's not as rich as it used to be.

I remember the first time I tried it, it was fucking awesome. Now both the iced version and the latte leave me feeling hollow. It's so expensive, but the latte is fairly tasteless and watery. The cold version is definitely better, because it is made with milk only, but they put so much ice in that it's ridiculous to pay that amount ($4) for a single serving. It's too fucking expensive! If it's going to be crap, make it cheaper. If it's going to cost more, make it better. It's pretty fucking simple here people.

[tuvor]

2. I've been calling it 'Charred Pucks' for a long time for a reason. n/t