In Praise of McCafe

[mRx 16]

What kind of stupid statement is that? Latte isn't expensive enough in any establishment to be 'reserved' for the elite.

I thought that was kinda funny too - a latte is a product of the elite?

Last I checked (and I get my coffee from Starbucks on a daily basis - in fact, I was down there about 45 minutes ago) Starbucks caters to a fairly wide range of clientele. The location I go to services my office building (because its right in the foyer) - so most of the customers there are white collar workers (oh noes - the elites!).

Most of the standalone locations around the city (and pretty much all the ones I've been to in NJ, and CA) tend to attract everyone from cops, tourists and college students. College students in particular use Starbucks in much the same way that UK students use pubs.

Elite it ain't.

Coffee was once considered a luxury, and available only to the wealthy and the royalty--It is available now, as you say, to everyone. But that wasn't always the case; And that's the point.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Stabucks started to make adjustments to their strategy announcing store closings and layoffs starting in July 2008 with additional closings being announced in January of 2009. McCafe was introduced nationwide in May of 2009. I suppose the anticipation of the upcoming competition from McD's which was still almost a year out caused Starbucks to make these damatic changes to their overall strategy?

Funny. Where in the above post did I mention anything at all about store closures?

Funny, from your original post:

It's a strange thing that all the leading progressives feel schadenfreude toward all the Starbucks closings around the country.

...

For my part, I'm glad to see Starbucks go down the old-fashioned way: bested by a rival.

Your original post starts with a bad premise - once again. The Starbucks closings have nothing to do with McCafe. Nothing. McCafe was rolled out nationally only after Starbucks has made adjustments to it's strategy.

[mRx 16]

Stabucks started to make adjustments to their strategy announcing store closings and layoffs starting in July 2008 with additional closings being announced in January of 2009. McCafe was introduced nationwide in May of 2009. I suppose the anticipation of the upcoming competition from McD's which was still almost a year out caused Starbucks to make these damatic changes to their overall strategy?

Funny. Where in the above post did I mention anything at all about store closures?

Funny, from your original post:

It's a strange thing that all the leading progressives feel schadenfreude toward all the Starbucks closings around the country.

...

For my part, I'm glad to see Starbucks go down the old-fashioned way: bested by a rival.

Your original post starts with a bad premise - once again. The Starbucks closings have nothing to do with McCafe. Nothing. McCafe was rolled out nationally only after Starbucks has made adjustments to it's strategy.

OK, then quote the OP; Not my piece on price adjustments. You started with a bad premise.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

What kind of stupid statement is that? Latte isn't expensive enough in any establishment to be 'reserved' for the elite.

I thought that was kinda funny too - a latte is a product of the elite?

Last I checked (and I get my coffee from Starbucks on a daily basis - in fact, I was down there about 45 minutes ago) Starbucks caters to a fairly wide range of clientele. The location I go to services my office building (because its right in the foyer) - so most of the customers there are white collar workers (oh noes - the elites!).

Most of the standalone locations around the city (and pretty much all the ones I've been to in NJ, and CA) tend to attract everyone from cops, tourists and college students. College students in particular use Starbucks in much the same way that UK students use pubs.

Elite it ain't.

Coffee was once considered a luxury, and available only to the wealthy and the royalty--It is available now, as you say, to everyone. But that wasn't always the case; And that's the point.

Once? Matt, you need to unstuck yourself from the 1920's. We're in the 21st century now, you know?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

What kind of stupid statement is that? Latte isn't expensive enough in any establishment to be 'reserved' for the elite.

I thought that was kinda funny too - a latte is a product of the elite?

Last I checked (and I get my coffee from Starbucks on a daily basis - in fact, I was down there about 45 minutes ago) Starbucks caters to a fairly wide range of clientele. The location I go to services my office building (because its right in the foyer) - so most of the customers there are white collar workers (oh noes - the elites!).

Most of the standalone locations around the city (and pretty much all the ones I've been to in NJ, and CA) tend to attract everyone from cops, tourists and college students. College students in particular use Starbucks in much the same way that UK students use pubs.

Elite it ain't.

Coffee was once considered a luxury, and available only to the wealthy and the royalty--It is available now, as you say, to everyone. But that wasn't always the case; And that's the point.

Yes... a couple of hundred years ago that might have been true. It isn't now - and it doesn't relate to starbucks, so that point is rather irrelevant.

The article is suggesting that elitist latte drinkers are outraged because their exclusive beverage of choice is now being consumed by construction workers and mechanics. That's fanciful reasoning at best.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Stabucks started to make adjustments to their strategy announcing store closings and layoffs starting in July 2008 with additional closings being announced in January of 2009. McCafe was introduced nationwide in May of 2009. I suppose the anticipation of the upcoming competition from McD's which was still almost a year out caused Starbucks to make these damatic changes to their overall strategy?

Funny. Where in the above post did I mention anything at all about store closures?

Funny, from your original post:

It's a strange thing that all the leading progressives feel schadenfreude toward all the Starbucks closings around the country.

...

For my part, I'm glad to see Starbucks go down the old-fashioned way: bested by a rival.

Your original post starts with a bad premise - once again. The Starbucks closings have nothing to do with McCafe. Nothing. McCafe was rolled out nationally only after Starbucks has made adjustments to it's strategy.

Actually I'd be curious to know which "leading progressives feel schadenfreude" towards Starbucks closings. Because that can totally be substantiated can't it...

[mRx 16]

What kind of stupid statement is that? Latte isn't expensive enough in any establishment to be 'reserved' for the elite.

I thought that was kinda funny too - a latte is a product of the elite?

Last I checked (and I get my coffee from Starbucks on a daily basis - in fact, I was down there about 45 minutes ago) Starbucks caters to a fairly wide range of clientele. The location I go to services my office building (because its right in the foyer) - so most of the customers there are white collar workers (oh noes - the elites!).

Most of the standalone locations around the city (and pretty much all the ones I've been to in NJ, and CA) tend to attract everyone from cops, tourists and college students. College students in particular use Starbucks in much the same way that UK students use pubs.

Elite it ain't.

Coffee was once considered a luxury, and available only to the wealthy and the royalty--It is available now, as you say, to everyone. But that wasn't always the case; And that's the point.

Yes... a couple of hundred years ago that might have been true. It isn't now - and it doesn't relate to starbucks, so that point is rather irrelevant.

What happened between those couple of hundred years which changed it from being available only to society's elite to being available to the poor guy is very relevant.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

How?

It as ** all to do with McDonalds or Starbucks.

That's like saying potatoes were a food of the elite in the 1600s.

Edited August 24, 2009 by Private Pike

[mRx 16]

Did coffee become available to the poor by commercialization/competition (i.e. Starbucks, McD, etc.) or just because (i.e. Nostradamus, Cthulhu, etc.)?

That's why it's relevant. It encapsulates exactly how goods and services are made available to people of all society's classes.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Did coffee become available to the poor by commercialization/competition (i.e. Starbucks, McD, etc.) or just because (i.e. Nostradamus, Cthulhu, etc.)?

That's why it's relevant. It encapsulates exactly how goods and services are made available to people of all society's classes.

I'm talking about the article - the author is saying quite plainly that Starbucks caters towards the elites, that its elitist customers are suddenly PO'd that lowly commoners can now buy a latte (as if it was some luxury product out of the daily reach of most people). The image it creates is of snobbish cafe patrons clicking their tongues at being forced to be in close proximity to a manual labourer while queing up for their daily fix.

Starbucks is the Exxon of coffee - elitist it ain't.

[chri'stina 190]

It may not be "elitist" but their specialty coffees are almost the same cost as a combo meal at fast food. I love getting one, once in awhile. You aren't going to see people with a lot of money problems buying $4 coffee. I don't even want to spend that much on coffee most of the time. It's a treat if I do. It is not just like going to dunkin donuts for a simple coffee. In our area, that's where the retired men go to sit around drinking coffee. In Starbucks it's a different crowd.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Stabucks started to make adjustments to their strategy announcing store closings and layoffs starting in July 2008 with additional closings being announced in January of 2009. McCafe was introduced nationwide in May of 2009. I suppose the anticipation of the upcoming competition from McD's which was still almost a year out caused Starbucks to make these damatic changes to their overall strategy?

Funny. Where in the above post did I mention anything at all about store closures?

Funny, from your original post:

It's a strange thing that all the leading progressives feel schadenfreude toward all the Starbucks closings around the country.

...

For my part, I'm glad to see Starbucks go down the old-fashioned way: bested by a rival.

Your original post starts with a bad premise - once again. The Starbucks closings have nothing to do with McCafe. Nothing. McCafe was rolled out nationally only after Starbucks has made adjustments to it's strategy.

OK, then quote the OP; Not my piece on price adjustments. You started with a bad premise.

Starbucks explored offering cheaper coffee as early as January of 2008 dropping the price for a small drip coffee to a buck in some test markets (down almost $.50 from the then customary charge) after experiencing a drop in customer traffic back at the end of 2007. Companies will charge what the market bears and Starbucks found that customers have not taken the price increases of 2007 too well. So, they adjusted prices down to increase patronage. And they did that without Mickey D being a competitor. Maybe the felt the heat from 7/11 then...

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

It may not be "elitist" but their specialty coffees are almost the same cost as a combo meal at fast food. I love getting one, once in awhile. You aren't going to see people with a lot of money problems buying $4 coffee. I don't even want to spend that much on coffee most of the time. It's a treat if I do. It is not just like going to dunkin donuts for a simple coffee. In our area, that's where the retired men go to sit around drinking coffee. In Starbucks it's a different crowd.

Yes they have an identifiable demographic - primarily the youth crowd. It isn't elitist, by any stretch of the imagination.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

It may not be "elitist" but their specialty coffees are almost the same cost as a combo meal at fast food. I love getting one, once in awhile. You aren't going to see people with a lot of money problems buying $4 coffee. I don't even want to spend that much on coffee most of the time. It's a treat if I do. It is not just like going to dunkin donuts for a simple coffee. In our area, that's where the retired men go to sit around drinking coffee. In Starbucks it's a different crowd.

It can be if you're ordering a simple cup of coffee which isn't more expensive at Starbucks than it would be at Dunkin' Donuts. A small cup of brewed coffee will cost you somewhere between 1.50 and 2.00 at either store. Comparing the fancy specialty coffee at Starbucks with a plain cup o' Joe at Dunkin Donuts is - and I'm going to exaggerate a little here - almost like comparing a steak dinner at a staekhouse with the #2 value meal at McD's. Of course the steak dinner is going to be more expensive.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

It may not be "elitist" but their specialty coffees are almost the same cost as a combo meal at fast food. I love getting one, once in awhile. You aren't going to see people with a lot of money problems buying $4 coffee. I don't even want to spend that much on coffee most of the time. It's a treat if I do. It is not just like going to dunkin donuts for a simple coffee. In our area, that's where the retired men go to sit around drinking coffee. In Starbucks it's a different crowd.

It can be if you're ordering a simple cup of coffee which isn't more expensive at Starbucks than it would be at Dunkin' Donuts. A small cup of brewed coffee will cost you somewhere between 1.50 and 2.00 at either store. Comparing the fancy specialty coffee at Starbucks with a plain cup o' Joe at Dunkin Donuts is - and I'm going to exaggerate a little here - almost like comparing a steak dinner at a staekhouse with the #2 value meal at McD's. Of course the steak dinner is going to be more expensive.

Yeah drip coffee at Starbucks runs about $2 depending what size you get - Dunkin Donuts might be $0.25 cheaper for the equivalent product.

Dunkin donuts also do the specialty coffees and their prices are about equivalent - you're looking at roughly $3.50 (at least) for their equivalent of a blended coffee drink, and the flavoured lattes are about the same also. Perhaps $0.25 - to $0.50 cents cheaper.