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Do You want a Shot with that?
Oct. 20th, 2010 08:33 amStarbucks, in hopes of reinventing itself, is talking about brewing (or having brewed) beer and wine that it would sell in its stores. Bad idea. Alcohol and Coffee makes for a rather awake drunk as my brother (Doc Whoopee) would attest to having the Java Café party at ChattaCon oh so many years ago.
If they do it, it is going to be very limited since each and every one of the stores would need a separate liquor license and in many states, they would have to hire someone who has a license to sell alcohol which is not the same as the license to pour in some states. And there are still dry counties in some states in the US where there are Starbucks.
I think this is a brilliantly bad idea. Starbucks is concerned because their numbers are down. Part of it is the economy because one of the first things you drop when funds are limited are the 5.00 to 10.00 coffee drinks. Also they now have competition with McDonalds and their McCafe. Dunkin’ Donuts has been pulling from them for a while. Now it seems that there are plans for both Burger King and Wendy’s to try to tap into our need for caffeine.
Starbucks tried to reinvent themselves in Seattle with new stores that didn’t look like a Starbucks. I don’t think the experiment went well. They are trying to sell their ambiance and brand to a country that is just not buying it.
Did anyone at corporate stop and think that maybe, just maybe, there are TOO MANY STARBUCKS! These things are everywhere. In our area we went from one to seven in less than a year. Their problem is saturation has been reached and then the recession made it easy to walk away.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I don’t patronize Starbucks that often. Once a month, if that, as the end of a sushi dinner with the girls. I only buy Starbucks coffee if it is my only shot at real caffeine. I find it a bit more bitter than I like my coffee (French roast is my usual blend). I have bought their various teas and their coffee like drinks are not bad but rather calorie laden.
However I think that adding alcohol to the mix is an incredibly bad idea on corporate’s part. Between the permits and the new insurance that they would need to carry, I don’t think they can afford it in the long run. Starbucks has branded themselves rather nicely. There has to be another way to improving the brand. Oh, may be not make your coffee so bitter it peels paint might be a start.
I am grateful for strong coffee but not necessarily obnoxiously strong coffee.
If they do it, it is going to be very limited since each and every one of the stores would need a separate liquor license and in many states, they would have to hire someone who has a license to sell alcohol which is not the same as the license to pour in some states. And there are still dry counties in some states in the US where there are Starbucks.
I think this is a brilliantly bad idea. Starbucks is concerned because their numbers are down. Part of it is the economy because one of the first things you drop when funds are limited are the 5.00 to 10.00 coffee drinks. Also they now have competition with McDonalds and their McCafe. Dunkin’ Donuts has been pulling from them for a while. Now it seems that there are plans for both Burger King and Wendy’s to try to tap into our need for caffeine.
Starbucks tried to reinvent themselves in Seattle with new stores that didn’t look like a Starbucks. I don’t think the experiment went well. They are trying to sell their ambiance and brand to a country that is just not buying it.
Did anyone at corporate stop and think that maybe, just maybe, there are TOO MANY STARBUCKS! These things are everywhere. In our area we went from one to seven in less than a year. Their problem is saturation has been reached and then the recession made it easy to walk away.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I don’t patronize Starbucks that often. Once a month, if that, as the end of a sushi dinner with the girls. I only buy Starbucks coffee if it is my only shot at real caffeine. I find it a bit more bitter than I like my coffee (French roast is my usual blend). I have bought their various teas and their coffee like drinks are not bad but rather calorie laden.
However I think that adding alcohol to the mix is an incredibly bad idea on corporate’s part. Between the permits and the new insurance that they would need to carry, I don’t think they can afford it in the long run. Starbucks has branded themselves rather nicely. There has to be another way to improving the brand. Oh, may be not make your coffee so bitter it peels paint might be a start.
I am grateful for strong coffee but not necessarily obnoxiously strong coffee.
