Going to a local starbuck in the morning is like going to the Soup Nazi (for those who watch Seinfeld). You order your coffee, you step down and you wait. The coffee has to be quickly made because there gazillion of coffee drinkers waiting for theirs. So yes, Howard, Starbuck coffee is already a commodity.
I completely agree ES! Howard Schultz is a visionary much like Bill Gates is. I have the upmost respect for him and his business tactics. That was a great article. I also want to add that Dunkin Donuts has the best, the smoothest coffee out there.
Try Panera Bakery-Cafe. PNRA went from $54 to $62 in the last month. Much bigger selection of bakery and sweet products, and cheaper... They probably have 1200-1300 locations nationwide....
Right. They are selling more than something to eat and drink. They hooked people by making them feel cool to be going there. It's tough to feel cool in a crowd of office workers standing in line. I have to disagree with people about the actual coffee. I think SBUX is the best, but certainly they have blends I'm not crazy about. I would say there is more variation among their blends than there is between their coffee and a similar blend from a competitor.