Starbucks officially begins world domination.

EGarrett

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As reported some time ago...by the Onion.

"Starbucks to begin sinister 'Phase 2' of operation"
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28657

And today's news...

http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/2006-05-01/

"Starbucks To Step Up Film Productions

Days after its first film, Akeelah and the Bee, hit the box office -- with a thud, according to studio reports -- Starbucks is reported to be "moving aggressively" to expand its role in the entertainment industry, the New York Times reported today (Monday)."
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Is it any coincidence that Starbucks' logo is a mythological creature known for luring man to a horrible death with its beautiful song?
 
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alt.humor.best-of-usenet had known it all along:

(From a thread in a science group discussing the eventual fate of the solar system):

>>That's five billion years, though in a billion years the Earth will no longer be habitable anyway.

Because of the Sun? Or because the planet will be totally covered by Starbucks stores?
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Walking around Muenchen ('Munich' for us English speakers) with Hedgewitch Sunday, I counted no less that three Starbucks' stores, two of them not more than 5 blocks apart (one one Leopoldstrasse in Schwabing district, one just a short way off) and one across the street from the Victualienmarkt in the Altstadt.

Why people would drink Starbucks over-roasted and overpriced crap over here (where darn near every restaurant and gasthaus has an espresso machine) is beyond me, but the younger generations of Germans are swilling American Bud and Miller like it's the gods' own nectar, too.

Sheesh.
 
cgordon said:
Walking around Muenchen ('Munich' for us English speakers) with Hedgewitch Sunday, I counted no less that three Starbucks' stores, two of them not more than 5 blocks apart (one one Leopoldstrasse in Schwabing district, one just a short way off) and one across the street from the Victualienmarkt in the Altstadt..
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There are several spots in Manhattan where you can see a Starbucks from the front door of another Starbucks. There are over one hundred branches in the five boroughs of NYC. And in the morning they all have a line.
 
In Best in Show, a hilarious mockumentary about a dog show and the people and their dogs who are in it, there's a yuppie couple who met at Starbucks. He was sipping his cappucino, she her latte (or something like that) when their eyes met.

She was in the Starbucks across the street from the one he was in.
 
I'll never forgive Starbucks for taking over the restaurant in our local supermarket :(
 
The town I work in has a population under 5000, and yet there are three Starbucks coffee shops. There are four gas stations.
 
I don't understand what the problem with Starbucks is. If people didn't like what they sold, they wouldn't go there. There are several Starbucks in my city where before there were no coffee shops at all (certainly not ye olde quaint independent ones that people seem to keen to protect), and people flock there because they can buy a big cup of decent coffee relatively cheaply. It's a step up from the freeze dried Nescafe they drink at home, and they obviously like it cause they keep going back.

It's a bit like Microsoft in that regard - their products may not suit some specialist users, but for the vast majority of everyday users, those products work just fine.

What I would ask is, what would you prefer to see in place of those Starbucks?
 
tkingdoll said:
What I would ask is, what would you prefer to see in place of those Starbucks?
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larger Starbucks.

I like Starbucks just fine. I go there to read or play Scrabble with my girlfriend (I told you all my social life is crazy fun!) and their chocolate chunk cookies rock. I like their coffee too (and for the record I also like Hershey's chocolate and though it's not my beer of choice I think Bud tastes okay). The people that work there are usually friendly and Starbucks seems to treat their employees work very well. Interesting trivia... Starbucks spends more on health insurance than on coffee beans as most of their employees are eligible for benefits.

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/09/15/Business/Starbucks_CEO__Health.shtml
 
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Oh, I have no problem with Starbucks having some stores around. I'm all for free-enterprise.

It just seems that they're everywhere, en masse, worse than WalMarts.

I don't particularly care for their product (I find it over-processed and over-roasted), but it's better than drinking McDonalds or Burker King coffee (in the States anyhow, every one of the BKs or McDs I've been in over here has had an espresso/cappuccino machine as WELL as beer on the menu) ...

At my favorite coffee house back in Indianapolis (Java Junction in the Lawrence/Fort Harrison area near 56th and Post Road) the guy running it was being hassled by Starbucks corp-types who wanted to either buy him out or shut him down. I think he's still going, though. Hope so.

Here, I can walk 10 minutes to almost any neighborhood bakery around here and get a really decent cup of coffee or even cappuccino, get really, really good espresso at most decent restaurants, amazing coffee at the actual coffee shops ... all for (usually) way cheaper than Starbucks can deliver.

No Starbucks this side of Nurnberg or Regensburg, but Munich, Berlin and Frankfurt are widely infested. Can't remember if there're any in Prague yet ...
 
teek, around here at least (DC), starbucks has driven out several independent shops, often by opening a store across the street. Now, I agree with you, it's free enterprise and I'm not going to seriously complain, though I will note that I think the coffee quality and atmosphere of the inependents were better. I also recognize I am apparently in the minority in that assessment. Can't say that surprises me; I don't buy books from the bestseller lists or music from the charts. It doesn't make *$ evil, it just makes our neighborhoods a bit more uniform, and hence sterile.
 
Regnad Kcin said:
Well, Harry, that seems high, until you take into account there are 8 million people within 10 miles of your home.
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Quite true.

Actually, I'd prefer to get rid of a few million people rather than these Starbucks. :D Have you tried crossing the GWB at 3 in the afternoon recently?!
 
roger said:
teek, around here at least (DC), starbucks has driven out several independent shops, often by opening a store across the street. Now, I agree with you, it's free enterprise and I'm not going to seriously complain, though I will note that I think the coffee quality and atmosphere of the inependents were better. I also recognize I am apparently in the minority in that assessment. Can't say that surprises me; I don't buy books from the bestseller lists or music from the charts. It doesn't make *$ evil, it just makes our neighborhoods a bit more uniform, and hence sterile.
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I know what you're saying, but really it's the consumer that drove out the indie places, not Starbucks (hey, it started as an indie place). People pay their money and they take their choice, and that seems to be in favour of big branded coffee outlets.

I much prefer independent retailers simply because you get much better customer service, but when money is tight I will go to the big boys because they have the buying power to get the goods cheaper. Cheaper for them means cheaper for me.

However, these things are cyclical, and coffee is as much subject to fashion as anything else. Eventually people will tire of it and Starbucks will reach saturation point. They must already be close, in fact, because they are clearly heavily diversifying as demonstrated in the OP.
 
roger said:
teek, around here at least (DC), starbucks has driven out several independent shops, often by opening a store across the street.
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Hey, you don't have to tell teek that, though the proper spelling is "tweek.":
Mrs. Tweek: These boys are absolutely right. We've been using these poor kids to pull at your heartstrings for our cause, and it's wrong. We're as low and despicable as Rob Reiner. You keep protesting and complaining, but did any of you ever even bother to taste Harbucks coffee?
[shot of the town committee. The crowd blinks]
Harbucks coffee got to where it is by being the best. Don't you think you should at least try it?
[the crowd parts as Postem exits Harbucks with a tray of his coffee, then closes in to get the coffee. Some people taste it]

Townsman: Hey, this is pretty damn good.

Townsman 2: Yeah, it doesn't have that bland, raw, sewage taste that Tweek's coffee has.

Mr. Tweek: [comes over for a taste] Hey. Hey, that is good.

Postem: It's a French roast.

Mr. Tweek: It's subtle and mild. Mild, like that first splash of sun on an April morning. This coffee is coffee the way it should be.

Postem: Hehey, no hard feelings, Tweek. You know, we still need someone to run this Harbucks coffeehouse. I'm sure it will make a lo-o-ot of money.

Mr. Tweek: Thank you, Mr. Postem, but I think we'll be happy with the money we make selling our son into slavery.

Tweek: AAaAaha!

Mr. Tweek: Just kidding, son. [everyone laughs. The gnomes come and remove the pants from a townsman.]
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