How does this not lead to commoditization of their brand?

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I'm not sure that I'd describe it as commoditization, but the ubiquity of accessing a Starbucks product is certainly leading to variance in the quality of the products and experiences and that, in my assessment, is exactly why Starbucks is diluting its brand essence.

In fact, I just wrote a blog based on some Starbucks news, among other items in the food marketing world that I'd welcome your comments on.

http://meekspeaks.wordpress.com/

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Fred- exactly what I was thinking last time there was a post about starbucks creating a record label...what this company is *saying* and what they are *doing* are completely opposed.

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It's too much and I think Starbucks is way overrated. Their coffee is always burnt tasting and their other drinks shouldn't even be classified as coffee; they're nothing more than $4 coffee-flavored milkshakes.

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i used to work at starbucks...the reason the coffe taste burnt is the baristas arent doing their job right...they don't clean the brewers good enough at times and many baristas sevre "bad shots" of espresso...meaning they pull the shots to and the sit and go bad by the time they put it in you latte...so if its bitter have them make it again and watch them and make sure it isn't black...

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and therein lies the rub. why would i possibly want to be bothered to wait, taste and have them make me another when the whole point of a coffee for people like me is to get it and go?

that's where the quality of starbucks is becoming problematic. they aren't even focused on coffee anymore. they're pimping movies like akeelah and the bee, they're making exclusive record deals, they're developing hot breakfasts and the whole time, the consumers who wanted coffee are being left behind...of course, that's the perspective of a working stiff like me.

for those moms who want to sit in a starbucks for 8 hours per day and need things to read, listen to, watch and food for sustenance, i guess that's fine...but i just don't see how the moms sitting and yapping are keeping them in business. they take up seats, but they don't compare to the millions of working pleebs who line up, order up, and move on.

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I was just thinking that...

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The coffee tastes burnt to you because when Starbucks roasts coffee they roast it longer and darker than almost all other coffee places. If you're a Dunkin' Donuts regular or a Folgers drinker of course it's going to taste "burnt." It's roasted longer to the extent that the bean looks closer to black, whereas a Folgers, Dunkin', or other crappy coffee looks more like a cinnamon color.

Yes, all other drinks besides the drip-coffee are $4, coffee flavored milkshakes. Please. How about the majority of the drinks that are made on the espresso machine? Those are hot, so I'd hardly consider them a milkshake. As for the frappucinno's yes that would be a more accurate description, but if you want to grow and be as large as Starbucks you have to appeal to more than just the coffee connoisseurs, there has to be a wide-variety, and the frappucinno's help make this possible.

Lastly, I don't see how people can be so quick to criticize something they haven't tried themselves. Honestly, until you've tried it your opinion is invalid.

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Well, the third full-sized Starbucks just opened on our university campus, not to mention the various other campus shops that sell Starbucks drinks, but I could still see them putting one of these in every building.

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And people were already complaining about the drop in quality control at Starbucks. Ever been to one of their "licensed stores" in a Barnes & Noble and gotten mud-coffee? Well now Starbucks has their name on a vending machine, and unless there's been leaps and bounds in vending-machine technology, the quality will be even worse. Way to dilute your brand, Starbucks!

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i dont think this'll help with their current talk of the day: "dropped quality" but hey, whatever works for them to squeeze out a couple more bucks from consumers right? besides, it probably doesn't appeal to a lot of ppl who like their drinks customized. unless they can let you add and take out how much syrup, extra espresso shots and the choice of skim & soy milk, i know i won't be using it.

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I work for Barnes & Noble Cafe and I for on, do not agree Gobo had to say. At least not within my two districts. I have worked at two stores and both are run BETTER then Starbucks. At my first Cafe, the Manager previously worked for Starbucks. We made sure to do it as good if not better. My second Cafe is pretty much the same, except that responsibility falls on me. Frankly, most Starbucks cannot hold a handle to the quality of drinks we make. The costumers even say so.

John is right though, the burnt espresso mainly has to do with the shots expiring. This is not as noticable in other espresso brands because as was previously mentioned, they are not roasted the same length of time.

Regardless, I do not like this idea. As with the Fraps that are sold in retail stores, I think it's a bunch of crap. People come into a Starbucks (or even a B&N Cafe) looking for a drink like the one they bought in the store and while they do make drinks by that name, it's not really what the costumer is expecting if they are not experienced in the world of Starbucks. I fear this vending machine idea will just confuse people more with the difference between lattes and caps, but whatever.

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Diana, if your B&N stores are top-quality, more power to you, and congrats -- I'd love to get an Americano from you :) My personal experiences at licensed stores (whether B&N, Meijer, etc) has been inconsistent quality across the board. They'd run out of coffee, their shots would taste burnt and terrible, and what's worst, they'd get all pissy and huffy when people in line tried to use S'bucks cards, impatiently explaining "this isn't a Starbucks!" much to customers' confusion.

What I'm saying is this: Starbucks started out as a tightly-controlled chain of cozy coffeeshops. By licensing their name on bottled beverages, vending machines, and stores that they don't actually run, they're doing their entire brand a disservice.

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at the risk of trying to dominate this thread, one more item i'll point out is that i travel a lot with my job and as such, selecting hotels around the country based on information provided on travel/hotel websites is useful. every now and then you see a hotel that markets itself as having a Starbucks in its lobby...well, the frank reality is that most of them are simply kiosks that do not have most of the food and beverage portfolio you expect from a Starbucks. It's not a big deal, but i do know that I walk away with that feeling that i've been sleighted with marketing communications semantics. when you get to the hotel and see an un-staffed kiosk you tend to think WTF...that sucks.

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MEEK SPEAKS: Fresh and Tasty! Updated daily...see what's affecting YOU in the food & beverage industry today.

http://meekspeaks.wordpress.com/

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To what extent do you believe that Starbucks has created the market for coffee? It seems to me as though they have sold us all on the Starbucks lifestyle, and that if Starbucks wasn't around, most people would likely be drinking a whole lot less coffee. I've only been in the working world for two years (and that only as a summer student), so I don't know what it was like before Starbucks; but, somehow I can't imagine having to do a daily run of 8 tall americanos for traders before Starbucks was around.

For large corporations (and don't take this to be some sort of anti-corporate rant) growth is created through sheer volume and diminishing profit margins. Don't expect to get the same high quality products from Starbucks or its McWorkers that you would from many local specialty cafes; expect to get mediocre quality quickly and cheaply. The vending machines fit with the model.

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you might be interested to see my take on the latest news out of McDonald's corporate where they're lobbying against such terms as 'McWorker'...

look at the "McJobs" post I put up the other day

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MEEK SPEAKS: Fresh and Tasty! Updated daily...see what's affecting YOU in the food & beverage industry today.

http://meekspeaks.wordpress.com/

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Meek Speaks, I like your blog, but why are you advertising entries about "McJobs" in the comments of an article about coffee vending machines? Come on, man, cut it out.

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It's better than soda! Especially if those machines offer hot tea (hot water and a tea bag).

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sorry gobo...the previous poster made a reference to working at Starbucks and termed employees as a "McWorkers". i simply found it interesting that even Starbucks employees are referred to this way and thought it was a natural segue...didn't mean to annoy. sorry.

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I think it's a great idea. Knowing that it's not going to be the same quality as you might get at an actual Starbucks, I'm free to enjoy a hot beverage at my convenience. In college we had coffee vending machines and they were a fabulous way to get your caffeine buzz without waiting in line somewhere. I love the idea and will be happy to see them popping up around town. Other companies are welcome to try this as well, I don't discriminate!

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