Your Starbucks coffee should taste better.
You may be aware that Starbucks closed their 7,000+ stores today from 5:30pm-8:30pm for "training" for all of their baristas. Dunkin Donuts today fought back and from 1pm-close they offered 99 cents lattes explaining that they are always open for their customers. Genius? Yes.
Curiously enough, with all of the publicity surrounding this top secret closing I'm not convinced the sole purpose of the closing was related to training. I have a feeling it was completely related to marketing. You can read the details of the closing, in a note from the Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz here.
You're thinking, along with the rest of the world, that Starbucks closed for three hours to train their employees on how to give better customer service and make better coffee so it MUST be better! If you do stroll in to Starbucks tomorrow morning (like many of the other curious Starbucks customers) regardless of what happens or what you tell yourself, in the end the coffee drink will taste like perfection.
I got a chance to talk to one of my friends tonight who works at Starbucks on the details of what this top secret training was all about. She explained that they "calibrated" all of the espresso machines to pull a longer shot. They also did a lot of role playing on how to pour the perfect shot of espresso, and steam the perfect amount of milk. More interestingly, Starbucks is promoting their new commitment to drink perfection. If you're beverage isn't served to your standards they will remake the drink for you. Funny thing is, if you ask for a new drink now they will make you one, they just don't promote it. Usually, if a drink comes out slightly off nobody will ever say anything in fear of being verbally abused by the Starbucks employees or the rest of the population waiting in line. I say you are paying $4+ for a coffee drink, if it's not completely perfect - send it back!
If you're convinced that a 3 hour training will actually make your coffee taste better, please go to Starbucks and let me know. I'm not prepared to spend $4 to see if there is a difference. But, if it doesn't come out totally perfect - send it back!! Don't forget, Starbucks is committed to perfection.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
3 Hours of Training = Better Coffee?
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Alright, I will admit that I am a regular Starbucks attendee. This is not something I like to admit, but for the sake of knowledge and self growth...the hell with it..I AM A STARBUCKS DRINKER!
ReplyDeleteNow...how do I feel about this closing? I think that the more training the better...but to go to the length of closing all your stores down simultaneously it a bit off. Starbuck could have waited until the end of the day when the stores close to do the exact same thing.
Now to clear the air, I myself do not drink coffee. I go to Starbucks for, what I like to call, THE BEST UNSWEET ICED TEA IN THE WORLD!. Now I am not from the South...so I think that sweet tea is DEVIL JUICE...so I stick to unsweet. If you have not tried it I have to say your missing out. So this closing isn't even going to effect me at all will it?
I believe, like Dan, that this is a huge marketing ploy. Starbucks is not dumb...they know the ways to get inside everyone of their customers heads...and this is the way they are going about it. Everyone going into Starbucks today is going to "believe" their coffee tastes better. It's a bit like brain washing if you ask me.
So I say...ALL THE TEA DRINKERS UNITE...and make Starbucks close three hours for US! I would like this "improved Experience" just like all the coffee drinker! This would only be fair would it not?
Starbucks
ReplyDeleteStores Closing: 100 and slowing expansion by 34 percent
Why? "By reducing the number of openings, we expect to optimize our resources and potentially reduce cannibalization of our existing stores," said CEO and Chairman Howard Schultz in a statement.