over priced coffee--no better than mcdonald's at $.69
so there !!!

O.K., Going to Starbucks and over paying is hip and cool. Especially if you're wearing your iPod while you're there. But being "hip and cool" just isn't "in" anymore. People are now secretly laughing to themselves when they see these "hip and cool" iPod wearing Starbuckers. Also the word "hip" isn't cool anymore. Being "hip and cool" and going to Starbucks and other gourmet coffee shops is the type of life style some "mommy" like Sarah Gilbert enjoys. So how cool could that possibly be?

Compelling description of a company that's probably in the 3rd or 4th inning! SBUX looks like a good buy @ $33-$34 level. Thx for the recommendation.

OK - OK, No matter what happens someone is going to bash Starbucks just because they are Starbucks. I can say one thing above all about them - they make a consistantly good (I think) coffee drink and if they do mess it up they will make you another one and give you a coupon for a free one in the future.

Apparently, Americans are losing their sense of taste. Both my father and I did exactly the same thing at different times when we tried our first taste of Starbucks (also known as charbucks after they finish over roasting their beans), we both took one sip and poured the rest down a sewer. I drank armed forces coffee for 7 years, and that tastes better than Starbucks. My one trip there was my first and my last! I prefer Gloria Jeans or McDonalds coffee any day. Starbucks, YUCK!!!!!

Starbucks need to rethink their Internet access vendor and charges. I have stopped going due to constant hassles with signing on AND paying $$ for access--my new choice is Panera with free wireless, more food choices and coffee that is just as good.

There is a small problem with Mr. Yared's thinking...ok, a big problem. I guess he did not have many business courses in college or he would understand that for a brand specific product to become synonymous with a type of product..it needs to be interchangeable. i.e. Hand me Kleenex...even when it is another brand of tissue. So tissue has become synonymous with Kleenex. I doubt anyone would say hand me a Starbucks when in fact the product was Maxwell House.

Here is a clear example of a nice article about a good american company and pretty much only negative comments. People that drink Box Wine shouldnt expect to be taken serious for one when commenting on an elegant Merlot. I work at Starbucks and am just a barista, and get better benifits than when I worked at a hospital. Not only that the wages are fare and competitive. Howard Shultz has taken a modest company conceived out of the love of bold and aromatic coffee and help to spread that love of finely roasted coffee to the world,(the flavor of coffee is in the oil of the coffee bean, harder you roast them more the oil comes out). Everything about the company is about respect and hospitality. Just look at the music artist Starbucks supports, the Movies they are involved in, (Akeelah and the Bee), the books that have come to the stores, One Last Day by Mitch Albom, and now A Long way Gone, Memoires of a Boy soldier a true story by Ishmael Beah, in which Starbucks Donates $2 for every book sold, with a minimum of $100,000 donation to Unicef, who was the Group that helped Ishmael. These things are intentional, not just trying to drive easy profits, there are a lot of other things they could do to do that, but not as ethical also. Before you decide to critisize, think before you type, do some journalism, not emotionalism, there's already too much of that. If you prefer weakly roasted coffee, then Gloria's might be for you, or Seattle's Best, Tullys, or a whole list of others. The price is there, because the market sustains it, no other reason. Support a company that understands Social Responsibility and demonstrates it in more than just handing out cash at the end of the year, but demonstrate it in their actions day to day...

Have a wonderful day.

I think people are confusing two things - taste and business.

I for one don't care for McDonald's food but who could argue with the business?

I am a coffee lover and would agree that Starbucks burns their beans and as a result, choose to buy my coffe elsewhere. But, I'm a very happy shareholder because of the way they run their business!

I too find Starbucks over-roasted and bitter. Try some local shops in your town and compare. In our town (Lebanon, Oh) there are several including Starbucks, but the best of the bunch is by far the Full Cup Cafe, a small, growing chain of 3 stores in central Ohio. You can order FRESH-ROASTED coffee from their website, something Starbucks is too huge to be able to provide, in their stores or on their website

McDonalds coffee... and that of many other coffee shops and restaurants is better than Starbucks. I've tried many times. I love good strong coffee... but Starbucks coffee is bitter, and high priced!! What we won't do for great marketing...

Starbucks is garbage. America runs on Dunkin.

keep rollin starbucks...its the american way for people to be pissed...jealous....opinionated.....or down right ignorant....to the successes of others.....I havent tried your coffee.......but I will someday..

I agree with the user about internet access. When I am on the road, I stop where and when I need to. I drive by starbucks now because they try to lock you into a contract for service. there are many many options for free internet.

Also, starbucks hasn't really had a competitor, as far as I know. who else does a coffee shop like them except your local mom and pop shop. I think if someone did that, they would give them a run.

Like any other fad, Starbucks will fade away. Burned coffee, rancid hot cider and a hot chocolate that tasted more like eating a bar of unsweetened chocolate were the first encounter for me and my family at Starbucks. High atop Snowshoe in West Virginia, the dawn broke with a disappionting cup of coffee. The outside temperature was near 30 degrees and it was a bit windy. I was looking for a bit of warmth from the inside and nothing was open except for Starbucks. Had I known that the $25 I would spend would end up mostly in the trash can, I would have driven to the bottom and got a cup of convenient store coffee. Starbucks....great concept, poor execution. Yes they are making money but I would rather have the money in my hip pocket than be "hip". A message to Dunkin Donuts corporate... co locate your stores next to every Starbucks. You'll make a fortune!

Starbucks coffee is a real eye opener. Strong taste
with caffeine from the year 2020. You will not go to sleep drinking this coffee. Dieter's love this coffee!

I must say .... I absolutely love the post by CL. Thanks for the awakening!!! I couldn't have said it better myself. My sister just resigned from her $80,000+ medical software training position, and she plans to work part-time at a local women's prison teaching college courses. The other half of her time will be working as a clerk at Starbucks, and she's very excited about being a part of this socially aware/involved/giving company. Thanks again CL.

I find this so hard to believe. Starbucks makes the worse coffee I have ever tasted. It is way to strong. There are very few Starbucks stores except in the big cities. I haven't been in one in 5 years and I don't plan to ever go in one again.

Gee talking about Starbucks is almost like bringing up politics it seems!!! When McDonalds opened up many decades ago, I did enjoy the food, but then I was a little kid and didn't know better. Now, I rarely step into a McDonalds and certainly NOT for the coffee. Their new coffee is terrible - bring back the old stuff. Now to Starbucks - I enjoy a really good latte, made the way I like it and consistently Starbucks has done that. I have been going to Starbucks for over 15 years - as soon as they opened a little kiosk in a food store in the northern suburbs of Chicago - and I still go there -and so do my parents and friends. Some people like strong coffee, some of us like lattes, others tea, others a frappacino. But the entire Starbucks aura is not just the drinks....it is the experience and the staff. Where I live I can go to any one of at least 6 stores within a 6 to 10 mile radious of my home or office. I enjoy walking in to my regular Starbucks and having the staff say HI to me by name, ask me about the day, and just really give good customer service - something I CAN NOT SAY about McDonalds. I enjoy having a place where, if I want to, linger awhile, read the paper and just relax. I don't mind paying extra for that little luxury every day. In a world where people just grunt at you, give you dirty looks, slam doors in your face, cut you off on the road and just be generally nasty - I like going somewhere to get away from that. I don't drink, or smoke. There are few movies out now that I care to see - why pay to watch violence when you can see it on the 6:00 news - so I like to spend my money on what I enjoy and see a smiling face too. I think everyone is missing the boat on Starbucks....it's not just the coffee you're paying for...it is the experience. It reminds me of when I was just starting out working and would stop into a neighborhood diner for a cup of coffee to take on the train to work. Also, I just think that some people are jealous that THEY didn't come up with the idea!!! And by the way, have a really nice day..I know I will as I sip my latte!

Carabou Coffee houses are on the rise. The coffee is smoother and tastier ....look out starbucks