What's So Special About Starbucks?

[cebucitylocal]

Marketing is the secret of starbucks,almost 90% of what you pay is profit.that is what the chairman of starbucks in a recent article in fortune magazine,as a trivia how many of you guys know that starbucks owns seattles best also,different philippine franchise owners here,but one owner.that is why natatawa ang friend ko who is a starbucks operation manager when people say they they prefer seattles coffee,it is all the same beans from the same source,only the recipes are slightly different

[Indianpana]

Starbucks is not selling coffee. It is selling lifestyle. I prefer Seattle's best coz I find the recipe of Starbucks too strong for my tummy.

[p3nguin]

...Must be the girls?

[Robl]

Special? Nothing really. A name you can trust for good coffee. Quality seems to be consistent (you decide if it's good, great or exceptional).

 

Staffs are trained before they are let out in the urban jungles. They are competent and polite. Same can be observed at Starbucks in other locations, such as here in Riyadh (KSA).

 

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[monmon]

nakakasaw starbucks artifficial lhat

[marlon ho]

masarap ang coffee sa settle DA BEST

[OHNO]

i love their frappuccinnos . . that's it.

[Terranboy]

Starbuck's cafemocha, cool place and the people around..

Gift items or the collectibles, even try their coffee beans.

[colette]

i get to wear my sexy clothes hoping there are cute guys around to ogle me.

[binoyski71]

nothing really... just that it's the nearest coffee shop when i'm craving for coffee... :)

[zeromike22]

medyo overprice lahat na mga coffee sa bo's, starbucks, seattle's best at kung saan saan pang coffee shops dyan.. what ur really paying is the ambience and the sozy feeling when ur inside their premises..

 

pero in fairness masarap naman talaga ang coffee sa starbucks

[boy_kokok]

madami chicks na nag-aaral at tumatambay!!! it helps me reach my sightgasm!!!

[Totoy Mola]

ok na tambayan, considered a place to be seen. tsaka masarap rin naman ang kape, mahal nga lang.

[radz]

they know how to treat customers pretty well and their coffee is good

[ladydredd]

Haven't you noticed how Starbucks has taken the place of Megamall, Enchanted Kingdom, and Jollibee? Today Starbucks spells gimmick. Suddenly everyone is mad about coffee, and is willing to spend a whooping hundred bucks for "one tall mocha frappe please!" or "I'll have one grande iced coffee please!".

 

Everyone claims it's different, it's something else, it's to die for. Instead of catching a nice flick at the cinema, the Filipinos' new idea of fun is to voluntarily park their buns at the café and ingurgitate all the caffeine they can.

 

No one knows exactly why Starbucks has become the hot spot, when what they serve is just foamed Blend 45 for crying out loud. Oh, try pointing this out to Starbucks fanatics (i.e., the gulping likes of teeny-boppers and kikay girls), and you can expect getting attacked on how little you know about coffee. Get ready with answers like "Duh!

Starbucks isn't just coffee! They're ground beans and processed chocolate and skimmed milk! What do you know about that?"

 

They have a point there, though, because even in the United States, when you talk coffee, Starbucks comes first. Their ingredients are never questionable, and if I'm not mistaken, Starbucks is an established-since-year brand. In short, Starbucks is the coffee authority. But it ends there. Starbucks is coffee, period. Certainly not a gimmick place of some sort, not convincing enough as an alternative for the mall. This, I repeat, is the case in the United States.

 

But Starbucks invades Manila and here it becomes an obsession. As you may have already seen, the interiors of Starbucks cafes are all designed to create a distinct ambience. Notice from the Italian-tiled flooring, to the cowboy-motif wall covering, to the fancy lamps, tables and chairs crafted like those only seen in home magazines. Of course, who would miss the complicated bar counter, behind which all the grinders and blenders are displayed as if to remind you they really do process your cappuccino.

 

I mean who can resist frequenting a posh place like this? Instead of worrying about other important things the typical kikay teenager puts on her best dress, and with her kikay friends goes straight to Starbucks where she orders "one tall caramel frappe please!". This takes time to prepare, which is fine. She feels rewarded by the fact that the ethical cashier would shout her name across the room by the time her frappe is ready. After she claims it, she heads for the self-service corner where she takes excessive pockets of extra sugar, extra cream, an inch thick of Starbucks tissue paper for souvenirs. Then she sits by the front window, hoping someone she knows would pass by and see her drinking expensive coffee. She takes remarkably small sips in order to prolong her stay, like a real smart-ass.

 

During the entire process, there is the obligatory flaunting of Nokia Cellphones Finland or China???), the occasional eruptions of "yeah" and "sure" here and there. You get the impression everyone in the room is from CRC.

 

Pathetic as it is, the Starbucks atmosphere is so contagious that it simply brings out the social climber in on e. You have to admit that the Philippine franchiser of Starbucks--whoever he is--deserves credit. He's certainly not stupid. He sees through us Filipinos, and definitely knows how to flatter us.

 

Mr. Starbucks is aware of the average Pinoy desire to be associated and considered among the elite because well, in reality, the average Pinoy is far from being that.

 

The average Pinoy home is less attractive than a place like Starbucks. The average Pinoy meal is without garnishes. The average Pinoy environment is less comforting and convenient than the service of Starbucks.

 

But when in Starbucks, the average Pinoy is instantly made to feel he's in New ork, or Las Vegas, or Paris, or anywhere else but Manila--one probable reason why we Filipinos buy this flick. We are total suckers for a nything that is western in concept. But Starbucks has gone beyond colonial mentality; it has become pure escapism. It helps us forget about the EDSA traffic jam, the hostages in Mindanao, and the decreasing popularity of Erap. In this age of harsh realities of poverty and chaos, anything that offers oblivion and temporary indulgence sells fast.