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September 22, 2005
Why I don't hate Starbucks: An appreciation
I get the sense that among anti-establishment types, it is considered de rigueur to hate Starbucks, the globe-spanning coffee store. Here in San Francisco, it's not uncommon, in the rougher parts of town, to find anti-Starbucks graffiti spray-painted on the sidewalks near a Starbucks outlet. They're accused of wrecking smaller independent coffee houses, cultural homogenization, and selling “burnt” coffee.
I don't share the same hatred of this business. Here are a few reasons why I don't:
- In the vapid expanses of the American suburbs and exurbs, Starbucks provides a rare place for public mingling. At almost every Starbucks, you'll find tables, chairs, light, space, and internet access (for a price, through T-Mobile). They're open from early until later than most of us would need. And unlike the local pub, you don't have to be over 21 to get in. Out there in MittleAmerika, the (semi)public space of Starbucks, free from the overbearing marketing assaults found in shopping malls, is a public asset. Starbucks provides a caffeine-fueled concourse, a potentially fertile ground for social enrichment in a respectable sense. For all those people trapped in the enforced isolation of suburban developments, the warm light of Starbucks provides a much-needed place for a mingling of citizens.
- Friendliness goes a long way, and at my local Starbucks, they know my name (and I only come in a few times a month). I walk up to the counter in the morning and the server gives me a convincing approximation of a friendly greeting. At the reigning champion coffeehouse on San Francisco's Potrero Hill, Farley's, after nine years of my patronage, the baristas there can barely manage a smile when they see me. No place has made me feel less a part of my neighborhood than my neighborhood coffeehouse. And I'm not the only person to feel this way — most of my friends who have gone there have voiced similar disappointment with the impersonal touch they provide, and a glance at CitySearch's listing for Farley's will show a number of folks feel the same.
- The music is actually... good. Sometimes it's even excellent. In the past several years (probably since the advent of file sharing and internet broadcasting), I've noticed that many national businesses have managed to have excellent music playing in their stores. What I've heard at Starbucks reminds me of KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic, a gold standard for promoting thoughtful, tuneful music that isn't ripped from the shallows of the top 40. At the moment, they're playing Astor Piazolla's Tango Zero Hour — there's no way I'm going to complain about that! Not too long ago, Starbucks bought Hear Music, so the whole program is conceived as a way of selling CDs, but that's not a bad thing.
September 22, 2005 in Modernism + Modernity, Urbanism + Suburbs | Permalink
Comments
I don't know why people hate SB. I know so many that do. Personally, I love their coffee.
You know what I hate? People who hate corporations for no reason other than that they are a corporation. It's ridiculous, tiresome and obnoxious. What I REALLY hate is being judged just for liking a brand of coffee. So freaking what? I drink small company's coffee too. It's a free country, damnit.
Posted by: | Apr 26, 2008 11:17:52 AM
I am a starbucks partner in Vermont, and it has changed my life. I have so many more familiar faces that I see outside of my store. we give our customers the highest quality coffee while providing legendary service. and the local shops hate us for that? well boo hoo. whenever I buy their coffee they treat me like crap anyway. they make me even more proud to know that I work for a great company that welcomes people, no matter who they are.
Posted by: kill vt | Mar 3, 2008 11:31:03 PM
I don't hate Starbucks, I just hate their coffee.
Posted by: Bolverk | Apr 23, 2007 6:14:35 PM
I believe that the only reason independent coffee shops are able to exist is because of the many all-too predictable Starbucks that are available within walking distance of the average American. Without Starbucks I'm sure independent coffee shops would struggle to keep the one thing that puts them in business, and that's originality.
Posted by: Katie | Apr 12, 2007 10:23:05 PM
Has anyone noticed how crappy the coffee and service are at these independent coffee shops everyone's trying to save. For the most part, I'd say starbucks puts them out of business because they're better.
Posted by: Francesca | Apr 5, 2007 2:14:54 PM
I used to service the Farley's account as a coffee vendor. Mega attitude. If there is a "piercings-to-quality" ratio then Farley's is pretty far down. I would try to teach them about how to improve their espresso quality, and generally was considered a meddling middle-aged loser. So now I'm living in Vermont. And all because of Farley's :)
My wife and I have found that Starbucks is the only safe place to get coffee in places like Lincoln NE and out in the "vapid wastes" (great term!) of say, California's central valley. They have maintained a level of excellence that is truly amazing for a company of that size. Many, many small coffee places that tout their wares as "specialty coffee" fall far short of Starbucks overall quality.
Posted by: Robert Hunt | Jan 29, 2007 5:37:26 PM
Great blog! Out here in suburbia, Starbucks is a nice treat, with crowds of kids studying, adults, etc. A true hangout/third place. My neighborhood (downtown Vacaville, in Solano County) actually has two decent independents that are closer to my house (and the one is a German bakery with far superior pastries, so...) but Starbucks is open later and is still a nice change of pace sometimes. As for the urban Bay Area, I like to do long "city hikes," and Starbucks is a godsend there, too, because unlike 90% of independent coffee houses in the City, the bathrooms are not fetid holes.
Posted by: Brian Miller | Mar 22, 2006 5:36:21 PM
I am a grad student writing a paper on Starbucks corporate social responsibility. I have had the most diffucult time finding credible, fact based criticisms. It seems to me people hate Starbucks because it is a large corporation. Is that really a good reason. The research I have done has proven that Starbucks is one of the most socially responsible corporations in the world. In addition to benefits for part time employees at home, Starbucks also is contributing loads of cash to improve infrastructure in origin counties. I had intended to prove in my paper that Starbucks sorporate social responsibility was just a ploy for business. I have not been able to find a single fact to support that theory. I now feel good about buying a cup of coffee there. While you are there, pick up an Ethos water because five cents from every bottle sold goes towards providing clean water to women and children in underdeveloped countries.
Posted by: Lindey | Nov 20, 2005 6:09:55 PM
I can agree with everything you say except regarding the music. If Starbucks would just play KCRW's Morning Becomes Electic, that would be great. Starbucks' music is generally annoying. It is a very limited repetoire… only American, mostly female vocalist and a very narrow selection of genre.
Posted by: TLOOP | Sep 27, 2005 6:05:04 AM
i'd have to agree - here in new york, starbucks is one of the few companies profitable enough to rent out spaces large enough for lounging, all for the price of a cup of coffee. independent coffee outlets are almost non existent, except for the fringes of manhattan & the outerboros, so here too, they serve as semi-public spaces. they're also the best public bathrooms in new york.
Posted by: Dave | Sep 22, 2005 12:43:31 PM
