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Not so sure it's due to "coffee addicts" so much as the fact that Starbucks gift cards became the perfect, generic, gift. How many times have you been on your w

Not so sure it's due to "coffee addicts" so much as the fact that Starbucks gift cards became the perfect, generic, gift. How many times have you been on your way to X, needed to bring a gift, and just run into Walgreens?

gamescodedogs 7y ago
Definitely. A mission saver for time immediate events, when you need a gift. Use it a couple of times.
notatoad 7y ago
the default setting on the starbucks app on my phone is to automatically top up every time the balance drops below $10. So starbucks basically has a permanent $10 loan from me. I'm sure i'm not the only one. actual gift cards given as gifts though are probably more likely to be used up and discarded, instead of being set to auto-reload and carry a balance.
- lotsofpulp 7y ago
  That made me delete the app and avoid Starbucks. I was more than willing to pay with a cc, but they wanted me to give them an interest free loan?
  - chrisseaton 7y ago
    Did you realise it was optional?
    - lotsofpulp 7y ago
      When I used the app a couple years ago, it was to skip the in store line and it was forcing me to pay a minimum $5 or $10 for Starbucks credit, and then use that to pay for the $3 item I was planning on buying. Basically, asking me to pay $5 for $3 item since I go to Starbucks once every few years. I don’t know if it has changed.
- Japhy_Ryder 7y ago
  Yikes. A permanent $10 loan towards bad coffee? I feel for you.
jakewalker 7y ago
That may be part of it, but Starbucks has done a very good job of getting their regular customers to sign up for their loyalty program and online/app ordering, and to have them sign up for automatically replenishing (every time my balance goes below $10, load another $25) gift card accounts to use both features.
deleted 7y ago
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cryptoz 7y ago
Anecdotally, I've spent maybe ~$5,000 at starbucks in my life. I used a gift card for ~$25 of that and I have never given one as a gift. For me, it is the predictable atmosphere, the AC, the WiFi, the coffee itself, the hours of operation, and the location convenience that draws my money, not the gift cards. I would be surprised to learn I'm in the minority there, as I figured I was a common starbucks demographic / customer target.
- Scoundreller 7y ago
  Their washrooms are usually better than most. And they’re the only chain restaurant/café whose employees don’t appear clinically depressed at every location. I hope it’s because they’re actually happy.
- hombre_fatal 7y ago
  And the coffee tastes fine. I'm not at Starbucks to have my mind blown on coffee every day. I'm such a daily coffee drinker that I'm far beyond masturbating to it. It's more like beer to me: I'm not drinking Corona at the beach because Corona is the pinnacle of beverages. People who like to be seen pooping on Starbucks to me are like people who need to have it known that there are indeed better beers in the world when saddled with a Corona at a social event: Yes, we know, but that's not why we're here. Also, Starbucks is the only cafe I can find that ever has couches. No coffee is worth sitting in those tiny rigid chairs that most cafes have. Also, I don't feel guilty working out of a Starbucks for multiple hours compared to tiny cafes.
kube-system 7y ago
Have you used their rewards program? You'll usually carry some sort of a balance to do so, and many people use the program.
bitwize 7y ago
Starbucks coffee and espresso drinks are "will do in a pinch" for me. I'd much rather frequent a local coffee shop with better espresso than what Starbucks serves. I think Starbucks makes more money these days from its sugary cold drinks than its hot coffee/tea/espresso.
- jddj 7y ago
  For me too. Starbucks is train station or airport "ehh, what did I expect?" coffee.
  - duskwuff 7y ago
    It's the McDonalds of coffee. Rarely surprising in either a good way or a bad way.
- xeromal 7y ago
  I think that for all of their drinks but the coldbrew. They have solid cold brew and I've tried nearly every artisan coffee shop in DTLA and the valley
  - kvgr 7y ago
    Yup, even Costa Coffee has decent cold brew. In my opinion it is very hard to make a bad cold brew, compared to espresso. You just take OK coffee and let it sit for 12 hours. Bingo. With espresso - in Starbucks the make the "american espresso" that quite sucks. It is large and burned. Also Starbucks french press is pretty decent and good value for money, but it is on "secret" menu and you need to ask for it.
    - xeromal 7y ago
      Yeah, I think so too, but for some reason higher end shops try to make special coldbrew and messing it up. It's not complicated. Just takes some planning.

gamescodedogs 7y ago

Definitely. A mission saver for time immediate events, when you need a gift. Use it a couple of times.

notatoad 7y ago

the default setting on the starbucks app on my phone is to automatically top up every time the balance drops below $10. So starbucks basically has a permanent $10 loan from me. I'm sure i'm not the only one. actual gift cards given as gifts though are probably more likely to be used up and discarded, instead of being set to auto-reload and carry a balance.

lotsofpulp 7y ago
That made me delete the app and avoid Starbucks. I was more than willing to pay with a cc, but they wanted me to give them an interest free loan?
- chrisseaton 7y ago
  Did you realise it was optional?
  - lotsofpulp 7y ago
    When I used the app a couple years ago, it was to skip the in store line and it was forcing me to pay a minimum $5 or $10 for Starbucks credit, and then use that to pay for the $3 item I was planning on buying. Basically, asking me to pay $5 for $3 item since I go to Starbucks once every few years. I don’t know if it has changed.
Japhy_Ryder 7y ago
Yikes. A permanent $10 loan towards bad coffee? I feel for you.

jakewalker 7y ago

That may be part of it, but Starbucks has done a very good job of getting their regular customers to sign up for their loyalty program and online/app ordering, and to have them sign up for automatically replenishing (every time my balance goes below $10, load another $25) gift card accounts to use both features.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

cryptoz 7y ago

Anecdotally, I've spent maybe ~$5,000 at starbucks in my life. I used a gift card for ~$25 of that and I have never given one as a gift. For me, it is the predictable atmosphere, the AC, the WiFi, the coffee itself, the hours of operation, and the location convenience that draws my money, not the gift cards. I would be surprised to learn I'm in the minority there, as I figured I was a common starbucks demographic / customer target.

Scoundreller 7y ago
Their washrooms are usually better than most. And they’re the only chain restaurant/café whose employees don’t appear clinically depressed at every location. I hope it’s because they’re actually happy.
hombre_fatal 7y ago
And the coffee tastes fine. I'm not at Starbucks to have my mind blown on coffee every day. I'm such a daily coffee drinker that I'm far beyond masturbating to it. It's more like beer to me: I'm not drinking Corona at the beach because Corona is the pinnacle of beverages. People who like to be seen pooping on Starbucks to me are like people who need to have it known that there are indeed better beers in the world when saddled with a Corona at a social event: Yes, we know, but that's not why we're here. Also, Starbucks is the only cafe I can find that ever has couches. No coffee is worth sitting in those tiny rigid chairs that most cafes have. Also, I don't feel guilty working out of a Starbucks for multiple hours compared to tiny cafes.

kube-system 7y ago

Have you used their rewards program? You'll usually carry some sort of a balance to do so, and many people use the program.

bitwize 7y ago

Starbucks coffee and espresso drinks are "will do in a pinch" for me. I'd much rather frequent a local coffee shop with better espresso than what Starbucks serves. I think Starbucks makes more money these days from its sugary cold drinks than its hot coffee/tea/espresso.

jddj 7y ago
For me too. Starbucks is train station or airport "ehh, what did I expect?" coffee.
- duskwuff 7y ago
  It's the McDonalds of coffee. Rarely surprising in either a good way or a bad way.
xeromal 7y ago
I think that for all of their drinks but the coldbrew. They have solid cold brew and I've tried nearly every artisan coffee shop in DTLA and the valley
- kvgr 7y ago
  Yup, even Costa Coffee has decent cold brew. In my opinion it is very hard to make a bad cold brew, compared to espresso. You just take OK coffee and let it sit for 12 hours. Bingo. With espresso - in Starbucks the make the "american espresso" that quite sucks. It is large and burned. Also Starbucks french press is pretty decent and good value for money, but it is on "secret" menu and you need to ask for it.
  - xeromal 7y ago
    Yeah, I think so too, but for some reason higher end shops try to make special coldbrew and messing it up. It's not complicated. Just takes some planning.