4 ms·

Starbucks had a great run from the early 2000s. I wouldn't have guessed that this is the way they go, but already I've noticed it's becoming less and less popul

by zelly 7y ago

Starbucks had a great run from the early 2000s. I wouldn't have guessed that this is the way they go, but already I've noticed it's becoming less and less popular. Add in the long term effects of coronavirus on people's propensity on going out for going out's sake, the economic recession causing people to stop spending, increases in demographics who do not drink coffee, and you begin to see how Starbucks will decline massively like Blockbuster, Sears, et al. It started its decline a couple years ago after that incident that caused them to let anyone stay inside without paying. I'm not sure what will replace it. Probably nothing. People will just go back to meeting at restaurants, bars or each other's homes. Long alcohol.

jcadam 7y ago
Their coffee has become quite mediocre as well. I remember when it used to be fairly good. There are several locally owned coffee shops where I live that serve much better stuff.
- tim58 7y ago
  I think this is a problem with scale. Starbucks has to make sure all of their coffee in all of their stores tastes the same. That's a lot easier to do with a locally owned coffee shop than it is with an international chain.
  - jcadam 7y ago
    There's probably a lot of truth to this. I've heard that they have to source their beans from many different suppliers and resort to over-roasting to ensure a more consistent (albeit, burnt) flavor. Most of the smaller shops source their beans from local roasters, or even do the roasting themselves.
- hn_throwaway_99 7y ago
  Their coffee was never very good, hence the "Charbucks" nickname for their tendency to vastly over-roast their beans.
standardUser 7y ago
At least in major cities, Starbucks is being supplanted by higher end coffee houses. Giant jugs of frozen sugar-coffee aren't really the trend anymore, but artisan coffee is still flying high.
- zelly 7y ago
  I think of Starbucks as a cultural institution with coffee as its delivery mechanism. The Starbucks brand itself caused a lot of people to drink coffee (in whatever watered-down form) who weren't otherwise coffee drinkers before. It's a lot like how the Apple brand and the iPod made music a bigger part of people's lives where previously the headphone and cassette player combo was typically reserved for the gym. I think Starbucks could have sold tea (or if they started today, cannabis) and still enjoyed the same success. The frozen jugs of coffee-flavored whipped cream aren't the trend anymore because Starbucks isn't.
csomar 7y ago
Starbucks is doing very fine. 2008: $9.15/share 2019 peak: $99/share now: $75/share Given that they are mainly expanding abroad these days (where their brand is stronger and less likely to dilute), they might even go higher in the next decade.

by zelly 7y ago

jcadam 7y ago

Their coffee has become quite mediocre as well. I remember when it used to be fairly good. There are several locally owned coffee shops where I live that serve much better stuff.

tim58 7y ago
I think this is a problem with scale. Starbucks has to make sure all of their coffee in all of their stores tastes the same. That's a lot easier to do with a locally owned coffee shop than it is with an international chain.
- jcadam 7y ago
  There's probably a lot of truth to this. I've heard that they have to source their beans from many different suppliers and resort to over-roasting to ensure a more consistent (albeit, burnt) flavor. Most of the smaller shops source their beans from local roasters, or even do the roasting themselves.
hn_throwaway_99 7y ago
Their coffee was never very good, hence the "Charbucks" nickname for their tendency to vastly over-roast their beans.

standardUser 7y ago

At least in major cities, Starbucks is being supplanted by higher end coffee houses. Giant jugs of frozen sugar-coffee aren't really the trend anymore, but artisan coffee is still flying high.

zelly 7y ago
I think of Starbucks as a cultural institution with coffee as its delivery mechanism. The Starbucks brand itself caused a lot of people to drink coffee (in whatever watered-down form) who weren't otherwise coffee drinkers before. It's a lot like how the Apple brand and the iPod made music a bigger part of people's lives where previously the headphone and cassette player combo was typically reserved for the gym. I think Starbucks could have sold tea (or if they started today, cannabis) and still enjoyed the same success. The frozen jugs of coffee-flavored whipped cream aren't the trend anymore because Starbucks isn't.

csomar 7y ago

Starbucks is doing very fine. 2008: $9.15/share 2019 peak: $99/share now: $75/share Given that they are mainly expanding abroad these days (where their brand is stronger and less likely to dilute), they might even go higher in the next decade.