5 ms·
> Do they really want to encourage the people who sit there all day on laptops? Presumably they do. Sure there are arguments against it, but on the pro side: i
by corin_ 13y ago
> Do they really want to encourage the people who sit there all day on laptops?
Presumably they do. Sure there are arguments against it, but on the pro side: if people are going to spend a day on their laptop, do you want them buying your drinks every X minutes/hours, or do you want them elsewhere?
- x3c 13y agoStronger argument against this is they'll lose customers due to lack of seating space.
- willis77 13y agoWhy is that argument stronger? You think Starbucks hasn't run the numbers/experiments to test whether a warm body on a laptop is better than the same body ducking in and out? I would bet money they have done a frightening amount of analysis on this question. Also, to your specific point - when people choose restaurants they often go where there's a crowd (the food must be good here), not to an empty restaurant. The situation is a little different because Starbucks is so pervasive, but don't discount the customer draw of a bustling store full of people.
- nknighthb 13y agoI've spent hours in a few different Starbucks in the south bay before. My observation has been that most people either get their order and leave, or stick around for an hour+. The number of people who sit down just long enough to eat a muffin or something is pretty small.
- notatoad 13y agoi'm guessing there are very few people who go to starbucks, see the seating area is full, and leave. If they're already there, they're going to buy something. If it is busy they might order and then go to a nearby park or something, but once they're at the door they're pretty much a guaranteed sale.
- dkarl 13y agoOn the other hand, they'll look busy and popular.
- deveac 13y agoI'm not sure. Over the years just kind of casually observing the placement and layout of the stores, it seems that they are maximized to be easy to access by the morning rush crowds as well as the lunch and after work rushes. Also, a pronounced increase in drive-through locations. I could imagine that the majority of a location's revenue comes from walk-in/out business during peak times, and the tables could stay full with little rotation all day without appreciable impact on revenue, while solidifying the chain as a go-to "third place", especially for the business class. Any former employees here to chime in?
- ben1040 13y agoIf you have their combination loyalty/prepaid card and make more than 5 purchases on it a year, you get free refills on brewed coffee during a visit (so long as you bought the first cup with the card). So they actually don't mind if you come in and order the cheapest cup of coffee they have, camp on a table all day, and keep coming back to the counter for free refills. They just care that you do it often, and that you minimize their credit card fees when you do it.
- unsignedint 13y agoThey pretty much treat that refills as equal as actual paid refills ($0.50) and they won't even know you are getting free refill until they scan the card, too. Of course, if they know you enough, they'll eventually figure it out by looking at your face. Only store I had a problem was in Nacogdoches, TX -- somehow, they didn't allow refills -- citing some health law disallowing it , so I guess it can vary by store.
- alexlitov 13y agoSince almost all stores are owned by Starbucks (some stores in airports and malls are not corp. stores), shouldn't they have a clear, firm wide policy?
- unsignedint 13y agoFor all the store I've visited before, other than indirect operation stores, pretty much have very consistent policies regarding pretty much every aspect of their operations. The one store I was treated differently (which was a direct operation store) was little surprising to me, but might have been something to do with bizarre laws in their local jurisdiction, in which case they wouldn't have much choice. It could have been better if they could accommodate me somehow, though...