Starbucks skullduggery continues
Remember the controversy over Starbucks’ “scooped on” versus “roasted on” labels? Months later, they still haven’t sorted it out.
View ArticleDoublethinking about Starbucks
I had an article in the Fall issue of Doublethink about the competition between Starbucks and independent coffee shops. This was my first time published in a magazine and seeing everything laid out...
View ArticleStarbucks’ fast, hard fall
Early last year Starbucks took a few steps in the right direction to regain the reputation they’d tarnished when their focus shifted from quality coffee and espresso to Frappuccinos and retail...
View ArticleTaste-testing Via
A Wall Street Journal reporter did a taste test. She admits to not having a sophisticated coffee palate. Her verdict: not quite as good as freshly brewed Starbucks coffee, but significantly better than...
View ArticleGreening the green giant
Starbucks’ new “Global Responsibility Report” is now online. It’s an interesting example of corporate transparency (or greenwashing depending on your level of skepticism) and provides some insight into...
View ArticleStarbucks vindicated
Last year Starbucks took a lot of heat in the press for an $86 million ruling against them for taking tips from baristas and giving them to management. In reality the “managers” in question were shift...
View ArticleAroma-Schutz durch rauchfreien Raum
Jim Romenesko at Starbucks Gossip links to a blog dedicated to replacing the aroma of tobacco smoke outside of Starbucks stores with the sweet smell of self-righteousness: A blog established to...
View ArticleStarbucks as cargo cult
Greg Beato’s take on Starbucks in the new Reason is right on, acknowledging the company’s successes while recognizing that its attempts to reinvent itself with shops like the undercover 15th Avenue...
View ArticleCA Starbucks extend smoking ban outdoors
A commenter notes that Starbucks stores in California are prohibiting smoking outside their stores: Starting Monday, Starbucks customers are welcome to sit outside and sip a while — as long as they...
View ArticleOne siren, 3 billion cups
I won’t defend Starbucks for burning their coffee, but I will defend them against the charge that they don’t do enough to promote recycling of the 3 billion paper cups the company goes through each...
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