B-Rant

- submitted by DOUGLASO on 01/31/2007

Our Town Under Starbucks?

Is it me, or has Starbucks been quietly taking over as the modern day pub with a few subtle differences reflecting how our society has changed? First of all, you get there at 8am instead of 8pm, and the bartenders have been replaced by baristas. Instead of sitting to order -- you stand, and the traditional 'gimme a light' has become 'gimme a latte.' Instead of a nightcap you get a breakfast blend, and they've replaced french toast with french roast. Shots of tequila have transitioned to shots of espresso, because one you drink to remember, and one you drink to forget. Instead of a glass, your beverage now comes in recycled cardboard, and instead of munching on peanuts and calamari, your options are pastries and biscotti.

In the span of 10 years, Starbucks has transformed a simple 'cup of joe' into an exotic cappacino and it appears the only thing they kept from the pub was charging $4.50 for a drink! The capper came last year, when Starbucks installed wireless networks in their shops, so you can now exchange greetings with virtual people 2000 miles away rather than with real people 2 feet away. So come on out to Starbucks 'where nobody knows your name'.

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My Barista is no bartender!

- submitted by deb99 on 01/31/2007

i miss having a real pub or bar in our town. i live in westchester ny. we used to have one not that long ago. we'd go there sometimes after coming back from work. then the starbucks came and after that this burger place where all the burgers are flavored in thais. then another japanese restaurant. do we really need 3 japanese restaurants, along with 2 bagel shop chains, and nail salons at every corner? there really isn't a casual place to hang out that doesn't feel like you're at the mall.

even the music at starbucks. some of it's good. but it feels like muzak. it's been programmed in seattle, by guys in khakis. sometimes my head wants to explode from the 'pleasantness' of the sounds.

i want my bartender back. and the peanuts don't sound bad either.

maybe we can get starbucks to offer bowls of peanuts. they've got germs, right? but that's a small price to pay for a little more realness. i prefer donkin donuts coffee anyway. there's not a dd in my town, but i'd rather go there than spend the $5 for the starbucks coffee.

music and muzak

- submitted by carrie on 01/31/2007

i agree about the music. i admit i like a lot of it. but knowing it's being programmed by people who've got nothing to do with my town or where i'm standing, and that the same music is being played in 1000s of the same stores everywhere, kind of ruins it for me.

it's like attention k-mart shoppers. buy your vente lattes and then move onto pottery barn. you'll hear the same music-muzak there.

i don't mind starbucks,

- submitted by jan on 01/31/2007

i don't mind starbucks, would rather have good coffee than the water crap at my local diner. on other hand, i totally get the music problem. i don't want them telling me what to listen to or telling me what's cool.

they're coffee sellers not musical experts. thing is, who is a musical or cultural expert? barnes & noble sells books. but what do they know? they tout the biggest dopiest blockbusters and that's it. plus, they have no clue how to run their own business -- they mostly lose money. so why is starbucks any less competent to "recommend" books or music than bn?

whatever. i'm off to get a latte. it's pretty much the only coffee game in my town, northern illinois, just outside evanston.

agree with last post

- submitted by jason11 on 01/31/2007

hey, think we should lighten up on starbucks. too expensive, yes. very generic. maybe like an upscale doctor's office.

but i like the coffee. it's the only thing that gets me awake in the morning. dunkin donuts, etc, they're brown colored water.

so, i'll sacrifice my town village authenticity for a cup of acid brown jolt.

i used to live in new jersey, now i'm in maryland, just outside d.c. if i don't see a starbucks near my house or office, i'm in panic mode. i wouldn't buy a cd just because they recommend it. but their double espresso is fine. i'm fine with that.

Starbucks

- submitted by Anonymous on 01/31/2007

In Vancouver, there is a corner with two Starbucks right across the street from each other. They are so pervasive that you don't even want to cross the street to get there!!! There can be something strangely comforting about a chain. Consistency, predictability. Read today that the French have bannned new big chains from the Champs Elysees. They called it the "banalization" of the street. But to me the burbs are generally banal.

computering together

- submitted by cambridgedave on 01/31/2007

i went to starbucks the other day with my computer. all of us were sitting there with our computers on, like 5 of us, all over the net, and none of us even looked at each other for more than a moment.

kind of spooky. we're all drinking our coffees with our heads down in our computers.

the chairs were really uncomfortable, by the way. so why were we all sitting there?

my town has a starbucks,

- submitted by coffeegirl on 01/31/2007

my town has a starbucks, dunkin donuts, au bon pain, california pizza kitchen and 3 nail salons.

i like the coffee best at the nail salons.