Starbucks appreciation

[Sprailenes 47]

I can thank starbucks for making my life complete with their cinnamon dolce lattes (skinny of course) and their wonderful selection of coffees.

Starbucks makes me want to get up in the mornings.

I actually just went and picked up a bag of this:

Mmmmm coffee.

[Nizzy 1]

Boycott Starbucks!!! Their prices are ridiculous.

[Nizzy 1]

http://www.ihatestarbucks.com/why.php

However, there are plenty of other great reasons to hate Starbucks:

(Before the Starbuckers begin their rebuttals, yes I know they sell Fair Trade coffee. But why do they continue to sell Un-Fair Trade coffee? All the drinks are made with sweatshop style labor. The Fair Trade stuff is sold in bean form only, to go. The sales of Fair Trade make up less than 0.001 % of total sales for the company.)

Without further ado:

The vast majority of the coffee is grown and picked using underpaid labor. (And yes, I know where coffee grows, but the underpaid bit is the part I am interested in.

Starbucks is spreading across the world like a virus, infecting cultures with their formula of what a coffee shop should be.

They are everywhere, not globally, that is #2, but as in the fact that they are across the street from each other.

They have predatory business practices. Common practices are things like paying landlords to not renew leases for coffee shops so that they can move in.

They sell fake corporate responsibility. Yes they claim to be responsible, but is this a professin of some deep seated value system, or a mirage to appeal to a segment of the market that is concerned with child labor and livable wages? This, I belive is a tactic, not a mission. The balance sheet is where the rubber meets the road on this issue. Even the late Milton Friedman agrees that corpoations are not socially responsible and it is not within their range.

Their coffee sucks. It is always bitter, this is in part because they over-roast their beans.

The gross profit margin per store is, on average, 59.1%, therefore there is plenty of wiggle room for the company to pay more than a dollar a pound for coffee. (read: livable wage for their slave labor)

Faux ecologic responsibility. This is part of their brand Kool-Aid that they want you to drink. Not reality. They are a corporation, not an NGO with people sitting in trees.

False employee benefits. They give part time workers (20 hours per week) health insurance. However, I have received hundreds of emails from employees that consistently receive 19.75. 15 minutes shy of earning those costly benefits.

The ####### they sell is incredibly unhealthy. Get the nutritional information, from their website it is appalling. The Caramel Pecan Sticky Roll (which has more fat than a Big Mac) or even better (worse), the Eggnog Latte are so bad for you it is astounding.

The Starbucks Ethiopian fiasco.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Boycott Starbucks!!! Their prices are ridiculous.

Their stock is down...they're aren't doing so well right now.

[SMOKE 1,426]

Boycott Starbucks!!! Their prices are ridiculous.

hijacker!!

[Jenn! 918]

[Sprailenes 47]

I used to be one of those people who hated on starbucks and all that stuff. I'd pick up every edition of adbusters and hate on corporations.

But starbucks is actually a great place to work and they offer their employees great benefits. Okay all the "I hate starbucks stuff" could be applied to any company.

I don't think their prices are that bad, they are pretty much the same as the second cup (a canadian coffee company) and Timothy's.

I don't mind paying extra for a good cup of coffee, you can't get the same kind of coffee at dunkin donuts.

I dont plan on ever hating starbucks. I LOVE THEM! I LOVE A BRAND!

Edited January 10, 2008 by Sprailenes

[Missing.him 0]

I used to be one of those people who hated on starbucks and all that stuff. I'd pick up every edition of adbusters and hate on corporations.

But starbucks is actually a great place to work and they offer their employees great benefits. Okay all the "I hate starbucks stuff" could be applied to any company.

I don't think their prices are that bad, they are pretty much the same as the second cup (a canadian coffee company) and Timothy's.

I don't mind paying extra for a good cup of coffee, you can't get the same kind of coffee at dunkin donuts.

I dont plan on ever hating starbucks. I LOVE THEM! I LOVE A BRAND!

I love Starbucks because where else can one get a triple venti peppermint and toffenut latte skinny (of course) YUMMY

may sound odd but so good!

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

I heard a rumor Starbucks bought Seattle's best and now it's all Starbuck's. Starbucks stock not doing so well just means they're not raking it in like they're used to. That giant isn't going to topple anytime soon.

Edited January 10, 2008 by OlivianWaleed

[SMOKE 1,426]

what does "skinny" mean?

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

low-fat milk

what does "skinny" mean?

[SMOKE 1,426]

low-fat milk

what does "skinny" mean?

k-tu

[PlatyPius 5]

I wish they WOULD go under. Their coffee is horrible, and - as mentioned - they spread like a virus. Plus there's the whole "gotta be seen with a Starbucks cup" thing.

Gimme Timmy's coffee, or Mabel's coffee from down at the local diner any day.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

np

low-fat milk

what does "skinny" mean?

k-tu

[Missing.him 0]

what does "skinny" mean?

non fat

skim milk

what does "skinny" mean?

non fat

skim milk