Starbucks closing stores and actually good commentary on bubbliciousness

[walkitout]

Okay, you've all heard about it. Duh.

Here's what the NYT has to say about it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/04/business/04starbucks.html?ex=1372910400&en=a23b4e3f5597b3c7&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

I don't know why I bother.

Once upon a time, about 15 or so years ago (really. Not exaggerating here.), I visited Vancouver BC and discovered the joys of Robson Street. There, at the extremely busy intersection with (crap. I've totally forgotten. Again.), there are two HUGE Starbucks. Kitty corner across the intersection from each other. This caused some small problems when we were attempting to regroup there ("which Starbucks are you at?").

Fast forward a few years, to University Village. Where there was, at least at one point, Starbucks for sale in the QFC, a Starbucks in the Barnes & Noble, and a free-standing Starbucks.

Or to Pacific Place. I think we counted 4 Starbucks locations in that mall at one point.

This isn't a new phenomenon. And anyone who has ever been anywhere in the Northeast can see it with Dunkin' Donuts. Occasionally people will give directions involving the Dunkin' Donuts on street/Route/whatever blah. This invariably leads to involved discussions of *which* Dunkin' Donuts location is involved. Drive a half mile. There'll be another one. No matter where you are.

I do, in fact, get that Starbucks may have screwed up by building a few too many Starbucks in Florida, or Las Vegas, or the Carolinas, or whatever. Sure. But that's more an artifact of the bust, really, and people deciding they have to buy gas, but they can get coffee cheaper somewhere else (like, from the machine at work, or at home, or McDonald's, or Dunkin' Donuts. Or wherever.). If building the Starbucks kinda close to each other was a problem per se, that's basically how Starbucks got started.

ETA: From the wikipedia entry for Robson Street:

"The street's intersection with Thurlow Street is known for having two Starbucks coffee shops on opposite corners, one of which was non-smoking prior to the enactment of the indoor smoking ban, and the other not."

In a shocking about face, the NYT had something really sensible to say about bubbliciousness:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/04/business/04norris.html?ex=1372910400&en=236f96bf79b93813&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Inexperienced folk are more likely to trend chase and froth it up; once they've been on the coaster for a trip, they tend to be quite wary of doing it again.

Yes, it's kind of a duh observation. But, unlike a lot of what I complain about in this paper, accurate.

Comments

U. Village trivia

[jinasphinx.livejournal.com]

Last time I was in U. Village, there were four Starbucks locations: the new QFC; the old freestanding store on the west side of the mall; the new store in the parking garage on the east side of the mall; and in the Barnes and Noble.