Starbucks, we hardly knew ye

My intrepid sister-in-law Stefanie recently posted on an issue that is truly close to my heart: the long and tragic decline of what has been, for most of my adult life, perhaps my dearest refuge: Starbucks.

Apparently, she notes, the brand is now attempting to cash in on those people who drink coffee but assiduously avoid the ubiquitous green mermaid by opening unbranded stores presumably designed to look like independent cafes.

Time was, I would defend Starbucks. After all, I probably owe to the friendly staff at the University Village Starbucks in Seattle thanks for, among other things, the completion of my doctoral dissertation (yes, I did literally write about 75% of it there).

But my experiences of late have led me to the inevitable conclusion that Starbucks as the company I once knew is no more. Gone is the friendly service (I remember a time when a mistake in your drink order was always, without question, remedied with a heartfelt apology and a free drink coupon), the clean and pleasant atmosphere (now more likely to be dirty and disgusting, the tables unwiped, the condiment bar empty of milk and covered in garbage) and the nod, even if ever-so-slight, towards corporate responsibility.

On that last point, a vignette: when I first started frequenting Starbucks, it was de rigour that not only was it company policy to encourage sustainable behavior by its customers by offering a $0.10 discount if you brought your own mug, but to supply THEIR mugs and still give the discount. Well, these days, you can forget about them having a mug, and the other day, when I dropped in to my local store and handed my own mug to the clerk (I won't diminish the term "barista" by calling her one), she stared at the mug with distaste and sneered as loudly as she could, "Oh, look who's saving the planet!" I managed, somehow, to suppress the profanity that would have been my preferred response.

Now it could be that this is just New York, and the default of most in customer service here is that the customer is always there to make your life unpleasant, but I think her attitude was telling of so many things about where the brand has gone.

So Starbucks is now adding cynicism to cynicism, attempting to cash in on those poor dupes who want to support local business.

I can't say I'm surprised. But, if one customer still counts, it has been a while since I've bought coffee beans that carry the Starbucks label, and I can see a day coming soon when I'll forgo the place altogether.