Niccol said. “What we’re seeing is people, you know, they want to have a special experience, and regardless of what your income level is. In some cases, you know, a $9 experience does feel like you’re splurging. And then, what that means is we have to make it worthwhile, right?”

  • Redvenom@retrolemmy.com
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    3 months ago

    Where are living in a time that having a coffee is considered a luxury, and people are falling for it

    • halcyoncmdr@piefed.social
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      3 months ago

      To be fair… Most of their beverages have very little coffee by volume. They’re almost entirely cream and sugar syrup.

      Even taking into account the density of espresso vs other brewing methods.

    • spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.worksOP
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      3 months ago

      That’s the real problem. I make espresso at home and the quality (using moderately priced gear and beans) is far superior to what we get at Starbucks. Maybe for $9 they’ll make something that can compare to our 50¢ shots.

      • blueduck@piefed.social
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        3 months ago

        To be fair, you aren’t paying for labor or anything overhead on your latte at home. Input costs for Starbucks is only about 10% (ie $0.90 on that $9 latte)

        Which is probably less than you’d pay when you account for the beans and milk but deduct the disposable cup

        • spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.worksOP
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          3 months ago

          It’s interesting that the prices at Starbucks in Mexico are almost exactly the same as those in the U.S. This despite the fact their labor and overhead costs in Mexico are substantially lower and their competitors charge far less.

          I think Starbucks prices are whatever the market will bear.

      • gramie@lemmy.ca
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        3 months ago

        I know someone who works at Starbucks. Employees are offered a free 1 lb package of coffee every week as a perk. He doesn’t even take it, and gets his coffee from a gourmet coffee club.

        He still sometimes drinks Starbucks coffee when he is there (he gets them free) but talks about how they could improve the taste.

        • SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          3 months ago

          Ngl, I’m fucking blind because I saw the notification for your response pop up and thought “oh fuck yeah, I want a terabyte of coffee!”

          Ahm. Yes.

          I haven’t had Starbucks in a long time, but most coffee places need to use lighter roasts, grind more fine, distribute way more even, pull slower shots, and probably shorter shots, too. Even medium roast to me smells like ash from the bottom of a fireplace, now. Once you smell it, it’s hard to unsmell. Even if the other flavors are good, that overbearing ash is often too much. A little is okay, it gives it a toasty quality like a fire roasted marshmallow… But I don’t want to have to mentally wade through a burnt peaty bog of musty old spiderwebs for a little tiny peak at hollow essence vaportrail of “coffee” with the sweetness of an off-season unripe tomato.

  • HeyJoe@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Unsure if he is just that out of touch, or completely lying out his ass. Either way not someone who should be running a company…

      • Seaguy05@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Woah there panda… Starbucks bought a private office for him near his house that’s exclusive to him so he didn’t appear to be a giant hypocrite. See fellow rto employees, I too have to commute everyday.

  • gramie@lemmy.ca
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    3 months ago

    If people can afford to buy their coffee at Starbucks, then it is an affordable experience by definition. No one is holding a gun to their heads to make them go there.

    I don’t care for Starbucks, I don’t even like coffee, but people are free to make up their own minds where to spend their money.

  • jaykrown@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    I can get an entire container of instant coffee for $9 which makes over 30 cups. They are selling convenience, and people with poor time management and planning buy it. Every once in a while if you’re doing something not routine I think it’s okay, but if you’re going to Starbucks every day then you’re burning your money.

  • fartographer@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    So, he’s saying that they need to sell a $9 cup of coffee and then figure out how to justify it. Have they tried not abusing their employees so that they’re happier and serving something that tastes good?