*This series is in no way
endorsed or
sponsored by the Starbucks Corporation.
I'm
merely a
longtime dedicated customer.
The opinions,
observations and stories shared here are based purely on my
own
personal
experiences.
_____________________________
I remember a wise old family member once telling me back in my youth, "Boy, if it ain't broke, don't fix it." These words would stick with me throughout my life — along with my other tried and true favorite, "It's not what you know, it's who you know."
Remember Myspace? Anybody? Hello? Well, it was all the rage from 2005-2008, with over one hundred million online subscribers. It was fun, interactive, and even someone with very limited computer skills could create a unique, eye-catching personal presentation. MySpace wasn't broken, yet their so-called corporate masterminds kept trying to fix it anyway. By 2010, the social network giant had become as culturally relevant as Vanilla Ice.
From television shows to breakfast cereals, there are near countless examples that I could offer in which corporate America has fixed the unbroken — only to destroy the appeal of said product.
I start each day at around 6AM at Starbucks with my ever-predictable combo — a bold venti coffee and slice of (flippin' awesome) Lemon Loaf. I don't want it, I need it. And I find it amusing that I've yet to encounter a Starbucks employee who will deny that there is a certain sumthin'-sumthin' added to the recipe of their consumable product line. In fact, I once joked with my local barista that I knew that cocaine was a key ingredient in my daily coffee and lemon pastry. She simply responded by confessing, "Well, we gotta keep our customers coming back somehow." I appreciated her rather tongue-in-cheek candor. Be sure I don't have a Starbucks addiction — I can quit anytime I want. And if you believe that one, I've got some swampland to sell you.
Even the casual Starbucks customer can likely recognize that the company has made numerous changes and has experimented in several areas over the years. Product development is important. And I get that. However, I've been growing increasingly concerned that Starbucks may be trying to fix what's not broken. As depicted in the 1991 feature film Rush, you just don't mess with a junkie's fix.
I read a newspaper story in 2010 that reported Starbucks was test marketing beer and wine sales in selected U.S. locations. Let me just say that the bar scene is the exact environment that I want to escape when going to Starbucks. I've not heard much about that move since reading the original article and I hope that the effort has now fizzled.
However, I became extremely alarmed yesterday when my friend Jill sent me a link to a Huffington Post feature regarding additional Starbucks test market experiments. Read the full story HERE.
And there it was, in paragraph two — my greatest life fear realized...
From television shows to breakfast cereals, there are near countless examples that I could offer in which corporate America has fixed the unbroken — only to destroy the appeal of said product.
I start each day at around 6AM at Starbucks with my ever-predictable combo — a bold venti coffee and slice of (flippin' awesome) Lemon Loaf. I don't want it, I need it. And I find it amusing that I've yet to encounter a Starbucks employee who will deny that there is a certain sumthin'-sumthin' added to the recipe of their consumable product line. In fact, I once joked with my local barista that I knew that cocaine was a key ingredient in my daily coffee and lemon pastry. She simply responded by confessing, "Well, we gotta keep our customers coming back somehow." I appreciated her rather tongue-in-cheek candor. Be sure I don't have a Starbucks addiction — I can quit anytime I want. And if you believe that one, I've got some swampland to sell you.
 |
| Lemon Loaf is life! |
I read a newspaper story in 2010 that reported Starbucks was test marketing beer and wine sales in selected U.S. locations. Let me just say that the bar scene is the exact environment that I want to escape when going to Starbucks. I've not heard much about that move since reading the original article and I hope that the effort has now fizzled.
However, I became extremely alarmed yesterday when my friend Jill sent me a link to a Huffington Post feature regarding additional Starbucks test market experiments. Read the full story HERE.
And there it was, in paragraph two — my greatest life fear realized...
Among the items being tested: a blueberry yogurt muffin, raspberry passion fruit loaf cake and lemon vanilla loaf cake, which REPLACES the current lemon loaf cake.
At this point I would like to personally address Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz in saying — Dude, I implore you to think this through carefully. You're personally worth a cool billion. Your company rakes in additional billions annually. Sweet! That's the American way. As a hard-core, conservative right-winger, I applaud you. But let Panera be Panera and let Starbucks be Starbucks. Twiddle and tweak the little things all you want. Heck, I can always go to Best Buy if I need an Adele CD. Just remember Myspace — if it ain't broke, don't fix it. FYI, if I'm forced to endure a world without my coffee AND Lemon Loaf combo, my blood will be on your hands. Just sayin'.
-Christopher Long
(October 2012)
Additional STARBUCKS FRAP-A-SODES:
Part One
Part Two
At this point I would like to personally address Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz in saying — Dude, I implore you to think this through carefully. You're personally worth a cool billion. Your company rakes in additional billions annually. Sweet! That's the American way. As a hard-core, conservative right-winger, I applaud you. But let Panera be Panera and let Starbucks be Starbucks. Twiddle and tweak the little things all you want. Heck, I can always go to Best Buy if I need an Adele CD. Just remember Myspace — if it ain't broke, don't fix it. FYI, if I'm forced to endure a world without my coffee AND Lemon Loaf combo, my blood will be on your hands. Just sayin'.
-Christopher Long
(October 2012)
Additional STARBUCKS FRAP-A-SODES:
Part One
Part Two
Author Christopher Long's latest book
is available NOW on Amazon.
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