Coffee Nomad

Would you like fries with that sausage and egg scone? Would you like to super-size that, err, I mean, make that an extra-value Venti size meal?

A barista might be asking you such questions next time you wander into your neighborhood Starbucks according this article by the Associated Press. Starbucks’ goal, as you might have guessed, is to encourage more spending per visit. Evidently, an average of five dollars per customer per trip (which is a fortune for most coffee joints) isn’t enough for Starbucks anymore.

What, I wonder, do Starbucks executives want their *coffee shop* business to be? If they wanted a lot more expenditure per visit they might start selling real estate (once the market picks up again, of course). Or how about electronics, or cars? Used Hondas tend to cost a lot more then $5… But, then again, if Starbucks starts selling cars, then they won’t not be able to call themselves a coffee franchise anymore.

Conclusion: Starbucks execs should stick to their core business and face some basic realities such as the fact that they sell specialty coffee beverages, which are not vital to anyone’s basic survival (sorry if this comes as a shocker to anyone reading this). Starbucks serves novelty drinks, that’s what Starbucks does. Of course business is going to slow down for the novelty drink business when everyone is cutting back.

So please, Starbucks decision makers, hang in there. Eyes on the prize. Do your employees and your customers a favor and stick to your true purpose in life, which is serving overpriced, legal addictive stimulants… with a smile!