The mass invasion of corporate-brand mega-businesses has despoiled many once charming areas, both urban and rural.
Names that come to mind include McDonalds, Wal-Mart, and maybe the most disparaged of them all, Starbucks.
Whenever I need an infusion of caffeine, I will walk or drive some distance to avoid the domineering corporate coffee behemoth. Their business plan has obviously been to literally move across the street from a locally owned, friendly little coffee shop and run them out of business.
Some might say, well, business is business.
Well, if that is the case, why, now, is the Big Bad Wolf donning the garb of Little Red Riding Hood to fool us into thinking that our little Neighborhood Coffee Shop is back in town.
The news this week has spoken of a corporate rebranding, but it has also been recognized for what it is, an attempt of a stealth subterfuge so we might not notice their uber priced coffee-appearing beverages with weird names and sizes—as if we were ordering a true European coffee specialty right on the streets of Verona, Italy.
There is certainly nothing off-putting in a coffee shop with the name of 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, is there? But better look carefully behind the curtain.
This is not the first leviathan company to attempt to pull the corporate label over our eyes.
I noticed a couple of years ago that some of the craft, microbrew beers that were popping up at my local bar were more crafty than craft and the only thing that was micro was the taste.
Yes, I’m talking about Anheuser-Busch. And ironically, the term Stealth Beer was used in the description.
I have said on more than one occasion that I really want to go visit Cuba BEFORE the corporate colossuses clobber every street corner.
If every place looks just like downtown here, why travel?
For the sake of full disclosure, I must reveal that this blogsite has also been an attempt at stealth subterfuge.
I am really a professional, highly respected, world renown travel writer but in order to present a less intimidating reading atmosphere—such as you might find between the covers of the New Yorker, or The Atlantic (or a Maureen Dowd column), I have purposely dumbed-down lowered the level of discourse to the more relaxed and easy-to-read writing style that you have come to enjoy here.
You are welcome.
Why I love Starbucks:
–Great brewed coffee
–Great service
–Friendly employees who are relaxed and get to express their own personalities
–Free wifi
–Air-conditioned in summer
–Clean and comfortable
–Good music: jazz, bossa nova, folk, Frank Sinatra
–Open early ’til late
–Provide benefits for employees
Very few independent coffee shops come even close, and most fall far, far behind. There are a couple that are decent ones, including Sacred Grounds in Arcata and Muddy Waters on Valencia Street in San Francisco.
Dear John,
I will stipulate up front that I don’t think you are a shill for The Big Coffee Monster. (You have too nice a blogsite on important issues for that to be true.)
In my mind, the litany of your self-stated love interest has nothing to do with why I personally go to a coffee shop, save the first one. (And your well thought out list begs the question, “as great as they are, why the subterfuge?”)
Based on my cultured culinary palate, I don’t think I have ever had what I would call a great cup of brewed coffee at a Starbucks.
Yes, I’ll admit it; I’m a Peet’s advocate, which, granted, is not exactly a mom and pop establishment.
But that being said, I think Northern California has many great independent coffee shops.
Except for the ones that Big Coffee has steamrolled out of existence, all in the name of good corporate business practices, a.k.a. profit, which ironically takes us back to the topic of my post:
Starbucks activating their Cloaking Device to pretend who they are not.
[...] suggests that the outlook is not good. “Frankhg” of Sand Dollar Adventures recognizes Starbucks ploy for what it is: namely, an “attempt to pull the corporate label over our [...]
Well, tastes in coffee are definitely different. Peet’s, which I do like, is a bit too strong for my tastes.
I do appreciate local coffee shops, and I do patronize the best of them.
I also think that Starbucks has been successful in large part because they give customers what they want.
And from what I’ve seen, most of the coffee shops that have gone out of business when a Starbucks arrived in the vicinity were poorly run businesses that did not focus on good products with good customer service.
And no, not a shill for Starbucks! I will admit to owning their stock in the past, but I haven’t for quite a while now.