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"What does the label say?" This is a pertinent question as we live in an age in a society driven by marketing, sales and money. Seeing ads only on commercials or in magazines is a thing of the past. Now we wear advertisements, we see them in films, and our public schools are sponsored by them.
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10 comments:
I had to laugh when I read this article because it reminded me of the Ernst Home Improvement Center chain. They are similar to Home Depo and contained construction and home improvement supplies. Ernst kept adding more and more items in front of the checkout registers. The isle ways became smaller in width as they attempted to cram more and more non-building stuff into the store. Two standard shopping carts could no longer pass each other in the isles; one would have to back out. It became harder and harder to navigate with your flat bed cart loaded up with 4’x8’ plywood sheets and bundles of 12 foot 2x6’s or doors and windows. Even the parking lot had assorted little buildings with people selling things and a bunch of parking spaces, (up close of course) were now consumed with a makeshift plant nursery.
One day the wife and I were buying enough stuff to build an 8’ x 12’ storage shed. While attempting to run the checkout register gauntlet, I crashed a stacked display of cheap children’s toys, plastic hammers, screwdrivers and pink skill-saws while attempting to negotiate the turn. Plastic toy parts that should have stayed at Toys-R-Us went flying everywhere.
I looked at the wife, she look at me, and the ESP message that passed between us was crystal clear. Screw this.
We walked away from everything as it was, and went over to the brand new Home Depo store that had just been built. We have been shopping there ever since. Ernst was no longer the only game in town. Ernst is now out of business. I doubt it was my single monetary NO vote that caused the store to go belly up. Perhaps it was thousands of builders just like Don that said screw this crap, let’s go elsewhere.
How many other businesses are slowly choking the life out of their business by constricting their customers’ breathing space?
If a little is good, then is more even better?
Does your movie theater force you to view endless commercials for products you would never buy, even if hell did freeze over? (Edwards) Do they offer some lame excuse when you complain about it?
I’m now voting with my money at NetFlix. No commercials and no need to spend hefty bucks for burnt popcorn, limited candy choices and a cola brand I do not like. No pre-teens sitting behind me kicking the seat and giggling at the ‘R’ rated movie. I thought they had to be 17 to watch anyway.
Ok, I’m off my soap box now…
Don Roberts
Good point Don. I don't like shopping in cramped spaces either. Nor do I like being sold useless crap that has nothing to do with my original purchase. Last fall I was flying on Horizon out of Seatac. While I was waiting for my flight I had three people ask me if I wanted to sign up for a Horizon Air card.I suppose it makes sense from a business stand point, but like the examples given in the article, it ends up having a negative effect on consumers.
From Susan Tyner:
Don has it right. You vote with your feet by running from the obnoxious businesses and finding other alternatives. Businesses quickly adapt or die off.
I once went several months without setting foot in a store. When I finally did go to a WalMart the sheer volume of merchandise and the noise and clamour around me were nearly overwhelming. Shopping has become almost a carnival atmosphere with music blaring and useless, jangling trinkets hanging everywhere. Who is buying all that crep? Kids?
As for Starbucks, I wonder if they will decide to get rid of all the extraneous merchandise? Probably not if they are selling it and making a profit they won't care if people have to stand in line for their cup of coffee. Why should they? Funny article, though.
Wouldn't it be easier to bring your own coffee from home rather than stand in line and pay five bucks for it? What are these people thinking? Someone please explain it to me!
Its so true! I honestly hate going into starbucks now, because it has become so materialistic and overrated! It really makes you wonder if people are really going in for a good cup of coffee to help them get their day started or if it is just for the social scene, and because its "cool" to hang out at starbucks?
No matter how many notification letters you send to the company to try and make them realize that they have gone to the extreme, which is completely unnessary, they will never do anything about it, because THEY are making more of a profit off all the new merchandise they are selling, and could really care less about what really matters in a coffee shop, the quality of the actual coffee. That is why they call it a COFFEE SHOP!
Keri Jerome
This article was great. The last paragraph made me laugh out loud. It was just hysterically funny (probably because it is so true!)
Allow me to cast my vote here for the author's suggested "Stinkos" as the name of the proposed merger of Starbucks and Kinkos.
This lack of competence he describes at Starbucks is now prevalent everywhere in American culture. And the lack of quality that goes with has become the norm, unfortunately. Excellence no longer exists. No one seems to care about the service they provide or the product they sell.
This would be the "community" that Naomi whatshername who wrote No Logo keeps harping about Starbucks claiming it provides.
Well, folks, here's to mediocrity! So long as we couch it in ambiance, there's money to be made.
Pam
Im not a big coffie drinker. I would not be supprised to see the next hang out will be a Energy Drink restraunt. I wounder how fast you can get your drink at a place like that?
Natasha, I really liked this article. It's true and really really sad. It's not only Starbuck's though. I'm seeing this kind of style every where now. The way a product makes you feel doesn't really matter that much to the people that are selling or making the product. These days they care more about being able to sell the product and more of it. Most people are to caught up in their rushed life styles to even notice the change in Starbucks. Like people, like Starbucks.
Check the article on this site http://www.slashfood.com/2007/03/01/mcdonalds-continues-to-expand-menu-items/ It seems like McDonald's is trying to copy Starbucks.
Jose M.S.
I use to work at Fred Meyer and they had Starbucks their, it was busy during winter times, I mean it would get crowded, sometimes I would go and buy a coffee, and I have to wait in the line for a while, also it takes a while because most of the time, only one person is working, and they make coffee handle register and phone calls. Until the line got to me my break would be almost over, so I had to drink fast or just leave the line I think they should just get more people to help out, and maybe the line would go faster and less people have to wait. Otherwise people like coffee it wakes them up, and gets you to focus on your job, or your day.
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Angela
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