A Nice Cuppa

Starbucks is the type of company that people love and hate to extremes.

Those who love the coffee have taken to enjoying it everywhere — at the airport, hotel, office, home, etc. The word ‘coffee’ is even being replaced with Starbucks altogether. Walking along the streets of New York and at the office, it isn’t uncommon to hear people say “Let’s grab a cup of Starbucks” or “I need my morning Starbucks”. A visit to the local grocery store, gas station or even office supply chains often produces a selection of Starbucks coffees nearly as robust as the selection of bottled waters. As a brand, Starbucks has gained a stronghold in the everyday moments of life.

Those who hate the coffee also talk about it everywhere. The internet being one very popular stop. Starbucks is known as the company that re-designed how Americans drink (and order) coffee. The vast and sometimes complicated menu choices have provided fodder for comedians worldwide, movies (remember the Meg Ryan scene in You’ve Got Mail?), various critics and even amateur psychologists who believe personality types can be determined by drink selection. The chain knocked out a number of local coffee shops and inspired a slow, yet distinguishable surge in price increases of the everyday ‘cuppa Joe’ at local stops worldwide. Even those who adore Starbucks find it easy to understand why so many view the brand with distaste.

To read about all the good and bad news related to Starbucks, visit Jim Romenesko’s Starbucks Gossip site. Not affiliated with Starbucks, Romenesko publishes a vast amount of news related to the coffee behemoth within his blog. The tagline of his site is “Monitoring America’s favorite drug dealer’, his posts are drawn from reliable International and domestic news sources.