Discussion for article #234584
A raging success from the POV of free publicity for Starbux…as long as the name is spelled correctly, that is.
It was free publicity…sort of…if you call sardonic laughter or apathy, publicity.
For example, look at all the free publicity McDonald’s had gotten over the decades and the effects. They had a 27% drop in sales over the last CEO’s term. I haven’t eaten at a McDucks since 2004.
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Next:
NASCAR announces ITS program.
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Call me gullible but I saw Schultz being interviewed about this and whether he was naive or not, I do believe he did it because there is definitely a need in this country to have a serious conversation about racism in this country - even though this was not the best way to go about it
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I go to Starbucks and I like the way the company is run but from the get go I thought this was a stupid idea, well intentioned maybe, but still dumb. I can’t imagine being a worker at Starbucks and being seriously asked to follow through on this initiative. Better that the CEO killed it quickly.
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Of course he did. And I applaud him for at least trying. But he may or may not have consulted with a trained social scientist (probably not). He was, however, someone convinced that he could “kill two birds with one stone” in the classic sense: do something good and enrich the Bottom Line at the same time.
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I’m surprised that no one suggested that Starbucks service is slow enough, without the baristas taking time to write on the cups!
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I’m with you, chammy. I think it was a stupid idea in execution – I totally related to Ifill’s tweet (and a few others were classic), and I pitied the poor barista tasked with healing our nation’s wounds. But Schultz really does seem sincere (apparently Starbucks has internal programs and workshops too, so it wasn’t just for public consumption); and I’d hate to see the blowback he received discourage other, potentially more effective, efforts. Lord knows we need them.
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It seems Schultz was assuming his baristas were so well informed on the evils of racism that they could participate in a conversation with a series of strangers who wanted nothing more than that cup of coffee.
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I was in Boston this weekend, and went to the hotel’s nearby Starbucks. The relief on both sides of the counter when race was not discussed was palpable. Before I’ve had my first cup of coffee, I think you would welcome my opinions (on any subject) about as much as I’d welcome yours.
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I think I could have pulled it off if I worked at Starbucks, provided I set the whole thing up like Super Mario.
How Not To Sell Coffee
“I’ll have a Caramel Flan Latte please”
“You sure you don’t want your coffee black?”
“No thank you”
Come on, just try it, you know once you go black…"
“I said no”
“Hey man, what’s with the attitude … dude”.
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As a comedian once said: “I like my women the way I like my coffee: bitter.”
I’ve been ordering a flat white these days and I tread very lightly when I place the order.
Whoever came up with this dumb idea needs to be fired.
San Francisco
Flat White
The Sweet Life
I appreciate their good intentions, but I’m with Gwen Ifil. Not only was this not thought through to the logical end, I don’t think it was even thought through step one. Who wants to engage in deep discussion with the guy at the cash register whom you don’t know from Adam? Besides which, race is a touchy subject. What business really wants to risk alienating large numbers of its customers with uncomfortable truths?
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Mr Schultz ought to setup a Starbucks Race Relations Booth at the next Deep South Gun Show.
I’m certain we’ll see an indicator on racial progress.
jw1
There’s not much flat in San Francisco but for this drink, and I recommend it.