<< Back to Summary 
Where did Starbucks lose its relevance for you (if at all)?
# Response Date Response Text
1. 8/8/2008 6:31:00 PM I never had a strong connection to Starbucks, the price was always too high and the brew too strong.
2. 8/11/2008 3:54:00 PM It's just too expensive for a cup of coffee, when there are so many other (and cheaper!) alternatives nearby.
3. 8/14/2008 6:40:00 AM Coffee quality and health reasons to avoid fatty specialty drinks, economic
4. 8/14/2008 6:44:00 AM I guess I stopped drinking caffeinated beverages for a while, and when I went back, there seemed to be so many more options. I still do Starbucks a lot while traveling and in cities where I can just walk in. But I don't work in an office any more, so I'm not always prettied up first thing in the morning and sometimes I just want to hide in my car and use a drive-thru. Besides, my husband couldn't stand how much I was spending on coffee.
5. 8/14/2008 6:45:00 AM Bad value prop. Over priced....at least in Seattle we had ex strippers as barista's.
6. 8/14/2008 6:47:00 AM With the long lines... it started thinking no matter how long you had to wait, that was okay.
7. 8/14/2008 6:53:00 AM It hasn't.
8. 8/14/2008 7:02:00 AM i think it is still relevent; too many stores
9. 8/14/2008 7:34:00 AM cost
10. 8/14/2008 7:38:00 AM When they started focusing on specialty drinks and forgot the basics (or ignored them.)
11. 8/14/2008 7:55:00 AM When my tastes matured and I wanted more authentic drinks and a better, more unique experience.
12. 8/14/2008 7:57:00 AM It has not lost its relevance to me. I'm not relating personally to whatever you are asserting...
13. 8/14/2008 8:00:00 AM a long time ago, being from Europe Starbucks only opened about 10 years ago and there has always been a really good alternative to it
14. 8/14/2008 8:13:00 AM it's just too expensive, and the coffee is too strong
15. 8/14/2008 8:57:00 AM I don't drink coffee.... just need a &quot;place&quot;
16. 8/14/2008 9:27:00 AM selling food. less passioante baristas, opening in non-Starbucks type buildings (Target) next to the popcorn machine
17. 8/14/2008 9:38:00 AM When they became a hangout for teens.
18. 8/14/2008 9:39:00 AM Costa Coffee popped up in our local area
19. 8/14/2008 9:58:00 AM The customer service level slipped.
20. 8/14/2008 10:05:00 AM When Starbucks stores started to be less interesting than McDonalds stores, Starbucks finished being relevant to me.
21. 8/14/2008 10:21:00 AM When they became the evil empire
22. 8/14/2008 10:22:00 AM Starbucks has always been a treat for me...not a necessity. I would buy Starbucks when I'm travelling because I can expense it, but at home it would be a splurge to buy a $3 cup of coffee.
23. 8/14/2008 10:25:00 AM it just got ubiquitous - a starbucks in every strip mall, airport, everywhere you went ... i just got sick of seeing it
24. 8/14/2008 10:45:00 AM The service had gotten surly at best - and the quality food choices in the refrigerated section had gotten poorer. Their desserts were terribly overpriced - more like restaurant than coffee house.
25. 8/14/2008 10:49:00 AM I almost always prefer to brew my own coffee unless I'm looking for a place to do work or hang out.
26. 8/14/2008 10:50:00 AM Another use of language that loads the dice in terms of your survey. This is the quintessential &quot;when did you stop beating your wife&quot; question. Any way you answer it, you lose.
27. 8/14/2008 10:51:00 AM lack of locations in my area
28. 8/14/2008 10:57:00 AM If became the middle.
29. 8/14/2008 10:58:00 AM Starbucks used to feel like a mini every-day vacation - a vacation from &quot;the grind.&quot; But, after a while, like with any vacation spot that you visit too often, it gets boring.
30. 8/14/2008 11:01:00 AM From the beginning: ਀ഊOverpriced coffee with funny names; who needs it? ਀ഊTo me, they're the Chucky Cheese of coffee.
31. 8/14/2008 11:04:00 AM it failed to reach out to the community and make itself a destination
32. 8/14/2008 11:12:00 AM My coffee palette evolved. Starbucks' basic coffee offering did not.
33. 8/14/2008 11:13:00 AM It has not lost relevance to me. Consumers are fickle &amp; always want &quot;something different&quot;.
34. 8/14/2008 11:20:00 AM Their problems seem to be simpler than &quot;relevance.&quot; Five or ten years ago they were a convenient place to get a good cup of coffee in a pleasant atmosphere. That's still true today. But now they have more competition in that space, and they've opened too many locations for the number of people who appreciate their coffee and ambiance. They're not any less relevant to me or other people who like it. But the market for Starbucks isn't unlimited.
35. 8/14/2008 11:20:00 AM it's trying to be too many things for too many people
36. 8/14/2008 11:28:00 AM Loved it about 10 years ago, but coffee lost its taste
37. 8/14/2008 11:33:00 AM Milkshakes
38. 8/14/2008 11:41:00 AM it did not keep innovating in the areas that it needed to...and it lost its specialness and became another QSR
39. 8/14/2008 11:44:00 AM Over-expansion (repeat several times), vicious business practice in trying to put other, smaller, more interesting businesses out of business.
40. 8/14/2008 11:47:00 AM I never got caught up in the hype and specialty drinks. Just want a good cup of coffee.
41. 8/14/2008 11:51:00 AM Dropping sugar-free mocha.
42. 8/14/2008 11:51:00 AM Corporate feel.
43. 8/14/2008 11:55:00 AM became a tired cliche
44. 8/14/2008 11:55:00 AM The coffee isn't as good as it used to be. Becoming so big has taken them away from quailty they once had.
45. 8/14/2008 11:59:00 AM when it became a fad instead of just good coffee.
46. 8/14/2008 11:59:00 AM Starbucks reflects a point in time. The world moves on. Starbucks just got bigger. Lost touch with change.
47. 8/14/2008 12:01:00 PM When I saw so many stores in NYC on a trip there, also in Philly; and when the product showed up at Kroger. At the &quot;beginning&quot;, there were no Starbucks in Louisville so it was exotic. People made a big deal when the first one arrived. I used to be passionate about ordering the beans by mail and having it on hand when no one else did, or brought it back from Seattle on trips there. Don't lose the story about the &quot;beans&quot;, even tho I know you are focused on the &quot;stores&quot; phenomenon. It started with their having a better product, although arguable Seattles Best, Peets, et al also had similar or better quality but were totally unavailable to us &quot;easterners&quot;
48. 8/14/2008 12:06:00 PM they are everywhere already
49. 8/14/2008 12:09:00 PM It hasn't.
50. 8/14/2008 12:09:00 PM prices too high
51. 8/14/2008 12:10:00 PM When they started popping up on every corner on every street in every town...........
52. 8/14/2008 12:10:00 PM Too many choices, and getting away from the focus on the coffee, such as getting into CDs and expanding their food offerings.
53. 8/14/2008 12:16:00 PM When they started losing focus on the coffee. It used to be about the coffee. Not the cds, dvds, mugs, coffee makers, valentine candy, sandwiches, etc. Also, they seem to have expanded their demographic so broad that they no longer have a demographic. Sometimes that's good. But in Sbux case, I don't think so.
54. 8/14/2008 12:18:00 PM Too many locations and too many products. Sell good coffee to coffee lovers!
55. 8/14/2008 12:20:00 PM Expanded too quickly, lost its sense of community, and was no longer an&quot;experience&quot; but became just another place to get coffee.
56. 8/14/2008 12:21:00 PM They're trying TOO many things - hot breakfast food, music galore, and shlocky items. It seems like they'd try to sell me anything.
57. 8/14/2008 12:21:00 PM It hasn't. It is still good coffee. Their move from boutique to ubiquity was pulled off amazingly well. They just pushed a bit too far.
58. 8/14/2008 12:24:00 PM Perhaps the emergence of better alternatives?
59. 8/14/2008 12:30:00 PM Never had it
60. 8/14/2008 12:35:00 PM Quality Drop Off, it's too assembly line and automated resulting in lack of character and lack of interesting and motivated employees, staffing is approaching as bad as McDonalds
61. 8/14/2008 12:39:00 PM Never really had it to begin with.
62. 8/14/2008 12:40:00 PM It's just to expensive.
63. 8/14/2008 12:41:00 PM Like all 'cool' things, other cool things came along.
64. 8/14/2008 12:43:00 PM when it became ubiquitous - 4 or 5 years ago
65. 8/14/2008 12:44:00 PM I'm a Dunkin person (Northeast) and anything beyond serving good coffee quickly at a low price is lost on me. The times I have gone in the service was great, the coffee was good, and the price was pretentious.
66. 8/14/2008 12:44:00 PM When I moved from the city to the suburbs
67. 8/14/2008 12:44:00 PM When all these licensed stores started popping up in hotels and airports that were just churning it out like a factory line.
68. 8/14/2008 12:46:00 PM When they recently tried to make it too much of a community experience with the Pike's Peak etc.
69. 8/14/2008 12:46:00 PM Snotty Barista's
70. 8/14/2008 12:46:00 PM too expensive and too many calories in speciality drinks
71. 8/14/2008 12:47:00 PM Merchandising not in line with core company goals (CDs, sandwiches, etc.) and definitely too many stores...
72. 8/14/2008 12:51:00 PM Became too convenient and mainstream. Lost some of it's charm when they over expanded
73. 8/14/2008 12:51:00 PM It actually gained relevance by introducing the Pike Place Roast. That's good coffee. I never liked their stuff before.
74. 8/14/2008 12:52:00 PM I wouldn't say I am struggling with increased gas and food prices but spending over $100 a month on lattes is just seeming frivolous.
75. 8/14/2008 12:52:00 PM Can't afford time or money of former daily habit now that I have kids; I get premium coffee supplies &amp; make lattes/steamers at home. Competitors have roasts that are rich but mellower, not the Starbucks touch of bitter
76. 8/14/2008 12:55:00 PM When Starbucks stopped designing for the piece of realestate or the neighborhood they were in, and when everything started to feel plastic, I stopped going to sit in a big comfy chair with my PC. The tables got small, the floors got dirty and the staff got surly.
77. 8/14/2008 12:55:00 PM too many complicated drink choices. The one drink I liked ended up being only a limited edition and then discontinued...no de-caf option for Frapiccinos....prices are way too high...too much stuff in the drinks (whip cream, sugar sprinkles etc)...too snobby with all the fancy names
78. 8/14/2008 12:55:00 PM Too many inconsistent locations with poor service.
79. 8/14/2008 12:58:00 PM The one day I was in NYC, was standing on a corner waiting at a light and looked around and saw 4 Starbucks stores. Ridiculous...
80. 8/14/2008 12:59:00 PM Starbucks is walking away from the experience aspect that made it so popular. With so many new Starbucks and new employees, the personal touch isn't there. Also, the growing popularity of the Stabucks drive-thru completely negates the experience.
81. 8/14/2008 1:00:00 PM When they tried to become a music and gift store instead of just a nice place to hang out and get coffee
82. 8/14/2008 1:00:00 PM Trying to be everything to all
83. 8/14/2008 1:02:00 PM When I moved to Boston and found many Dunkin Donuts conveniently located.
84. 8/14/2008 1:02:00 PM N/A
85. 8/14/2008 1:03:00 PM Time. The more popular they got, the longer it took to get your order. I can't afford 15 minutes to get a coffee.
86. 8/14/2008 1:04:00 PM when the prices became so high that for a cup of basic coffee and a little pastry meant a real financial committment.
87. 8/14/2008 1:10:00 PM Starbucks was a &quot;buzz-worthy&quot; brand. It's star rose on a confluence of environmental (out of work or out of the corporation workers needed a place to meet and interact with others), social (underemployed college and high school and out of work, middle aged people needed jobs with health insurance and Starbucks customers, many of whom knew something about harder times, believed - or at least, I did - that they were giving others a helping hand), economic (we were already spending four dollars a day for a coffee and danish and a pack of gum at a convenience store, so why not spend the same amount and get a better, albeit different cup of coffee and a nice place to drink it for the same price) and product delivery alternatives (I never knew you could serve sugar and coffee so many ways). It all fell apart when we began to recognize all of the parts and saw them as a package, or a whole product, then everything became expected and worse, it became known. Every successful product needs a little black box of &quot;secret sauce.&quot; Maybe Starbucks never had it, or if they did, they forget to keep it a secret.
88. 8/14/2008 1:13:00 PM Firstly, I never liked their basic coffee, which is supposed to be the ultimate test of a coffee company. As a friend once said: &quot;They're an excellent dairy company.&quot; Secondly, their prices are ridiculous considering the value. Thirdly, they became so ubiquitous that they also became bland.
89. 8/14/2008 1:16:00 PM When they started getting away from their core business - selling coffee &amp; accoutrements - and started getting into the prepared food. Also, the oversaturation of certain markets - do they really need 4 stores on DuPont Circle in Washington DC?
90. 8/14/2008 1:17:00 PM They have not worked hard enough to keep the experience fresh. When they introduced music that was meaningful for the brand. Newness at Starbucks is key to creating an exiciting experience
91. 8/14/2008 1:21:00 PM realized the harm the drink caused the body, and the discarded cups litter our landscape
92. 8/14/2008 1:21:00 PM Crowded, slow, lines like a value meal special is on offer, coffee over roasted tastes burnt
93. 8/14/2008 1:22:00 PM Price.. Dunkin Donuts and McDonald's offer ਀ഊmany promotions and coupons.
94. 8/14/2008 1:24:00 PM I've simply cut back on coffee and prefer caffeinated soft drinks in the AM.
95. 8/14/2008 1:25:00 PM Starbucks used to be an elite item for me. It was a special treat. Now they are literally on every corner in our area. There are more than McDonalds (it seems). They are no longer a unique.
96. 8/14/2008 1:26:00 PM Becoming too mass / driving to increase revenue thru non-coffee products.
97. 8/14/2008 1:27:00 PM Push em in and get em out...That will be $5.00
98. 8/14/2008 1:28:00 PM Has not necessarily - don't rely on Pike Place Roast - keep the service fast and offer a daily roast that you can't find anywhere else.
99. 8/14/2008 1:29:00 PM too many stores, hurt neighborhood coffee shops, stores are not maintained well, customer service has slipped, drinks have too many calories
100. 8/14/2008 1:30:00 PM Really don't like their coffee--too roasty
101. 8/14/2008 1:34:00 PM I still like Starbucks. I think, though, that it became a little like McDonalds. It really is available lots of places. You know the quality of the coffee will be good there. I like high quality bakery items with my coffee, though, and Starbucks bakery was very average.
102. 8/14/2008 1:35:00 PM Example: The always assume I want a &quot;Starbucks Macchiato&quot;, their bastardized confection-like invention, not a REAL one. And if I ask for a real one, they don't get it and have their managers come over to confirm my order??? They aren't real coffee-people in my eyes... really a bunch of teenagers (while very nice) who are just following corp. Starbucks' recipes and not learning the real art of coffee.
103. 8/14/2008 1:36:00 PM I don't believe it has, just expanded to much to fast.
104. 8/14/2008 1:37:00 PM Didn't
105. 8/14/2008 1:40:00 PM 2 -3 years ago - when they started taking over NYC.
106. 8/14/2008 1:43:00 PM Too much going on in store + selling pastries; selling music; selling breath mints; etc.
107. 8/14/2008 1:44:00 PM I think its been better especially with the addition of food.
108. 8/14/2008 1:44:00 PM When they opened TWO in my building at work.
109. 8/14/2008 1:45:00 PM I rolled my eyes when they started selling branded beans, ice cream and bottled drinks in supermarkets.
110. 8/14/2008 1:47:00 PM Opened too many stores, too expensive, quality diminished
111. 8/14/2008 1:48:00 PM price and market saturation
112. 8/14/2008 1:52:00 PM Becoming to out of the box - loosing the neighborhood flair.
113. 8/14/2008 1:52:00 PM Too much junk for sale that interrupts the experience.
114. 8/14/2008 1:56:00 PM I moved to country, not on the corner downtown any more
115. 8/14/2008 1:57:00 PM It hasn't really. It has only opened the door to even more specialized coffee houses, and still combines quality and treating myself with consistency.
116. 8/14/2008 1:58:00 PM Its offering has become too cluttered/schizophrenic. Is it a cafe, a music shop, a convenience store?
117. 8/14/2008 1:58:00 PM Introducing breakfast sandwiches... NO!!!
118. 8/14/2008 2:00:00 PM In their attempt to get more $$$ per visit.
119. 8/14/2008 2:00:00 PM It was never relevant with me even though I would be considered their target audience. It is and always has been to &quot;Foo Foo&quot;. I could never stand the customers in front ordering these concoctions of coffee in various verbiage. Just order a damn cup of coffee.
120. 8/14/2008 2:00:00 PM When they moved to Pike's Place coffee and when the crew started changing more frequently and the experience became less personal.
121. 8/14/2008 2:01:00 PM When I noticed that I was spending too much on convenience coffee.
122. 8/14/2008 2:01:00 PM I never was a fan of standing in line for over-priced coffee. As you well mention they started opening stores in ridiculous locations. They are not MCDonalds.
123. 8/14/2008 2:06:00 PM When it opened - the price/value was not there - as a regional manager of theirs once put it: We're making black gold the profits are so high
124. 8/14/2008 2:10:00 PM The idea that Starbucks has &quot;lost its relevance&quot; is absurd. This happens in retail all the time - a high-growth company enters maturity and all of a sudden it has become irrelevant. 5 years ago it was The Gap (sales of $16B); 2 years ago it was Wal-Mart ($380B). McDonald's was also in that mix ($23B) in the mid-00s, and now it's Starbucks, with Costco and Target not far behind. This is not a story of relevance vs. irrelevance, it's a story of lifestage and maturity. Starbucks (or any mature retailer) is unlikely to ever get back to its go-go growth years, but it can continue along as a consumer-obsessed, premium-priced success story that serves its customers and generates cash. It could also go the way of Merry-Go-Round, Bombay Co, and potentially Steve &amp; Barry's, but that story is just as likely to be due to trends in coffee drinking (or &quot;third places&quot;) as it is to Starbucks.
125. 8/14/2008 2:14:00 PM price/value, arrogance and the drive-thru, which now makes it no different than fast food/a McDonald's drive-thru window...and whose coffee is not all that bad.
126. 8/14/2008 2:17:00 PM When they hung up their menu board showing their prices.
127. 8/14/2008 2:18:00 PM When it got to the point of choosing to go to Starbucks...or Starbucks... too many &quot;ma and pa&quot; coffee shops were going out of business as a result of their boom
128. 8/14/2008 2:20:00 PM It is still relevant just not at the same level primarily due to the large growth which sacrificed quality.
129. 8/14/2008 2:22:00 PM Price
130. 8/14/2008 2:22:00 PM Never would it be appropriate to spend $2-4 or more for a drink that I would make at home.
131. 8/14/2008 2:22:00 PM Never had it.
132. 8/14/2008 2:25:00 PM Used to have one right across the street from work and we got discounts. Now I work at a place with a Starbucks and a great local coffee shop...I like the local place's service and their prices.
133. 8/14/2008 2:28:00 PM NO Free Wireless; Price/Value; Leaving it's core
134. 8/14/2008 2:28:00 PM It's so much more about image than coffee. I drink starbucks when I'm at the mall or running errands in my SUV. . . and I feel guilty about all of that consumerism -- the gas, the spending, the excess -- so I try to minimize it. Starbucks in going by the wayside too.
135. 8/14/2008 2:29:00 PM Too much hype ... too many brand extensions.
136. 8/14/2008 2:30:00 PM I was never a Starbuck groupie and the only thing I ever order is the basic coffee so the relevance question is irrelevant for me.
137. 8/14/2008 2:30:00 PM Too many competitors and it is higher priced
138. 8/14/2008 2:31:00 PM Don't apologize if they mess up the way they used to. I get that mistakes happen, but they used to fall all over themselves to make it up to regulars, like with free drink coupons.
139. 8/14/2008 2:31:00 PM Music, ਀ഊSandwiches
140. 8/14/2008 2:32:00 PM Stuck in the middle: too slow for real convenience, not comfy enough to want to stay there for hours.
141. 8/14/2008 2:33:00 PM Actually they are now better -- I can get a toasted bagel
142. 8/14/2008 2:38:00 PM It never really had me as a regular customer, just as a special treat customer- when I was looking for not only the cup of coffee, but the ambience as well... it lost me in this economy!
143. 8/14/2008 2:40:00 PM It's no more or less relevant than before.
144. 8/14/2008 2:40:00 PM it hasn't
145. 8/14/2008 2:41:00 PM waaaay too expensive
146. 8/14/2008 2:42:00 PM I'm probably too old to ever really get starbucks.
147. 8/14/2008 2:43:00 PM When they started charging $3 - $4 for mud. Their coffee is terrible, yet they charge more than just about any chain.
148. 8/14/2008 2:43:00 PM Became too expensive as it became too complex and too ubiquitous.
149. 8/14/2008 2:44:00 PM Hasn't for me...
150. 8/14/2008 2:46:00 PM Too many Frou-frou drinks
151. 8/14/2008 2:48:00 PM it was only ever relevant from the standpoint of a case study in branding. but then it got ridiculous with its expansion plans when you no longer had to seek out a starbucks but find ways to avoid tripping over a starbucks at every turn
152. 8/14/2008 2:49:00 PM it it too masive
153. 8/14/2008 2:49:00 PM Pretty much boiled down to a strong caffeine jolt with expresso based coffee. Everything else became extraneous.
154. 8/14/2008 2:50:00 PM When it became like 7-11 ... one on every street corner. As with many other businesses in America, there is nothing unique any more ... it's the same things in different cities across the country. You used to get excited about going to a different city to experience its &quot;culture.&quot; Now you know what to expect everywhere you go! Starbucks has become a McDonald's ... and I don't visit McDonald's at all!
155. 8/14/2008 2:52:00 PM If anything, Starbucks should focus on coffee and coffee related atmoshpere. I'm tired of tripping over the stuffed animals and bins of games to get my morning latte.
156. 8/14/2008 2:54:00 PM As I worked there, I could see that they were eroding what they stood for. I am especially negative about the licensed stores (Target, grocery stores, etc.)
157. 8/14/2008 2:56:00 PM Price kept going up and I learned I didn't need it anymore. Others got better for less.
158. 8/14/2008 2:56:00 PM It hasn't...I have always gone to Starbucks to buy bagged coffee to make at home and my office and I meet friends their to catch up. So my experience hasn't changed or lost relevance.
159. 8/14/2008 2:58:00 PM As soon as entering a Starbucks in Chicago was absolutely no different than entering one in LA.
160. 8/14/2008 2:58:00 PM Trying to sell entertainment.
161. 8/14/2008 2:59:00 PM It would be totally relevant if there was one on my side of town. The lack of convenience is the biggest thing for me.
162. 8/14/2008 3:02:00 PM Starbucks has not lost its relevance. Rather than seeing it as a cool, premium &quot;treat&quot; it has become part of my everyday routine that I guess I take for granted. If I don't make Starbucks at home (which I do more frequently), I get it out. I live in Chicago -- for almost 3 years I lived in Southeast Florida. There were only 2 Starbucks in the entire area, and it was frustrating that it was so out of the way....I almost died!
163. 8/14/2008 3:13:00 PM Donuts and breakfast sandwiches became more important than a clean, well maintained store.
164. 8/14/2008 3:25:00 PM it is expensive so it is more of a treat experience not a regular one - -teenagers love the sweet specialty drinks -- they could work on expanding modifying that parto of the menu
165. 8/14/2008 3:28:00 PM When everyone started saying there's a starbucks on every corner
166. 8/14/2008 3:32:00 PM when they stopped being the only option.
167. 8/14/2008 3:32:00 PM by finally opening a dt outlet on the wrong side of the street (i.e. on the &quot;right side&quot; of evening rush hour)
168. 8/14/2008 3:35:00 PM 1. Breakfast foods, like hot sandwiches. ??2. Smoothies ??3. Changing the interior and POS signage - its like they downgraded to appeal to a different or wider audience. Instead, they diluted any brand meaning that was created. ??4. Changing the coffee brewing machines. I really like the sound of banging and grinding - THAT is a coffee shop. Its now much softer and less specialty - way more convenience store. ??5. There was a shift from building starbucks locations like building a unique one, or rather, a neighborhood shop, now its mass market and feels that way.
169. 8/14/2008 3:38:00 PM Their many 'coffee combinations' rapidly came across as pretentious, intimidating those who were slow to place their order with the 'Barista'.
170. 8/14/2008 3:40:00 PM Over saturated the market and the work force quality declined.
171. 8/14/2008 3:43:00 PM too many stores; almost a little corporate arrogance
172. 8/14/2008 3:44:00 PM The very first time I saw the price of their coffee.
173. 8/14/2008 3:46:00 PM Although a regular, I never go to a Starbucks to hang out to be part of the scene. They didn't lose relevance with me in that regard.
174. 8/14/2008 3:46:00 PM When it became incredibly ubiquitous. The rarity, the surprise of happening upon one, was part of the appeal. It was a treat, rather than an expectation.
175. 8/14/2008 3:48:00 PM Overly commercial
176. 8/14/2008 3:55:00 PM I do think they have overbuilt. I work in London frequently and the amount of Starbucks there is way over the top. It has commoditized itself.
177. 8/14/2008 3:56:00 PM Because I could make excellent coffee at home with a simple espresso machine and a good brand of coffee (not starbucks). I save money and time, too.
178. 8/14/2008 3:59:00 PM When it became more political/socially active than a place for coffee, dessert and conversation.
179. 8/14/2008 4:00:00 PM Ubiquity - when you become the butt of comedian's jokes (Lewis Black, &quot;The End of the Universe&quot;, 2002), it's time to re-evaluate.
180. 8/14/2008 4:02:00 PM Too many stores--seemed ubiquitous, like the gap. Not special. Too much waste. Didnt' seem like Starbucks was minding their main business of delivering a great cup of coffee. They were getting too greedy with their expanision plans, and putitng the little guys out of business.
181. 8/14/2008 4:02:00 PM So far it hasn't lost relevance. It's still by far the best coffee out there and while it's a bit pricey, it's worth paying so that I know I'm getting what I want and what I ordered.
182. 8/14/2008 4:07:00 PM It didn't lose its relevance for me.
183. 8/14/2008 4:09:00 PM continually raising prices
184. 8/14/2008 4:12:00 PM Continual price increases and poor customer experiences.
185. 8/14/2008 4:12:00 PM The cost for a cup of coffee and any other the other prepared foods and/or pastries just became too expensive. I used to collect the coffee mugs for each city. When Starbucks changed the design so that the handle no longer showed the city name, changed to show &quot;Starbucks&quot; also bummed me out. I used to have a lot of fun by asking friends if they wanted to have New York, New Orleans, Denver... but now the handles are no longer unique cities.
186. 8/14/2008 4:14:00 PM Selling CDs.
187. 8/14/2008 4:14:00 PM It became the stores with something for everyone, and lost it's elan.
188. 8/14/2008 4:19:00 PM as soon as it achieved it's cult status
189. 8/14/2008 4:19:00 PM When I started seeing them next to every C-store and other overly retailed areas. When they plugged in between Super #1 Teriyaki and Sonja's Fine Nails I thought OVERSATURATION -lose of soul
190. 8/14/2008 4:20:00 PM Too many locations, taking over too much from the local coffee shop. Also, creating too many crazy drinks &amp; encouraging people to create their own - coffee is not that complicated, keep it simple
191. 8/14/2008 4:23:00 PM Many brands lose their relevance when they over expand, particularly when the brand's appeal is based on fashion, which presupposes some exclusivity.
192. 8/14/2008 4:28:00 PM Part of the appeal was definitely scarcity, so I think closing stores is a good idea. I still like the coffee and it is really consistent, but it's never a place I would go to hang out. The environment is boring/same. Feels too much like the Gap.
193. 8/14/2008 4:32:00 PM It developed a language and construct that appeared not inclusive. You felt like if you could not speak the language or grasp it all, then you were an outcast.
194. 8/14/2008 4:33:00 PM Still relevant, just too expensive so have to cut down my expenses.
195. 8/14/2008 4:37:00 PM There's too many stores; which is convenience, but the number of times I see a store on a daily basis has become a constant reminder.
196. 8/14/2008 4:37:00 PM Nothing about the Starbuck's &quot;experience&quot; has gotten better. The coffee isn't all that good. The baristas aren't baristas at all. The food isn't all that good and it's not getting better.
197. 8/14/2008 4:40:00 PM It still works for me for that special cup of coffee that I allow myself a couple of times a week as a treat. But they pride themselves on knowing the customer, knowing their drink, there are stories of employees giving Kidney's to customers. I have visited the store closest to my home on a weekly basis with my daughters for the last 7 years. To this day nobody that works there knows my name or what I drink--cofffee, plain old cup of coffe, nothing special. I know their names, why don't they know mine?
198. 8/14/2008 4:46:00 PM When Peet's moved in to the neighborhood
199. 8/14/2008 4:51:00 PM when I started hearing stories about Starbuck's being a block or less away from each other. That's hubris at its finest.
200. 8/14/2008 4:51:00 PM When they became overproliferated.
201. 8/14/2008 4:52:00 PM never really had relevance to me
202. 8/14/2008 4:52:00 PM It lost its love of coffee in its pursuit of milk
203. 8/14/2008 4:53:00 PM Too snooty and expensive.
204. 8/14/2008 4:53:00 PM Higher prices, smaller cups, lackadaisical staff, dirty stores, poor customer service, poorer quality drinks, outdated stores in need of remodeling
205. 8/14/2008 4:54:00 PM Moving into music/videos..didn't make sense to me.
206. 8/14/2008 4:56:00 PM Their pastries haven't been good for a while. I also am disappointed that they took the old-school Italian Espresso makers out...they were better than these robot espresso machines they have.
207. 8/14/2008 4:57:00 PM Really, when I started frequenting local coffee places. They seem much more genuine, and in need of support. And, I prefer the coffee.
208. 8/14/2008 4:59:00 PM Too many, Too expensive, too clever, too cloned.
209. 8/14/2008 5:04:00 PM When they left behind their roots. I used to love the smell of ground coffee when I walked in the door. Then they quit grinding it. A barista used to have to know something. Thenthey became former MickeyD workers. Coffe took a back seat to music and other things.
210. 8/14/2008 5:05:00 PM product
211. 8/14/2008 5:06:00 PM they lost their soul
212. 8/14/2008 5:11:00 PM Tho' not an issue for me, it seems my friends' passion for the place sort of died down when 1) Starbucks came to our little town and 2) when the coffee became so readily available at our grocery stores. It just became too common or lost its mystique.
213. 8/14/2008 5:17:00 PM Stores are dirty, sloppy looking. Tables aren't cleaned or wiped, chairs dirty, condiment area where the cream, sugar, napkins and stir sticks are kept is always a mess. I don't have time to wait in the Starbuck lines. There prices are exceptionally high and for a basic cup of just coffee their pricing promotes waste i.e. usually just $.10 difference between sizes, tall, grande, venti.
214. 8/14/2008 5:38:00 PM When they just worried about open new stores
215. 8/14/2008 5:38:00 PM It just seems so ubiquitous. It used to have amazing service, and I don't think it does anymore. The stores used to be super clean, not so any more.
216. 8/14/2008 5:39:00 PM Became ubiquitous, no longer special. Read it as smug and greedy.
217. 8/14/2008 5:42:00 PM They're not as personal as they used to be
218. 8/14/2008 5:45:00 PM Too common, too much merchandise
219. 8/14/2008 5:56:00 PM na
220. 8/14/2008 6:01:00 PM Second Cup is Canadian - and I feel a stronger tie
221. 8/14/2008 6:06:00 PM They became too fast food, too mass appeal, lost focus on being a coffee bar.
222. 8/14/2008 6:21:00 PM PRICE IN A DOWN ECONOMY
223. 8/14/2008 6:48:00 PM Lack of health focus
224. 8/14/2008 6:49:00 PM I didn't - I get coffee almost every day because there is one in my office building.
225. 8/14/2008 6:51:00 PM I was into coffee culture and a neighborhood cafe aficionado long before Starbucks, so Starbucks was never all that relevant. It's no coincidence that Starbucks started losing its &quot;relevance&quot; shortly after IPO.
226. 8/14/2008 7:13:00 PM too much too fast
227. 8/14/2008 7:13:00 PM it did not
228. 8/14/2008 7:15:00 PM when it opened extremetely a lot of stores and the prices went up..
229. 8/14/2008 7:17:00 PM Suprisingly, when McDonald's won taste tests. Never overlook even your lowest competitors.
230. 8/14/2008 8:15:00 PM music, too many stores - really I think when you get to be as ubiquitous (sp?) as 7-11 it's hard to charge $4.00 for a coffee
231. 8/14/2008 8:49:00 PM Quality control. Product is awful (coffee is bitter or stale) and stores are sloppy.
232. 8/14/2008 8:56:00 PM Not sure why you think its lost its relevance. Shutting a few stores is no big deal.
233. 8/14/2008 9:04:00 PM When they put 2 starbucks across the street from one another.
234. 8/14/2008 9:06:00 PM Price consciousness and health-consciousness (fraps and cookies were my staple)
235. 8/14/2008 9:10:00 PM It started going down hill when they changed their logo...
236. 8/14/2008 9:27:00 PM cost and quality
237. 8/14/2008 9:59:00 PM The sheer number of locations so close together. That overextension is what sticks out among consumers who know the brand. Growing and opening so rapidly were the primary reasons that brought them in the news so frequently.
238. 8/14/2008 10:09:00 PM When they moved to automatic espresso machines in high traffic stores. The coffee was less flavorful and did not hold up to the milk and flavored shots.
239. 8/14/2008 10:10:00 PM When the prices climbed out of control
240. 8/14/2008 10:11:00 PM I can't drink coffee anymore so I mostly go there with spouse, friends. I do buy juice on my own after working out because it's convenient.
241. 8/14/2008 10:34:00 PM it was never relevant, just prolific
242. 8/14/2008 11:16:00 PM When it brought in too many choices of flavored drinks and got away from the experience of drinking a cup of coffee. Also, when they decided that it was ok to charge $3 for a cup of coffee and wifi was an added charge as well. They give nothing away as added value.
243. 8/14/2008 11:17:00 PM They lost track of the richness of the environment when blended frozen drinks were introduced and then they exacerbated the change by designing stores with mostly hard surfaces. I can't tell you how many times I have had to resort to yelling to be heard when placing an order. Much of the Barista friendliness seems contrived these days - like management has dictated friendliness instead of looking at the entire environment for customers and employees.
244. 8/14/2008 11:50:00 PM no, still very useful and my wife/ duaghter and their freinds love those crazy drinks
245. 8/14/2008 11:51:00 PM Calling a small coffee &quot;tall&quot; (or whatever).
246. 8/15/2008 12:31:00 AM It has not
247. 8/15/2008 12:54:00 AM A store on every corner. No longer a special destination.
248. 8/15/2008 1:21:00 AM I have never really liked it, because I prefer the local coffee shops, and I prefer the individuality of these stores.
249. 8/15/2008 1:44:00 AM the bitter overpriced coffee
250. 8/15/2008 1:53:00 AM too many stores!!!
251. 8/15/2008 2:45:00 AM When they didn't offer free wi-fi like the local chains
252. 8/15/2008 5:18:00 AM Lost some luster when they went from hand pulling espresso shots to having it done by a machine. They also focus less on coffee and more on frappucinos and other non-coffee drinks
253. 8/15/2008 5:20:00 AM When they became so mainstream they were no longer &quot;cool&quot;.
254. 8/15/2008 7:10:00 AM Schultz acting like he invented the whole industry.
255. 8/15/2008 8:35:00 AM When the coffee seemed to get so expensive
256. 8/15/2008 12:30:00 PM Like local coffee shops better. Better coffee, less fast-food...
257. 8/15/2008 12:32:00 PM When they thumped their chest about the experience while in ture diluting it.
258. 8/15/2008 1:42:00 PM When it got too big ... too chain-y .... too routine .... no longer unique only habit
259. 8/15/2008 2:39:00 PM Too expensive. Not really as special any more.
260. 8/15/2008 3:18:00 PM i do think that they mixed to much other gifty product in there that seemed to have a real disconnect. I would love for them to continue to allow the consumers to find unique entertainment/ music finds... also more healthy alternatives
261. 8/15/2008 3:53:00 PM When I saw them opening a new store on a major throughway that had (and still has) a fairly high crime rate - had to wonder, &quot;who's going to go there?&quot; (Sorry to say I was right.)
262. 8/15/2008 4:33:00 PM Never liked the experience of a chain store, never felt their coffee was better, it isn't.
263. 8/15/2008 4:35:00 PM Too expensive for plain old coffee however they are the ONLY coffee house that has soy milk and that is the main reason I get my coffee there and only there.
264. 8/15/2008 4:50:00 PM it hasn't.
265. 8/15/2008 4:54:00 PM N/A
266. 8/15/2008 5:27:00 PM It didn't
267. 8/15/2008 5:35:00 PM I lived in Seattle back ten years ago, and it was the third best coffee chain in Seattle
268. 8/15/2008 6:23:00 PM Hasn't yet--I use it more while traveling; used to go locally every day, but got too expensive
269. 8/15/2008 7:31:00 PM My husband says the coffe is way too expensive. So when we're together and I try want to go to Starbucks, I hear too much grief about the exorbitant prices.
270. 8/15/2008 8:21:00 PM Became to popular and lot it's WOW. Store is still nice.
271. 8/15/2008 9:45:00 PM In tough economic times how can you justify paying &#163;2.60 for a tall sized soya latte?
272. 8/16/2008 12:04:00 AM I don't think it has.
273. 8/16/2008 1:39:00 AM I think that Starbucks mostly sold public space. There are more options available for public meeting space now and most of them also sell decent food and have free wi-fi - like Panera Bread in our area.
274. 8/16/2008 12:23:00 PM After I went in there one to many times(about 3 times a year and decided that my cup of home brewed choc full o nuts produces the best damn cup of coffee there ever was, but it has to have carnation french vanilla in it to be that good, which is why I don't like Starbucks much because they don't offer the creamer stuff.
275. 8/16/2008 9:18:00 PM n/a
276. 8/17/2008 4:46:00 PM Sick of the prices.
277. 8/18/2008 11:24:00 AM Too many locations and small store formats with a lot of clutter. Selling too much stuff....
278. 8/18/2008 1:51:00 PM I think that as Starbucks started to get more popular all around the country, they lost some of their charm and started to become just another chain.
279. 8/18/2008 2:22:00 PM Too much focus on flavored coffee drinks. How about focusing again on &quot;basic&quot; cup of coffee? A lot of times I would go in the evening and there was no fresh brewed &quot;regular&quot; coffee available.
280. 8/18/2008 2:25:00 PM Has not done so
281. 8/18/2008 2:28:00 PM Too many stores, drinks too large, service poor. The customer experience requires you to learn their jargon in order to order.
282. 8/18/2008 2:34:00 PM employees are rude, taste is inconsistent.
283. 8/18/2008 3:50:00 PM Over exposure and becoming a music store of sorts - Huh!?
284. 8/18/2008 4:13:00 PM Didn't. The brand still carries weight with me. I expect a certain kind of experience when I visit a Starbucks. However, given the choice between a Starbuck and 1 or two local place I'd choose the local place for biz meeting, if they were as convenient as a Starbucks.
285. 8/18/2008 4:53:00 PM When it started selling/marketing things that had nothing to do with coffee
286. 8/18/2008 8:16:00 PM when it tried to be the &quot;hip&quot; place for everyone
287. 8/19/2008 2:21:00 AM it didn't
288. 8/19/2008 11:51:00 AM It really hasn't lost its relevance. It's still a convenient place I go from time to time when I want a cup of coffee.