Gawker
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retail
Downtown San Francisco no longer capable of supporting three Starbucks per intersection
Next year's Macworld may be the last chance to make a shamefaced Starbucks run to the mall-kiosk latte dispenser in the Metreon. Why did the Seattle coffee monoculturist give six months' notice of that coffee-bar's closure, and 599 others? Why, to retrain loyalists on other locations within footsteps. We already know that you drink only at establishments where the coffee pickers are unionized, graduate-degreed, and constantly hugged. And so do we. But here's our map of the remaining South of Market Starbucks — and all the Blue Bottle locations — anyway. Only to show to your sleep-addled board members when they visit for a meeting. More »
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Comment by Web2PointOhShit: You missed the uber seekrit Blue Bottle on Ritch St, between Townsend and Bryant. You seem to infer SoMa... more » | Other threads
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google
Street View finally coming to Seattle
The Google Street View car was Spotted in Microsoft Country last week after launching in many smaller markets around the country first. Apparently the drivers, rather than use some fancy, newfangled Internet doohickey, simply burn the data captured by the rooftop camera array onto a CD and mail it back to Mountain View. The fact that Portland, Oregon and Juneau, Alaska were added to the list of Street View cities before Seattle inspired an April Fools article in local publication Naked Loon quoting a fictional Google spokesmonkey as saying the addition of Seattle was "extremely unlikely, save for some kind of highly localized disaster centered somewhere in Redmond." More »
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By Jackson WestComment by CosmoGolem: This is really creepy technology. I wonder when we'll see people through the walls of their homes! My 85-year-old... more » | Other threads
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wi-fi
Starbucks' desperation means free Internet for card customers
With the purchase of a $5 gift card, or by entering your personal information in the company's database for a rewards program, Starbucks will allow you to sip on two hours of free Wi-Fi from AT&T at stores. The Seattle-based fast food chain may be one of the first to be hit by any economic downturn as Americans cut back on the affordable luxury of $4 caffeinated drinks and spend that money at competitors like McDonald's. One look at the stock's performance over the last year, down over 30 percent, and you can see why CEO Howard Schultz would look to freebies like Wi-Fi to keep the company's FrappucinoTM junkies coming back. As our very special correspondent once put it, "Wi-Fi isn't a luxury or even a commodity. It's a condiment."
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By Jackson WestComment by raincoaster: @sample032: Did we not have this discussion already, right here on Valleywag? And did I not predict this? It's coming, people:... more » | Other threads
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security
AT&T turns off free Wi-Fi
AT&T meant to make Wi-Fi free only for iPhone users. But a hack made it free for laptop users at Starbucks and other network points controlled by AT&T. The free Wi-Fi has now been disabled. Guess the hoi polloi stealing bandwidth ruined it for iPhone owners. [Gizmodo] -
wi-fi
Get free Wi-Fi at Starbucks with or without an iPhone from AT&T
AT&T is offering iPhone owners free Wi-Fi at hotspots managed by the company, including those at megachain Starbucks. But all the system checks is the user-agent string supplied by the iPhone's Safari browser and a phone number from a working iPhone. So anyone with a laptop can simply change their browser's user-agent string, put in the phone number of a friend with an iPhone, et voila! Free Wi-Fi. Why you won't get? The phone number of the cute barista you've been flirting with in vain. (Via Slashdot, photo by Synthesis Studios)
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By Jackson WestComment by raincoaster: Sooner or later, there will be free wi-fi at all Starbucks. They're about the only place in Vancouver that still... more » | Other threads
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earnings
Starbucks quarterly results spill scalds analysts's laps
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz dampened analyst expectations for the company's performance ahead of its April 30 quarterly earnings anouncement, sending shares tumbling 10.4 percent in after-hours trading. "The current economic environment is the weakest in our company's history," he said to explain why the company is facing the first quarterly profit decline in eight years. The retailer has long traded on being a relatively affordable yuppie status symbol, serving up a dose of psychological salve for four dollars a cup to an American middle class in decline. But it looks like Schultz's stunt to bloster the elite cachet of a brand now as ubiquitously plebeian as your local McDonald's might not be enough to fuel continued growth. (Photo by Peter Kaminski) More »
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By Jackson WestComment by raincoaster: @Rachel Marsden: I'm not a man, but I don't hesitate to tell them to put their sticks away if I'm... more » | Other threads
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coffeehouse politics
Starbucks won't "laissez faire" — even on its gift cards
Starbucks will let you create your own customized Starbucks gift card with anything you want stamped on it. Well, almost anything. When Roger Ream tried to get "Laissez Faire" printed on his Starbucks card, it was rejected. Starbucks says "we review each Card before printing ... but we can't honor every" request. Starbucks policy considers "overtly political statements" inappropriate. The Wall Street Journal discovered that "People Not Profits" and "Yes We Can" both sailed through just fine. For a company that's fighting in court against paying back tips to its employees, I'd think Starbucks would embrace "laissez faire" wholeheartedly.
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Comment by giftcardblogger: Very funny. What is political is in the eye of the decision maker. more » | Other threads
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trendspotting
New social networks fighting against ebb tide of user interest
Social network fatigue is nothing new, at least to The 250, and VCs are finally catching on — the Starbucks social network might be the watershed moment when everyone stepped back from updating their umpteenth profile, put down the double-tall soy mocha and said to themselves, "You know, maybe we've reached the point of diminishing returns." More »
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By Jackson WestComment by BillyShears: I've had social network fatigue for YEARS. From Friendster to Orkut to MySpace to Facebook... I'm done after Facebook, I don't... more » | Other threads
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serious investigative journalism
What's new at Starbucks: 3 changes
I'm a reporter, dammit, so after reading about today's all-hands training sessions at all Starbucks stores I walked over to the store at 333 Market in San Francisco's Financial District and asked my barista to explain, step by step, exactly what's new. More »
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By Paul BoutinComment by swagv: Not only is the shotglass thing utterly cosmetic, it actually worsens the espresso pour. Drinking your espresso out of a... more » | Other threads
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addictions
Starbucks closed for three hours to make buying lattes even slower
In a much publicizedpublic-relations movetraining exercise, Starbucks closed all its stores for three hours yesterday to "retrain" employees on how to pour the perfect cup of joe. Seems like baristas should really know how to do that already, but whatever. What actually went down? More »
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Comment by OaklandTechie: Here's what yesterday's "training" was really about: [www.theonion.com] more » | Other threads
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caption contest
Craig Newmark doesn't care about indie coffeeshops
Craigslist founder Craig Newmark supports multinational coffee chain's outlet at 4th and King. (Photo by glovercom)
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By Owen ThomasComment by Owen Thomas: Everyone lost! The original headline remains. more » | Other threads
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creative underclass
Laptoptards Are About To Ruin Your Starbucks
Like every growing hipster, I'm painfully transitioning from my local indie grubby cafe to Starbucks, because dammit I just want a clean table and no one asking me for money and maybe an egg nog latte in December. I also want a cafe without a mob of laptop zombies typing with headphones on, creating a completely silent cafe and making me feel like I must whisper my order. So I'm not happy that in its upcoming switch from T-Mobile to AT&T, Starbucks is dropping the price of wifi from $10 a day to one $5 payment for the rest of your life. More »
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By Nick DouglasComment by WolfDemon: @iwn2000: Haha, that took me a while to catch. more » | Other threads
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starbucks
AT&T to become leading Wi-Fi provider to latte liberals
AT&T is replacing T-Mobile as the Wi-Fi provider at 7,000 Starbucks locations in the U.S., starting in the spring. Even better? Customers who pay with a Starbucks gift card get two hours of free Wi-Fi. Now, I could tell you how this benefits iPhone sales, or takes pressure off AT&T's overcrowded cell-phone networks, but I'm more concerned about how many more people are going to be leeching free Internet at my local Starbucks. More »
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Comment by WolfDemon: Haha. Two measly hours? Here in Montana, we have a place that started here in Billings that is spreading through... more » | Other threads
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exits
Starbucks has fired Jim Donald as CEO, replacing him with Howard Schultz, the coffee chain's chairman. Changes in the works: Closing struggling stores, slowing store openings, and improving the "store experience." Translation: Dealing with the reality of competing with McDonald's as yet another fast-food chain. [WSJ]
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By Owen ThomasComment by BobDope: I was there this morn and I could feel the experience improving! more » | Other threads
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coffee
McDonald's outs Starbucks as fast food chain
It would take a lot to pull San Francisco's bloggers out of their default Starbucks habitats, but with a new, cheap line of espresso drinks and its free Wi-Fi, McDonald's may well yet lure poor newsfeed slaves to its golden arches. While the constant aroma of fried food may not be the most appealing work environment, neither is the modern-day Starbucks. More »
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Comment by Paul: Will Clark says: "I briefly worked at Starbucks upon arriving in SF--had no coffee experience and images of European cafes,... more » | Other threads
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patents
Apple to make ordering at Starbucks less embarrassing
On December 20, Apple filed a patent on wireless technology for ordering coffee from an iPhone or iPod. The goal, according to a copy of the patent filing obtained by Forbes, is to help customers avoid the "annoying wait in a long queue before completion of the order." Whatever. I just know I'd finally buy an iPhone if it means I never have to take an extra 20 seconds to say, "halfcaf soymilk chai latte with an extra shot of espresso and only two pumps, please." (Photo by idogcow)
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Comment by sample032: @cv: Least expensive, you say? That would be a short. more » | Other threads
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retail
Apple to open 40 new stores in 2008
Megamillionaire Ron Johnson, Apple's senior VP of retail, announced that Apple will open an additional 40 retail stores next year. The company already fruitfully operates over 200 stores worldwide, but this year Apple will focus on international markets including several new stores in the U.K., Brazil, and perhaps Mexico City. I don't know, Ron: Until you reach Starbucks territory, can you really say you have enough U.S. outlets? (Photo by Sarah Baker) More »
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Comment by waynelambright: Hi Ireland, Me Babble, that's entirely possible. Yes on the new Mac I use the OS X Leopard. Here... more » | Other threads
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stats
Can I order you a coffee, miss?
Men get their coffee 20 seconds earlier than women who order from the same staff in the same coffee shop, according to a recent study written up in Slate. If you've ever stood behind iJustine ordering her triple grande nonfat no-whip 6-pump extra-hot white mocha, you know being on camera doesn't speed up slacker baristas one bit. -
online advertising
Starbucks has few fans on Facebook
The premise behind Facebook's Social Ads is the notion that users of the social network will declare their brand loyalty on the site, and thereby opt into targeted ads from some of their favorite corporations. Starbucks, despite a recent dip in store visits after a price hike, serves 44 million customers a week. So you'd think a few of those customers might have admitted to being fans of Facebook, right? Wrong. Facebook's Starbucks product page has all of 59 fans. I think there were that many people in my local Starbucks the last time I bought a latte. More »
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By Owen ThomasComment by Alex_S: Hmmm - odd - when i looked through FB recently - i couldn't find Starbucks official presence? If it's there -... more » | Other threads
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bad ideas
Starbucks overload
Not even the thrill of purchasing the coffee shop's soundtrack on an iPhone is luring customers into Starbucks. Foot traffic to individual locales is declining. It could be that trendy new coffee bars are leeching away Starbucks brand loyalty. Or it's the simple fact that there's essentially one Starbucks per child in some neighborhoods. No one can drink that much coffee.
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Comment by schvitzatura: McDonald's is taking the plunge to take points of the flavored coffee drink market from Starbucks, as well. more » | Other threads
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retail
Apple Stores are the new Starbucks
OK, that's it. Apple Stores are officially the new Starbucks. They're everywhere. Rumors have a new store opening in Brooklyn and a megastore opening on 34th Street in Manhattan. Meanwhile, Apple is opening a superstore in my hometown of Boston to go with the eight already in Massachusetts. There are new stores planned for San Francisco, Zurich, Chicago, Maui, Berlin, Taiwan, another in Manhattan near NYU, two in Paris, at least three in Japan, several in Canada, a few in Australia, some in South Africa, Hong Kong and Munich. At least they're decent to look at. I shudder to think what Zune kiosks, probably appearing soon at your local megamall, will look like. (Image by sarahbaker)
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Comment by kraptek: This is an interesting move. It seems they are trying to connect with the consumer, something even retail brands are... more » | Other threads
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great moments in public relations
Starbucks has a rumor response website that it uses to dispel nasty gossip about the company. We wish all companies had this sort of thing so mock scandals can be quashed before they get out of control. [Barron's] -
iphone
Apple is promoting its Starbucks partnership by giving away 50 million songs at the chain of coffee shops. The new wireless service "Now Playing" allows iPhone- and iPod Touch-using Starbucks patrons to preview and purchase the music that happens to be playing in their local shop. [AppleInsider] -
branding
Microsoft is allegedly demanding that startup XBux change its name to the far less hip XBucks, lest consumers be unable to distinguish between its Xbox 360 videogame console and a network that unites athletes with sponsors. Of course, we imagine Starbucks will then have grounds, as it were, to complain. [VentureBeat] -
remainders
Remainders: Polystyrene cups > free lunch
Three suggested venues for Google AdWords. Whatever that bikini model is selling, I hope that ad's contextualized. [Tecniblog] More »
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