This week Starbucks launched its new instant coffee, “VIA”, to much fanfare. On two consecutive days, I was handed free samples of the product as I purchased my daily lattes.
I tried both varieties of Colombian and Italian Roast, and they were surprisingly good. Just as good or better than my office’s “by the cup” pod machine.
Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but be disappointed by what Starbucks and its founder Howard Schultz has done – launched its self-proclaimed “product of last resort”.
According to Eric Felten of the Wall Street Journal, just a few years ago the Starbucks director of research and development uttered that line at a conference – because instant coffee was way “off the target” from the core of its business.
It was a complete and total capitulation to the one powerful thing that had always worked against the Starbucks ideal, especially as it grew by thousands of stores – speed.
Today, fast always wins. This is a society where the concept of “lingering” is rapidly going the way of the dinosaurs. The Starbucks store, for me, has been quite the laboratory to observe this change over the past 15 years.
I can remember the smell, the music, the zen vibe, and the relaxed “no rush” atmosphere in 1994 when I first made my daily visits. Nobody hovered around the barista like vultures circling their prey.
Today, the music is turned way down. The lights are brighter and the zen is long gone. And 9 out of 10 of us are using our handhelds impatiently as we hurry the barista along. We want our lattes, and we want them now.
From that perspective, I can’t blame Starbucks for launching this product of last resort – it’s just tapping into our speed culture. Fast and faster. I even find myself growing more and more inpatient about waiting for just about anything – even if a Google search takes more than 5 seconds.
Deep down, I don’t want fast to win – so when one of the last bastions of “the experience rules” throws in the towel, I truly worry about what’s to come.
As I hover around the barista and buy a few packets of VIA. Life can be such a contradiction……
Popularity: 1% [?]
Subscribe By RSS
Subscribe By E-mail
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Life is a contradiction. There are days that I’m not very happy while working. I teach work happiness and I’m giving advice that in that moment I can’t take.
Starbucks is still at the end of the day just trying to make their customers happy. Even if they are selling instant coffee. As long as it’s better than the coffee people normally drink then I’m ok with it.
I don’t blame the Starbucks for the direction they have gone…it’s where they started. Roasting coffee beans and selling out of their one location. Why not package a instant style coffee for those on the run. I feel the quality is there for what it is…Heck, who would have thought you could get great sushi to go out of a deli case, instead of parking your bottom in front of a sushi chef at the sushi bar. Maybe, I should look into a frozen sushi you can microwave for instant sushi gratification for those late night cravings…Love, Troy owner of Sushi-a-go-go.
I agree – Starbucks is different than it used to be. I don’t tend to go there when I am in a hurry, so it is kind of sad to watch the scenes you describe.
As for the instant coffee – I am looking forward to trying it not because I am in a hurry, but because our office coffee is terrible!
I think this might be a geographical thing. Where I live (Tallahassee, FL) Starbucks is still a place to go and relax…meet a few friends or just sit alone and read or study. I don’t find that vibe of hurrying to be going on here.
Taster’s Choice (the only instant I will use as a rule) now has the individual packets and they are definitely better than the jars. I don’t know why. I am interested in trying the Via for the same reason.
I’m all for spending an afternoon just sitting and relaxing at the cafe (maybe it’s because I worked at a Starbucks for two years and really got to know everyone in the community). It was a great experience (the interacting, engaging, etc. That I just really loved coffee).
On another note, I have a box of the Starbucks via and yes it actually does taste a lot better than the coffee I brew from the pot (go figure). Though I like it, as I said, I don’t mind the cafe experience…
Thanks Karl, Troy, Karen, Anne and Ricardo for your comments!
Karl, making people happy ain’t a bad thing, I agree.
Troy, I like the frozen sushi idea – let me know when you are selling stock.
Karen, I’d be interested in hearing what you think about VIA after you’ve tried it.
Anne, I do agree that geography does make a bit of a difference. I’ve never tried Taster’s Choice, though.
Ricardo, glad to hear that there are a few of us left who appreciate just hanging out at a coffee bar. I remember a coffee place I used to hang out at in the 90’s that was one of the best experiences in my life. I miss that.
Again, thanks everyone for their comments, and all the best!
Terry
I stopped going to Starbucks because the experience they used to have was long gone; I would find the baristas young guys/gals with chains on their hands, clothing, tatoos all over the place, this looked disgusting….add the fact that they were chatting between them while the line of people was larger and larger, it seemed they could care less. Then my perspective changed from the great experience place to the very expensive place, no VALUE then price is an issue.