My family ran a local sandwich shop for years. Here’s the problem.
If this is downtown, the local sandwich shop isn’t even there, in part because Starbucks helped price them out of being able to rent. Every supermarket now has a sandwich counter too, so local sandwich shops don’t do well in shopping centers either. Fast food has slightly improved their quality over the years so that’s more competitors at the low end. And Subway, period.
You’re paying for the convenience at Starbucks and in some cases convenience is valuable. If you don’t care about time and can go out of your way to a local sandwich shop, you get better food for less.
I was in an area like that once. It felt weird. Like I stepped into some alternative earth history where the franchises and chains all had different names. It was basically the same items for sale however.
Idk…local independent shops aren't necessarily cheaper. There is a local coffee shop somewhat by me and it's more expensive than Starbucks. Independent places don't have the advantage of mass scale like the big name fast food and chain places do. When I go independent, I often find myself paying more money for less convenience. So it's not even just convenience that you're sacrificing
Yeah that can be true. Not all local businesses are competitively run.
While it’s true they don’t have the same economies of scale as large corporations, they also don’t have the same overhead. Starbucks coffee stands support a skyscraper full of bureaucrats somewhere. And Starbucks corporate has a stock price to worry about. Local shops don’t have all that crap, and can often get away with charging less. My dad just charged 15% below the corporate shop down the block, as a rule, and it was still profitable.
This I can actually weight in on a bit. They have their recipe under full version control and plant operations can only adjust it slightly without HQ doing an override. Not their air waste handling however, that is under local control.
It's not actually. That's the second store they claim is the first. The real first was on Western. Coffee is the same though, you're right, better to go to the roasterie
Nobody goes to Starbucks for good coffee, they go because it's the same everywhere. Sometimes I want to go get a great coffee somewhere they know how to pull a decent shot, and sometimes I want brownish sugarmilk.
It’s your own damn fault for trying to get food at fucking Starbucks, the coffee isn’t even good unless you’re at pikes place
Yeah, support a local sandwich shop.
Probably won't be much cheaper but it'll be ten times the quality.
My family ran a local sandwich shop for years. Here’s the problem.
If this is downtown, the local sandwich shop isn’t even there, in part because Starbucks helped price them out of being able to rent. Every supermarket now has a sandwich counter too, so local sandwich shops don’t do well in shopping centers either. Fast food has slightly improved their quality over the years so that’s more competitors at the low end. And Subway, period.
You’re paying for the convenience at Starbucks and in some cases convenience is valuable. If you don’t care about time and can go out of your way to a local sandwich shop, you get better food for less.
Luckily the downtown in the city where I live doesn't allow chain restaurants so I have many options for decently priced food.
That’s a great law if you can get it. Big parts of the NorCal coastline are like that and going there feels like traveling back to a better time.
I was in an area like that once. It felt weird. Like I stepped into some alternative earth history where the franchises and chains all had different names. It was basically the same items for sale however.
Idk…local independent shops aren't necessarily cheaper. There is a local coffee shop somewhat by me and it's more expensive than Starbucks. Independent places don't have the advantage of mass scale like the big name fast food and chain places do. When I go independent, I often find myself paying more money for less convenience. So it's not even just convenience that you're sacrificing
Yeah that can be true. Not all local businesses are competitively run.
While it’s true they don’t have the same economies of scale as large corporations, they also don’t have the same overhead. Starbucks coffee stands support a skyscraper full of bureaucrats somewhere. And Starbucks corporate has a stock price to worry about. Local shops don’t have all that crap, and can often get away with charging less. My dad just charged 15% below the corporate shop down the block, as a rule, and it was still profitable.
Also how else is the roof of your mouth going to get tougher without starbucks sandwiches?
There’s a “your mom” joke in there somewhere but it’s not coming to me.
Coffee will be better as well. Starbucks burns their beans so they can guarantee the same "quality" flavor at every location.
This I can actually weight in on a bit. They have their recipe under full version control and plant operations can only adjust it slightly without HQ doing an override. Not their air waste handling however, that is under local control.
what’s different about pike place?
It's the original one.
It's not actually. That's the second store they claim is the first. The real first was on Western. Coffee is the same though, you're right, better to go to the roasterie
Is the coffee actually different there?
No. It’s a local myth that it is.
I don't think that's a local myth. That sounds like a tourist trap myth.
It’s local. I’ve had tons of people tell me it’s better there.
It isn’t.
Interesting, I've never heard that. I don't know any locals that would voluntarily go there unless they have out of town guests.
Tastes the same to me.
No. It’s a local myth that it is.
So now I have to travel around the world to Seattle or something to get good Starbucks? I don't believe you, nice try!
And even Pikes Place SB’s isn’t as good as a local cafe.
Starbucks coffee’s got nothing on $1 McDonalds coffee.
Truth
They charge that much because the market will bear it. 🤷🏻♂️ That's on us consumers.
Not entirely true, the stores that unionized have better tasting coffee in comparison to regular sb
How would that even make sense? They're still getting their beans from the same source and preparing drinks in the exact same way.
Yeah I also heard the unionized stores don’t have bathrooms because everybody shits rainbows.
lmao
Speaking of mildly infuriating 😆
Nobody goes to Starbucks for good coffee, they go because it's the same everywhere. Sometimes I want to go get a great coffee somewhere they know how to pull a decent shot, and sometimes I want brownish sugarmilk.