Avoid the Monsters

As a former employee in a privately-owned coffee shop, I have come to understand the importance of supporting the small business owner. It takes special effort, but usually, that effort is rewarded with special services. For example, the atmosphere at our small establishment was conducive to relaxation, conversation, and peace, if not always quiet. It had a characteristic coziness to it from the moment of entry. We had our regulars, and then occasionally we'd hear little gasps of delight from people who were there for the first time.

I never had a problem with Starbucks until I started working at this place. It was only a matter of time before I started to receognize the impersonal, assembly-line attitude of a the Starbucks chain. Everything has to be the same, because the woman who is visiting Philadelphia from Sante Fe wants her "double-skinny-vanilla-mocha-no-whip" to taste exactly the same as it does at home. I agree there have to be standard procedures in coffee-making among all coffee shops. But the degree of creativity and specialty found in smaller shops will never be found at the local Starbucks chapter.

Some people dislike Starbuck's coffee. Personally, I never had a problem with the coffee itself. I just have a problem with Starbucks in general. It's a monster: the way it makes coffee into an efficiently-run monopoly instead of a specialized service. Starbucks realizes that people "need their coffee" in the morning. So "they" set up camp in key locations where it will be easy for people to drop in for their joe. That's a great business move; there's nothing wrong with smart business. And granted, when you need a jolt, you're not always looking for a sit-down "coffee break." But at some point, there should be a limit as to how many Starbucks establishments can sit on one city block. In the name of convenience, they're pushing out all the specialized shops that offer service. And I don't mean that this is just the natural trend of our fast-paced society (although that definitely contributes to the phenomenon). I mean that Starbucks literally threatens small businesses and tries to make them go away! I heard it from one of my bosses when I worked at the private coffee shop. "Oh, yeah! Starbucks hates us," he said. "They're trying to open a place right down the street, there, on the corner of . . . . Because we have a good clientele, they want to see us gone."

To a certain extent, no one "enjoys" having competitors that have to keep you on your toes. I'm sure it's only more frustrating to have a competitor which has an edge you can never take away or duplicate. It's one thing, in our capitalistic society, to try to outdo another business by good business sense. But to threaten the other company's existence? Just because you're bigger? That's being a monster. It would be nice if Starbucks could recognize the value of specialty shops and small businesses. Recognize the good aspects they possess. Maybe try to emulate some of them. But don't squash them just because it's possible to do so.

I avoid Starbuck's. I don't boycott it--at least not yet. I may get to that point eventually. (When traveling, they're generally the only coffee places that advertise on the highway.) But if I'm not on a road trip, or if I'm not committed to a schedule, I find the little coffee shops first.

I just looked one up this morning, actually, in this town where I'm going to grad school. So I gotta go check it out. What will the service be like? What will the specialties be? Isn't it more fun that way?