blank skateboards and Starbucks Instant Coffee

**skategeezer** · 10-07-2009 10:55 AM

**pepperdro** · 10-07-2009 11:15 AM

I don't know about the writers ability to remain unbiased. Look at the sales at Starbucks for Espresso based coffee vs. brewed coffee. Even if they lose the customers they do have from brewed coffee, they will still be receiving people that want their white mochas, caramel mochiattos, half caff, soy, no foam, extra whipped cream, chocolate german mocha...

Bottom line is Starbucks is jumping into another avenue of the coffee business. They have spent years developing their reputation for having gourmet coffee, and the majority of their customer base isn't going to stop going just because they are pushing out an "instant" variation. After working for that company for 1 1/2 years, I can tell you that people that go to Starbucks are in a league of their own (the majority).

Kudos to them for branching out... only time will tell if this was folly or not.

Great Topic for discussion, though! Thanks SkateGeezer!

**TIMORNE** · 10-07-2009 11:37 AM

I don't know about this or coffee either-don't drink the stuff.
But I see patron's of Starbucks looking for an image thing-that's why they carry that cup like it's the holy grail.

**Drybones** · 10-07-2009 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by pepperdro

I don't know about the writers ability to remain unbiased. Look at the sales at Starbucks for Espresso based coffee vs. brewed coffee. Even if they lose the customers they do have from brewed coffee, they will still be receiving people that want their white mochas, caramel mochiattos, half caff, soy, no foam, extra whipped cream, chocolate german mocha...

Bottom line is Starbucks is jumping into another avenue of the coffee business. They have spent years developing their reputation for having gourmet coffee, and the majority of their customer base isn't going to stop going just because they are pushing out an "instant" variation. After working for that company for 1 1/2 years, I can tell you that people that go to Starbucks are in a league of their own (the majority).

Kudos to them for branching out... only time will tell if this was folly or not.

I agree. Fancy coffee drinkers are die hard and these ads aren't aimed at them and probably won't change their spending practices.

Also, fun fact, the "Pepsi challenge" was later replicated in a controlled setting. Turns out that in the original challenge the "mystery" bottle of pepsi was always labeled with the letter M and the bottle of Coke with the letter Q. Psychologists found that people tend to pick "M" over "Q" regardless of the type of cola contained within, even when both bottles contained the same brand.

Anyway, this lady is just talking out her ass on the internet. Starbucks is a huge corporation that spends millions on research and development of their image and advertising. That's not to say they're infallible, but instant vs brewed coffee from the same company is more like a skate company who has manufactured shortboards for years suddenly coming out with a super fun longboard than it is pro model vs chinese blank.

**WillJ** · 10-07-2009 01:12 PM

yeah, i don't know anyone that goes into starbucks for a simple cup of joe

another 'blogger' that's definitely not a qualified WRITER

**Rainbowlaces** · 10-07-2009 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by Drybones

Anyway, this lady is just talking out her ass on the internet. Starbucks is a huge corporation that spends millions on research and development of their image and advertising.

They've spend a bunch of research on changing their brand actually. The new thing for Starbucks is fooling people into thinking it's not a Starschmucks. They are opening stores with "local" names like 8th Street Coffee and Tea on Queen Anne in Seattle (I think it's 8th). Everything in the store has 8th street from the cups, to the menu, to the labels....but it's owned by Starbucks and it's Starbucks coffee. Since the test subject on Queen Anne went so well, they are planning to open more...

I thought that kind of defeats the purpose of developing a brand...lol

I prefer saving money and just dumping a hot cocoa packet into my coffee for an instant mocha all for about less than $2.

Watch this and it will all become clear:

::ill Will Press:: NEUROTICALLY YOURS CARTOON: COFFEE-HOUSE PROPAGANDA

**WillJ** · 10-07-2009 02:31 PM

guess who's not here to talk about skateboarding

**surfdubs** · 10-07-2009 02:37 PM

the skateboard industry started mass producing blank skateboards? or was it people outside the skateboard industry trying to make a quick buck? because most of the blank skateboards i see come from china, aren't related to any core company, and don't have the same quality.

those instant coffees are pretty good though.

**snozzboarder55** · 10-07-2009 02:53 PM

having worked for starbucks i say **** THEM! all they are interested in is money and this instant coffee (which is called "ready brew" not instant) is a ploy to get more money.

in all honesty if you can't wait the 5 minutes it takes to brew a pot of coffee you have other issues. drive through coffee is ridiculous enough but if you need "ready brew" then you have to be the most impatient person(s) ever.

starbucks is an evil place! friends dont let friends work for starbucks

/rant

**pepperdro** · 10-07-2009 03:17 PM

Originally Posted by snozzboarder55

having worked for starbucks i say **** THEM! all they are interested in is money and this instant coffee (which is called "ready brew" not instant) is a ploy to get more money.

in all honesty if you can't wait the 5 minutes it takes to brew a pot of coffee you have other issues. drive through coffee is ridiculous enough but if you need "ready brew" then you have to be the most impatient person(s) ever.

starbucks is an evil place! friends dont let friends work for starbucks

/rant

wow... how do you really feel? lol. I enjoyed working there. I had a blast. I met a bunch of cool people, and my shop was filled with some crazy characters. We didn't really have those asshole baristas that had attitude, though.

Oh, and when you live somewhere that gets -65 F in the winter, you LIVE off drive thru coffee shops. we have little coffee houses set up all over the place up here, because it's too F'ing cold to get out, get coffee, and leave again.

**skategeezer** · 10-07-2009 04:29 PM

fun facts....

1. I have had coffee only twice...never really enjoyed it...had two sips...maybe YECH!
2. it's more a situation about pro models vs. blanks vs shop boards...people THOUGHT they were getting something way different...turns out...well, you know remember how it went down

**BigRyeguy** · 10-07-2009 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by skategeezer

fun facts....
1. I have had coffee only twice...never really enjoyed it...had two sips...maybe YECH!

Black coffee is really disgusting, hot roasted bean water...

But, I'm a sucker for a Mocha Frappuccino, stuffsgood.

**CasterTown** · 10-07-2009 05:40 PM

Too bad brewed coffee sucks anyway... Its all about that Americano.

**snozzboarder55** · 10-07-2009 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by pepperdro

wow... how do you really feel? lol. I enjoyed working there. I had a blast. I met a bunch of cool people, and my shop was filled with some crazy characters. We didn't really have those asshole baristas that had attitude, though.

Oh, and when you live somewhere that gets -65 F in the winter, you LIVE off drive thru coffee shops. we have little coffee houses set up all over the place up here, because it's too F'ing cold to get out, get coffee, and leave again.

haha, i did have fun, but things started to get really shady. our DM was two faced and so was our store manager. i can say that while working there i was a baller barista, serving up lattes with bears, butterflies, elephants, and other things in the foam haha.

but the whole instant coffee thing seems to be going against Starbucks like geezer says. your main focus is a product that is well thought out and made with passion and care. so they decide to take a packet and add water? its confusing

**Rainbowlaces** · 10-07-2009 08:39 PM

your main focus is a product that is well thought out and made with passion and care

Hey, they thought long and hard about the packaging...and are passionate about making money!

**Bookworm** · 10-07-2009 09:21 PM

they're trying to capture the entire market.

what's the one place they don't have a large market share? instant.

poof.

**pepperdro** · 10-07-2009 09:21 PM

Originally Posted by snozzboarder55

haha, i did have fun, but things started to get really shady. our DM was two faced and so was our store manager. i can say that while working there i was a baller barista, serving up lattes with bears, butterflies, elephants, and other things in the foam haha.

but the whole instant coffee thing seems to be going against Starbucks like geezer says. your main focus is a product that is well thought out and made with passion and care. so they decide to take a packet and add water? its confusing

haha I have to agree with you there. Nice artistic flair, by the way...

**snozzboarder55** · 10-07-2009 09:57 PM

Originally Posted by Bookworm

they're trying to capture the entire market.

what's the one place they don't have a large market share? instant.

poof.

but its bad business practice to not live up to the expectations you lay on your employees. to contradict oneself is bad as an employee, but when the president/owner/ceo/cfo are giving you mixed messages and changing their minds/expectations on a quarterly basis thats big problem. it is all adding up to selfishness on the higher ups' end.

one of the reasons my experience was bad was because i worked right across the street from your school Bookworm, SCU girls are cute but snobby as hell! didn't know that less than 16oz of nonfat milk was a huge part of one's diet haha.

**spaceghost0** · 10-07-2009 10:56 PM

pepperdro's spot on. Starbucks is only selling short their in-store brewed coffee, which most people say is burned tasting (I don't know, I don't drink any coffee). Their product portfolio is so much grander than just brewed coffee which is how they achieved success to begin with.

Furthermore, Starbucks works VERY hard to create what they call the "third place," meaning it's not your home and it's not work... it's the other place you spend a lot of time. Being in a shop that smells of fresh coffee beans and pushing buttons on your home machine are two totally different experiences. Which would you rather have? Homebrew in your kitchen or something made by someone in a nicer place where you don't have to clean up? It's the same reason I go to bars to drink. I could do it at home (and do) but who cares. It's a social thing.

Further still, guess where VIA is sold? IN THE STORE.

(and yeah, I worked there for ~2 years)

**thaidiver** · 10-08-2009 04:22 AM

Originally Posted by Drybones

Also, fun fact, the "Pepsi challenge" was later replicated in a controlled setting. Turns out that in the original challenge the "mystery" bottle of pepsi was always labeled with the letter M and the bottle of Coke with the letter Q. Psychologists found that people tend to pick "M" over "Q" regardless of the type of cola contained within, even when both bottles contained the same brand.

As I was reading the OP, this is exactly what I was thinking about, you just beat me to it. Here an article about it.