Monday, March 17, 2008

Where do you get your coffee?

Business First had an article with the above title on Feb 29, 2008. Out of 733 local responses the breakdown is below:

Home led the way with 36%
Work was tied for second at 16% with those who didn't partake in the beverage (another 16%)
Starbucks had a 10% stake.
Heine brothers took 5%.
Java Brewing (my favorite) McDonald's (not bad these days) and Thornton's (livable) were all at 3%.
Other made up 8% which I'm guessing would cover a multitude of mom and pop options along with restaurants.

My personally I go back and forth on this issue. Sometimes I make it at home or work to save money. I'm reminded of Jay Leno's joke a few months back in regards to Starbucks heavily publicized price increase. Leno, said the thing that amazed him about the coffee dilemma was the that many people failed to realize that coffee could be easily made at home. Still something is special about going to a coffee shop. The atmosphere-the steaming hot coffee that even the best home machine struggles to reproduce- the buzzing chatter or the quiet peace- the networking and business contacts one can make- or just the escape from the grind for a moment; all these things keep me coming back to spend 2-3 dollars per day. It's just not the same when I make my own. Don't get me wrong I do several times per week, but I can't give up the trip to the coffee shop. I'm not a big Starbucks coffee fan although I go nowhere else for a latte. They are the masters of the latte. My only other thoughts on coffee are:

Yes McDonalds has improved their coffee must you can't replace the human error in not making a fresh pot when needed. The coffee may be better but the service is not always predictable.
Secondly, has Starbucks made a strategic mistake in not offering free wirless internet access. I'm not sure but I do think they made a mistake by allowing Kroger's, Barnes and Noble, Target and Meijers to compete with their own corporate stores. Not wise planning from a company that has always seemed to be on top of things. Starbucks is not a franchise system as many people think, most if not all of their stores I believe are corporately owned.

Where do you get your coffee?

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