Comments on: Starbucks update: Progress? You tell me

By: Andrea

Andrea — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

I'm still plugging away at this, out here in the cornfields! The results have been spotty.

My regular Starbucks now just sees me coming across the parking lot and starts brewing the coffee before I'm even in the store. I sent my husband in to buy beans, when we were expecting company, and they told HIM that I would want the Cafe Estima. He was a little befuddled, but dutifully took their word for it ;) That's one of the upsides of living in a small town.

Other stores that I've tried have been less accomodating. The Barnes and Nobles didn't have Cafe Estima at all. The store in St. Charles was almost hostile.... but it was a busy time. So, maybe that explains it.

Anyway.... thanks for coordinating this!

By: GuyOnTheLeft

GuyOnTheLeft — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Kudos on your persistance in this project Ms. Green L.A. and to all the people contributing.
I’m not a coffee drinker, when I go to Starbucks I’m much more likely to get the hot caramel cider (mmmmmmm), but I’m thinking, perhaps you’re missing something simple in wondering why the responses to your requests are so uniform. The responses you seem to recieve most often, listing whats brewing and charging for venti, are what I would expect of any small business owner when presented with a special and (to him/her inconvenient) request. In fact I would expect many to simply say No. Starbucks’ written policies are laudable, but perhaps they simply need more rigorous employee/franchisee education.
Also, to the previous commentor, its wonderful that they know you’re routine. I’ve been going to the same deli for lunch for a year now and they don’t seem to know my face, but then I work on 57th street in Manhattan.

By: Russ

Russ — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Siel,

This is a little off topic, but I found a site today you might like. They have a section with all fair-trade goods, also, portions of your purchases go to saving the rainforest. (or one of several other organizations).

http://shop.therainforestsite.com/

By: Siel

Siel — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Tee hee — Andrea and GuyOnTheLeft — your posts make me giggle. Is it weird that I would actually prefer the anonymity of NYC than the friendly understanding of Dekalb? I get claustraphobic easily…

In any case — GuyOnTheLeft — Maybe you’re right about the “inconvenient request” thing. My guess right now is that Starbucks has a great policy in writing, but store or district managers are more informally training their baristas to do something different. Unfortunate, both for fair trade advocates and Starbucks’ CSR department –

And Russ — I’ve bookmarked the site! I was actually really excited about the jewelry section — I’m in the market for a new navel ring — but my searches for “belly” and “navel” didn’t bring up anything relevant. Hoping one will materialize one day though ;)

By: Fletch

Fletch — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Thanks so much for posting my info on del.icio.us. Holy cow, I’m the only one in all of WI to participate. Just for your ref: I live in Waukesha, a suburb of Milwaukee, not Madison. I haven’t been over to Madison in several months, so you might want to change the related tags.

Gosh, too bad more of my friends aren’t broke student activists, or I’d email more stuff from you. ;)

By: Siel

Siel — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Cool — Have updated the links. Waukesha. Interesting sounding…

By: Jason Duncan

Jason Duncan — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

I think the fact that the baristas can not think enough for themselves to even prepare you a press is crazy. While this is going on, I think a call for independents who actually serve Fair Trade products — not just coffee and espress even — shoud begin.

If we can educate our customers about Fair Trade and what it means to these farmers and producers, we might be able to set some precedence in the speciality coffee segment.

..just a thought.

By: Siel

Siel — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Hey Jason! But we don’t all live in Bozeman, and Evoke isn’t open yet ;)

I hear what you’re saying though. One thing many advocates are hoping, I think, is that people who haven’t heard about fair trade coffee yet will do so via bigger companies like Starbucks and Nestle, but then eventually learn enough about it that they’ll decide they can get even better fair trade coffee from neighborhood cafes that make fair trade one of their missions –