Starbucks Corp. (SBUX)

All Comments on SBUX

  • commenter
    shel1624
    Aug 14 06:48 PM
    Poll Shows 73% Americans Think Starbucks is Overpriced [view article]
    todd-the further along i read in your commentary, the more it seems you are an angry guy. i took the day off this past monday and around 11:30am stopped at one of 2 local sbux for a cuppa. now we know sbux is not what you would call a lunch place, but here is what i found. 5 of 7 outside tables were taken. inside, 2 tables had laptop users, and most of the remaining tables had customers in business attire or non-working people (like me). and there were about 4 or more in line behind me. quite frankly, i was very surprised how busy it was. can you explain it? the survey was probably paid for by mcd! Reply
  • commenter
    pearl2k
    Aug 13 08:51 PM
    Poll Shows 73% Americans Think Starbucks is Overpriced [view article]
    If you don't go for the frou-frou stuff, you aren't really their target. They're a cafe, they make espresso. Save yourself the $1.00 @ Booger King and make it at home. The whole DD, MCD, BK "alternative"... is a red herring. I'd pay a $1.50 for a consistent cup of SBUX coffee anyday before I shelled out $1.00 for coffee roulette @ a fast food joint. They were a slave to growth, plain and simple. Reply
  • commenter
    billddrummer
    Aug 13 01:15 PM
    Poll Shows 73% Americans Think Starbucks is Overpriced [view article]
    I used to go to SBUX to get a 'short coffee' for $1.50. (I don't go in for the frou-frou stuff.) But on a hunch, I tried the Burger-King Turbo Joe and it was better! And only $1.

    Looks like they've lost another $1.50 customer to a competitor.

    By the way, with more SBUX stores having drive ups than before, the only 'experience' you get is idling in line--which wastes precious fuel.

    A SBUX as a place to hang out? Not in this town (Reno).     Reply
  • commenter
    User 58276
    Aug 13 11:39 AM
    Poll Shows 73% Americans Think Starbucks is Overpriced [view article]
    There seem to be a person born every minute who thinks as long as they buy a luxury product, they're a special person. Starbucks will always have a market in those people. Where I believe their problem lies is thinking they can have a Starbucks on every corner where McDonald's has a store. They need to accept that most people are smart enough to know when they are being conned, and build accordingly. Reply
  • commenter
    Rubens Morse
    Aug 13 11:21 AM
    Poll Shows 73% Americans Think Starbucks is Overpriced [view article]
    treesmiths makes a good point. Starbucks is not trying to please everybody, just like Nordstrom and Porsche. You may find out in a survey that 95% of the people find Porsche products overpriced, but guess what: they don't need 95% of the people to like their cars and are doing much better than other automakers like GM and Ford. Another point I would make is that many of those 76% that think Starbucks is overpriced are regular Starbucks customers and will continue to be. I know a few of those types myself. Caffeine is addictive! People complain but keep coming for more.
    I think Starbucks has a very promising turnaround story based on cost cutting and closing unprofitable stores. You will see a shrinking top line but a growing bottom line over the coming quarters.     Reply
  • commenter
    treesmiths
    Aug 13 02:46 AM
    Poll Shows 73% Americans Think Starbucks is Overpriced [view article]
    Todd, is it a slow newsday?
    Starbucks caters to people that care about the overall experience as well as the product. With the logic presented in your article, we would all be driving Kia's and shopping at Wal-Mart.

    Nordstrom is overpriced and yet they thrive. I refuse to buy anything where the counter person cannot speak English or cannot make proper change without using the register as a crutch. I like being treated like a person and not a number (McD's).

    And most people cannot tell the difference between Pepsi and Coke, let alone the difference between a French Roast vs. an Americano. So, just like Nordstrom vs. Wal-Mart, Starbucks has a vital place in our society. When a person wants to enjoy their coffee in quiet without the added ambiance of screaming kids on a playset and bright red plastic tables, what are the options?     Reply
  • commenter
    wjewje
    Aug 12 08:34 PM
    My Website
    The Economics of Discounting [view article]
    A cup of good coffee costs $1.95. That is a far cry from your $4.00 ?


    On Aug 06 11:12 AM Logikos wrote:

    > In the early years, I think Starbucks appealed to a customer base
    > where a "no-discount"... attitude was accepted and this attitude
    > enhanced branding. However as Starbucks expanded, particularly into
    > stores like Target, they encountered different customer expectations.
    > When in Rome ..... or leave Rome. Discounts dilute branding but "no-discounts&...
    > closes stores.
    >
    > To my mind, this is the yet-to-be answered question: Who is Starbucks?
    > A unique experience in specialized settings commanding $4 for a cup
    > of coffee? Or the global coffee shop where everyone gathers? They're
    > trying to be both, and that's a tall ... er, venti ... order.     Reply
  • commenter
    The Realist
    Aug 12 08:28 PM
    Poll Shows 73% Americans Think Starbucks is Overpriced [view article]
    The problem with Starbucks is that when people realize that they have no extra money and they are spending $30 a week on Starbucks, $1500 a year, they might have to cut back.

    Furthermore, their coffee is just not that good. Any other coffee shop is going to offer a better cup of joe, so in cities where coffee shops are prevalent Starbucks has legitimate competition in terms of quality. I have not done McD for coffee, I don't need to save a buck that badly that I would deal with a McD line and cashier, but I am sure others would. As for Dunking Donuts, I love their coffee but worry about how many donuts I am going to buy. Mmmmmm, donuts.     Reply
  • commenter
    User 242548
    Aug 12 06:38 PM
    Poll Shows 73% Americans Think Starbucks is Overpriced [view article]
    Howard caught a wave and everyone thinks he's a genius. By the time many Americans have descretionary income SBUX will be diluted. Reply
  • commenter
    Crest
    Investor
    Aug 12 05:57 PM
    Poll Shows 73% Americans Think Starbucks is Overpriced [view article]
    I will NEVER set foot in a McD's again, much less buy a cup of their crappy coffee. Those people hardly even look up at you when they take your order plus they're always miserable.
    And Dunkin' Donuts????? I just wish I could understand the guy behind the counter!
    Give me Starbucks any day.     Reply
  • commenter
    Red Baron
    Aug 12 05:49 PM
    Poll Shows 73% Americans Think Starbucks is Overpriced [view article]
    I couldn't disagree with the article more. Look, does SBUX have issues, yes they do. But most people griped gas was overpriced at $2, but it took $4 a gallon before they actually changed behavior. SBUX coffee has always been slammed for its burnt beans, but they have still built a nice little exclusive feel of being sophisticated for a mere $3 a pop. That hasn't really changed. Yes, the recession will cause some impact, and no they will not be able to grow stores like they did. Yes, it stinks if you lost money on this stock as it has tanked lately - but I find it a good value right now that is why I just got in long. Will it bounce around a bit for the next 18 months, probably, but at the end of the day, go to a starbucks and see the foot traffic - these stores are still quite busy with people standing in line eager to pay $5 for a skinny latte mocha. Reply
  • commenter
    jimsep
    Aug 12 05:45 PM
    Poll Shows 73% Americans Think Starbucks is Overpriced [view article]
    It may take a year or two, but the author will eat his words because the stock will be MUCH higher. Reply
  • commenter
    InvBanker81
    Aug 12 04:50 PM
    Poll Shows 73% Americans Think Starbucks is Overpriced [view article]
    The picture painted in this article would seem to describe a chain that has a very low brand value, yet it would seem the very opposite is true. The customer service at my local Starbucks is excellent. The majority of the baristas know my drink as well as many others that come in. The value proposition is not simply the coffee, though their lattes and cappuccinos do greatly surpass that of my local McDonalds, which serve powder mix cappuccinos. McDonald's quarterly numbers show that their McCafe's are performing very poorly. There were an overlap of Starbucks in many major metropolitan areas, yet many of those were very full as well i.e. Chicago, New York. I think it is an easy critique to make when someone does't frequent coffee shops. But what I have found is that the independent coffee shops I visit cannot compete in flavor consistency and are oftentimes higher priced. Reply
  • commenter
    mkreisel
    Aug 09 03:06 AM
    Starbucks on Sale (Part I) [view article]
    All the bashers here make me feel that buy point for SBUX is near.

     Reply
  • commenter
    d_teller
    Aug 08 10:52 PM
    What If...? Market Contingency Plans [view article]
    There are a lot of 'memes' - or perception derived beliefs that haven't been objectively tested - in the original posting. We all have these...like "work hard and you'll get a head" (actuallly, you perspire and get tired) or "health care" which is really 'sickness intervention' and 'diagnosis reimbursement', which also carries a larger parasitic load from administration and information errors than mutual fund fees, or even hedge fund rake-offs. When big pharma sells new "me-too" drugs via television ads, if there's no CyP analysis for the population, there will be a huge incidence of side-effects.

    A stimulus, that might have somewhat more lasting value, IMO, would have been "The feds won't tax the first 5K$ of divs & interest this year, regardless of AGI" or whatever would be the equivalent tax loss from the give away...it would have slowed the consumption, but increased savings, and provided capital flows. It also would have slowed the "gimme" from the great unwashed.

    Another possibility, enact a "FairTax" on consumption (see FairTax.org) and give up the consumer-driven economy.

    Perhaps we should tax the insurance companies who make people pay rent on their anxieties.

    Perhaps we might provide accurate feedback to all the test-takers :

    "You missed a lot of 'recall' questions, and need to learn how to outline and precis..or actually do the required reading";
    "compared to your enates, you missed a lot of the 'discrimination' questions, so we need some practice with these, across the topics";

    instead of giving schools and principals/teachers, a score for how well they've utilized their instructional resources.


    We need to have a more transparent legislative process, so the public can actually understand what a bill may mean when it becomes law.

    We need to have a bigger focus on aging infrastructure, rather than the color of a neighbor's house; and we need to remember that life is temporary, but good deeds and doing well for others has a longer existence...but no thanks or monetary rewards are necessary, particularly in a resource constrained environment.


    We definitely need to have a focus on needs vs. wants, so that holidays become a celebration and not an expensive shopping trip.
    Reply
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