Starbucks

folamh · 02-05-2012 01:06PM #1

Hi there, hope this is the right forum for this.

The other day after lectures I suggested going to Starbucks for coffee, and a friend of mine got very critical, saying he never drinks there, they're "dodgy" and I shouldn‘t be supporting them. I said yunno I always hear that I shouldn’t be supporting Starbucks, that I have blood on my hands yada yada yada, but no one’s been able to tell me why exactly and I can’t find anything on the internet about it. As far as I know, they treat their employees very well, they don’t discriminate and their coffee is fair trade and ethically sourced. So what’s the problem? He proceeded to tell me that they’re on some “list” of companies to watch out for for some vague reason. I’m not sure if he was telling the truth or not. If you disagree with big corporations that’s one thing, but there’s no need to make stuff up.

So would anyone care to tell me what the story is (if there is one at all)?

Thanks.

phasers · 02-05-2012 01:07PM

Their coffee tastes like shite for starters

seamus · 02-05-2012 01:07PM

Mention any multinational company and you'll always find one artsy pseudo-humanitarian whingery type who claims that they're evil and will list off a litany of "abuses".

They're just hipster ****. Ignore them and enjoy your coffee.

lazygal · 02-05-2012 01:08PM

I like to drink coffee, so I never go to Starbucks.

Snowie · 02-05-2012 01:08PM

phasers wrote: »

Their coffee tastes like shite for starters

no that nescaffee frizzed dried does, there coffee taste like nescaffe mixed with tar :pac:

EDIT: ****ty spelling

davet82 · 02-05-2012 01:09PM

Starbucks are the Microsoft of the coffee world... so your gonna get that crap talk...

its probably the lads down in Insomnia that are spreading the rumors

Pushtrak · 02-05-2012 01:10PM

A quick google search shows they are quick to buy out competitors...

http://www.ineedcoffee.com/06/hate/

And for some reason, I can't place it, but I got the sense that a lot of Americans view it as the Walmart of coffee. Honestly can't point to any specifics on why I get that impression but there it is.

Teyla Emmagan · 02-05-2012 01:10PM

My only problem with the place is all the **** who think it's a destination in itself. Or that they cool quotient triples when they walk around in public with one of their mugs. It's a frickin coffee shop like, get over yourself!!!

Table Top Joe · 02-05-2012 01:11PM

seamus wrote: »

They're just hipster ****.

Nail on the head

sbsquarepants · 02-05-2012 01:11PM

I've never been. Not out of any ethical refusal, but simply because i refuse to que for half an hour for a paper cup of coffee when the shop next door can get me one in 2 minutes. People certainly seem to love that place!!

As for the ethics part - if you're drinking coffee you're screwing someone over, same as if you're wearing clothes or eating chocolate or a million other everyday things. What you gonna do, drink tap water naked?

krudler · 02-05-2012 01:13PM

Tim Hortons ftw

RichieC · 02-05-2012 01:13PM

Their CEO is a zionist.

davet82 · 02-05-2012 01:14PM

their coffee i can only desribe as being served warm... i've been told this is to stop possible legal action in case anybody is scolded, anybody confirm that rumor? Their coffee may be nice if you could get it served hot

Pushtrak · 02-05-2012 01:14PM

sbsquarepants wrote: »

What you gonna do, drink tap water naked?

No, but then, that too is empathy.

flanders1979 · 02-05-2012 01:15PM

Only someone with the brain of Derek Zoolander would pay more than €2 for a cup of coffee.

ntlbell · 02-05-2012 01:15PM

seamus wrote: »

They're just hipster ****. Ignore them and enjoy your coffee.

indeed, but it's not an easy thing to do in starbucks as the coffee tastes like it was hydrolicly squeezed out of an OAP's arsehole after a load of stout

kfallon · 02-05-2012 01:16PM

If I want tea or coffee there is a kettle in work or at home, I can make it there!

I am not being ripped off by some company for hot water, milk and a few coffee beans/tea bag!

Plus I do not see a Starbucks coffee mug as some sort of trophy to be held aloft when walking to work in the morning....as a lot of people do :rolleyes:

curlzy · 02-05-2012 01:16PM

Hey OP,

I lived with a guy that worked for Starbucks, they don't treat their employees well but that's neither here nor there really. Only one of their coffees is fair trade, the one called fair trade. The others aren't fair trade, they're got in the ususal scummy way of f-ing over the environment, the farmers and everyone in between. I don't like coffee myself so don't have this issue. In future when someone starts a lecture, ask them why exactly you shouldn't support them, if the person can't answer, say "Oh I don't listen to gossip, if you can't answer why they're not ethical you shouldn't be lecturing people".

phasers · 02-05-2012 01:18PM

Also, when you order a coffee they ask for your name now. What the fcuk is that about?

BraziliaNZ · 02-05-2012 01:19PM

I like coffee and I'm not a harsh critic on coffee most of the time but Insomnia is absolute puke burnt bitter horrible coffee, I can't believe people continue to drink that stuff. Starbucks isn't bad at all IMO.

Snowie · 02-05-2012 01:20PM

seamus wrote: »

They're just hipster ****.

Unfortunalty hipsters seem to think they no good food as well as coffee and ar into barristas etc, they generally tweet their pictures of coffee and there really **** food pics as some gargantuan effort to seem like there really good at food photography but heres the problem there not remotely average at what they do... :rolleyes:

ChunkyLover_53 · 02-05-2012 01:21PM

flanders1979 wrote: »

Only someone with the brain of Derek Zoolander would pay more than €2 for a cup of coffee.

Does that go for people who pay over a fiver for a pint?

At least I'll drink the coffee and leave it at that...maybe have one a few hours later or the next day, but I won't try to drink as many as I can in 3 hours, start a fight, get sick, eat a kebab, get sick in a taxi/bus, fall unconcious & wake up next morning in pain wondering wtf I did last night.

ntlbell · 02-05-2012 01:21PM

phasers wrote: »

Also, when you order a coffee they ask for your name now. What the fcuk is that about?

did they not always do this? and put the name on the cup?

baltimore sun · 02-05-2012 01:22PM

It comes from America where Starbucks will set up a shop in the neighbourhood and proceed to undersell coffee to pressurise the other coffee shops in the area to either put down their prices or until they go out of business. They've been known to set up a few shops in local areas because they know they can take a hit on lower prices being a large multinational until their rivals in a location closes and then they'll hike up the prices.

That's why people hate them.
There's been no sign of that happening in Ireland yet though, but the thing is that in Ireland their clientelle seem to be for the most part complete and utter douchebags who would rather been seen there with their crappy slim apple mac laptops, with an oversized cup on their hand drinking something that has 7 syllable in the name.

Personally I don't like their coffee and I'd much prefer to go into a local smaller shop than a starbucks.

Wasn't there a story about them wasting tons of water in the last year or too also? Always leaving the tap running to ensure that the water remains cold? Something like that.

ntlbell · 02-05-2012 01:22PM

Snowie wrote: »

Unfortunalty hipsters seem to think they no good food as well as coffee and ar into barristas etc, they generally tweet their pictures of coffee and there really **** food pics as some gargantuan effort to seem like there really good at food photography but heres the problem there not remotely average at what they do... :rolleyes:

you try taking a picture with those jeans on.

in fact. try doing _anything_ with those jeans on.

WoollyRedHat · 02-05-2012 01:23PM

Fair trade coffee, o.k, o.k it is good to support, but my God, the stuff is absolutely rank tbf.

Costa Coffee > Starbucks by the by.

I am pie · 02-05-2012 01:24PM

If that person was warning you off drinking a certain companies coffee and couldn't tell you why, you might kindly inform them that they are a brainwashed clown and that you like to make your own decisions based on information you've read yourself rather than some second hand, half remembered right on nonsense.

Bland and boring anti-americanism, nothing more....now if they said you shouldn't go cos the coffee tasted like hot dishwater they'd have an argument.

OldNotWIse · 02-05-2012 01:25PM

I would question the validity of any establishment that sells vanilla/cream/icey/chocolatey-with a cherry on top concoctions as "coffee"

St.Spodo · 02-05-2012 01:25PM

seamus wrote: »

Mention any multinational company and you'll always find one artsy pseudo-humanitarian whingery type who claims that they're evil and will list off a litany of "abuses".

They're just hipster ****. Ignore them and enjoy your coffee.

The sort of self-serving righteousness from hipsters annoys me to no end. These sort of people don't actually care about the litany of ''abuses''; it's just trendy so they pretend they do.

I am pie · 02-05-2012 01:25PM

baltimore sun wrote: »

It comes from America where Starbucks will set up a shop in the neighbourhood and proceed to undersell coffee to pressurise the other coffee shops in the area to either put down their prices or until they go out of business. They've been known to set up a few shops in local areas because they know they can take a hit on lower prices being a large multinational until their rivals in a location closes and then they'll hike up the prices.

That's why people hate them.
There's been no sign of that happening in Ireland yet though, but the thing is that in Ireland their clientelle seem to be for the most part complete and utter douchebags who would rather been seen there with their crappy slim apple mac laptops, with an oversized cup on their hand drinking something that has 7 syllable in the name.

Personally I don't like their coffee and I'd much prefer to go into a local smaller shop than a starbucks.

Wasn't there a story about them wasting tons of water in the last year or too also? Always leaving the tap running to ensure that the water remains cold? Something like that.

Didn't the CEO recognise this practise was diluting their brand and was detrimental to the business. They've been closing shops and trying to improve the remaining ones. Something about focusing on what the original shops were supposed to be...

ntlbell · 02-05-2012 01:28PM

St.Spodo wrote: »

The sort of self-serving righteousness from hipsters annoys me to no end. These sort of people don't actually care about the litany of ''abuses''; it's just trendy so they pretend they do.

who do they think make their little pink pomps?

Starbucks

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