Starbucks is trying out an old marketing playbook. They want to lift sagging sales, increase customer visits and improve affinity but the way they are doing it is artificial.
Baristas who used to treat me like one standing in line at a post office, suddenly seem too friendly, and have started looking me in the eye. They are showing they care but it’s evident that they are following guidelines from a corporate training handbook .
If you haven’t been at Starbucks lately, baristas now behave like girls in strict Catholic schools. The corporate training manual has told them to dress appropriately, fake a smile, talk about a coffee type they have hardly had, and show kindness…I was stunned when one started bringing coffee to me and scrawled “U rock” on my cup. Earlier, all I heard was “here you go!”
They have also started disturbing this self-professed introvert every 30 to 45 minutes asking “Are you all right. Is everything good?” Earlier, they would just leave me in peace.
Starbucks used to be a place where I could linger, be creative and enjoy the ambiance as I cared about it more than the coffee. However, in the post-Covid era they have taken away all the chairs, the feeling of coziness is gone and on some days I don’t feel like going in.
Contrast that to one of my recent favorites, Haraz, that serves Yemeni coffee. The ambiance is different, it’s more airy and you are greeted with warmth and genuineness. They serve some of the finest coffee in the world, from the mountains of Yemen. Coffee making is a craft here and the ambiance makes you feel you are in a place where coffee, community and culture come together. Talk about world class pastries including Dubai Chocolate while the only change I’ve seen in Starbucks recently is that they have de-commissioned my favorite blueberry scone!
Starbucks must completely overhaul not just the customer experience but their bland coffee and pastry line taking into account what their customer needs. It’s time for some segmentation and creativity in understanding a changing audience and their needs.
Homogeneity in America is difficult today. Why should all stores look the same? Can’t some have the ambiance of a hyper-local coffee shop serving great coffee in a place customers feel they belong? Or better, can’t some highlight community and culture across different locations instead of following page 23 on a training manual that tells you to adhere to brand guidelines.
The old days are gone…like personalized medicine, personalized coffee is in.
Lettersnatcher 
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