[James]

the problem of people "camping out" is not isolated to just starbucks
i was at second cup (king & jarvis) today with a freind
only one table available
the entire back wall and window areas being used as offices
and they appeared to have been their for quit some time.
we stayed 1/2 hr.
not one of them got up to buy something
i saw many people walk in, look around, then walk out
im sure they would have stayed if seating was available

...And that's exactly what should happen. As consumers, we have a choice. If we're displeased with a company's service, we should acknowledge that we do have the choice to go somewhere else. Now, that said, some people are fanatical about a certain type of coffee and will, against all odds, go out of the way for that cup. The diehards will be there no matter what. For the rest of us, we should simply go elsewhere. Eventually the establishment will realize this.

 

[BSH]

1/2-hour free Wi-Fi with any purchase and then an option to pay for more time seems like an easy way to sort this.

brilliant solution jasonparis
thisv would work
very simple to implement
not infringing on anyones rights

 

[Urban Shocker]

And regarding libraries and noise that US alluded to: that's the latest faddish trend in library management, "library as place". Not as a place of quiet concentration, but one of "engagement" with the public, i.e., if you want to read a book in peace and quiet, this isn't the place for you, and the more of a Starbucks it is, the better.

Because I refuse to buy a computing device of any sort, I make my occasional special guest appearances on this forum, and generally "surf", at my local library at Gerrard and Broadview. They have nice security guards on duty to escort the drunks and louts who use the coffee shop across the street as a staging post for their forays here, but I find the stench of some of my seatmates to be generally more offensive than the slurred insults hurled at the staff.

 

[waltthizzney]

starbucks wants you to sit down and stay forever, it is their strategy, why do u think they have all those big comfy chairs??

notice how dark horse has no outlets?

also, support your local cafe, starbucks are a crime to this city

 

[CDL.TO]

also, support your local cafe, starbucks are a crime to this city

Why?

 

[waltthizzney]

Why?

the same reason why wal mart is bad for the economy

 

[Dilla]

the same reason why wal mart is bad for the economy

Why?

 

[gabe]

Why?

....... Small shops cannot compete and fold. Why anyone in their right mind would visit a Starbucks in place like downtown Toronto is beyond me. Support our indie cafes and bistros, which majority of them if not all use fair trade coffee.

 

[can332]

I too find it near impossible to find a seat at my local Starbucks (Parliament/Carlton) most days due to those who have decided to Occupy Starbucks (couldn't resist). So, I just move on to my local pub! God knows the prices are almost the same now.

 

[JasonParis]

....... Small shops cannot compete and fold. Why anyone in their right mind would visit a Starbucks in place like downtown Toronto is beyond me. Support our indie cafes and bistros, which majority of them if not all use fair trade coffee.

I support good coffee and if there isn't an indie handy, Starbucks does the trick. How's that?

 

[Admiral Beez]

Starbucks started as an indie coffee shop. People liked their product and service and thus Starbucks was successful and grew. So, we are now supposed to hate Starbucks for being successful? I love going to Starbucks in Cabbagetown, a much more welcoming spot than Jet Fuel, especially for those with kids in tow (my girls love vanilla cremes).

It's the same with Wal-Mart, they started with one store and grew not through some predatory evil scheme, but because customers came, liked what they saw and the business grew from there.

It's a funny human condition, we love a start up company with neat ideas, but if they grow and succeed we hate them for the very success we helped grow, somehow believing that the once innovative firm is now too big and stifling innovation and other start ups. I imagine the same will happen to Apple, everyone loves them now, including the Starbucks laptop lingerers, but when they totally own the music distribution business people may start to hate the monster Jobs built.

 

[gabe]

Starbucks started as an indie coffee shop. People liked their product and service and thus Starbucks was successful and grew. So, we are now supposed to hate Starbucks for being successful? I love going to Starbucks in Cabbagetown, a much more welcoming spot than Jet Fuel, especially for those with kids in tow (my girls love vanilla cremes).



It's the same with Wal-Mart, they started with one store and grew not through some predatory evil scheme, but because customers came, liked what they saw and the business grew from there.

It's a funny human condition, we love a start up company with neat ideas, but if they grow and succeed we hate them for the very success we helped grow, somehow believing that the once innovative firm is now too big and stifling innovation and other start ups. I imagine the same will happen to Apple, everyone loves them now, including the Starbucks laptop lingerers, but when they totally own the music distribution business people may start to hate the monster Jobs built.

Starbucks is famous for exploiting farm workers in the third world countries, they are driving small cafes out of business eliminating the competition and selection.

Problem with Wal Mart is in the early 90's walmart really started encouraging suppliers to move their operations overseas. they dropped their whole "made in the u.s.a." campaign completely in the 90's. walmart isn't the only company to take the blame, but they led the charge. other retail places couldn't compete with them unless they also went with overseas suppliers. so it had a kind of snowball effect.

Manufacturing jobs are generally higher paying jobs, and as these jobs are lost the jobs that replace them are low paying retail service jobs. You probably don't care because you're too cheap to shop anywhere else

 

[waltthizzney]

Starbucks started as an indie coffee shop. People liked their product and service and thus Starbucks was successful and grew. So, we are now supposed to hate Starbucks for being successful? I love going to Starbucks in Cabbagetown, a much more welcoming spot than Jet Fuel, especially for those with kids in tow (my girls love vanilla cremes).

It's the same with Wal-Mart, they started with one store and grew not through some predatory evil scheme, but because customers came, liked what they saw and the business grew from there.

It's a funny human condition, we love a start up company with neat ideas, but if they grow and succeed we hate them for the very success we helped grow, somehow believing that the once innovative firm is now too big and stifling innovation and other start ups. I imagine the same will happen to Apple, everyone loves them now, including the Starbucks laptop lingerers, but when they totally own the music distribution business people may start to hate the monster Jobs built.

having a starbucks on every corner like vancouver is not a good look, european cities, or hell even MTL arn't like this

 

[urbandreamer]

The main problem with sbux is their coffee is appalling. The second problem is sbux now attracts a ton of trashy customers. It's become the new coffee crime imo.

sbux is a bore.

 

[Admiral Beez]

The main problem with sbux is their coffee is appalling. The second problem is sbux now attracts a ton of trashy customers. It's become the new coffee crime imo.

sbux is a bore.

Starbucks took coffee to the mainstream, introducing those "trashy customers" to a better coffee than they'd previously bought at Coffee Time or Tims. Same as Chapters-Indigo did to books. A lot of snooty coffee shops and book shops went down as a result. The market decides what it wants.