This past weekend, we were down in Milwaukee helping a friend move. On Sunday, we stopped in at the Starbucks in a Barnes & Noble attached to the mall before we all went our seperate ways. We got onto the subject of coffee, as we had a mix of non-coffee and hardcore coffee folks in the group (bet you can't guess where I fit :) and I mentioned that of all the independent coffee shops in Green Bay, I still hit Starbucks almost every day. This response was precipitated by the question "So, Dana, are you a corporate coffee drinker?" Meaning, do I get my beans from the big green machine that is Starbucks, as if it were somehow a black mark on my existence that I still dig Starbucks.

Why do I still dig Starbucks? Well, John Moore over at Brand Autopsy sums it up nicely with a Howard Schultz quote:

My other reasons:

1. They open early enough - No one else in GB is open at 5:30AM, that I know of, some coffee shops open as late as 9AM
2. Consistency - I know that when I order a double-tall mocha, I'm getting the same damn DTM that I've been drinking since 1999 in Long Beach. Granted, other coffee houses may, at times, be "better", but you never know from day-to-day
3. Service - I kid you not, the coffee shop right up the street from me takes over 8 minutes, on the average, to get to me (they're not that busy) and get my drink, and they act pissed off when I don't order food too
4. A few words - Starbucks hires the friendliest people (probably something to do w/ Schult's vision, see above). Granted, other shops in town have great workers, but it's never consistent - see point #2
5. Price - As usual, price is the last concern, but they're still the cheapest on drinks, apples-to-apples comparison, at least for what I usually order

Now, truth be told, I don't like to 'hang out' at Starbucks as much as I do the other independents in town, but they still get so many things right that it's hard to ignore their presence. It's so funny that other coffee houses don't copy at least a few more of their practices. Best practices never transfer...

[For more on Starbucks & Tribal Knowledge, check out the series over @ Brand Autopsy]

[UPDATE: Alex has 2 more reasons...]