Commentary: Starbucks Then and Now.
Once in a while, I’ll hear people say that they want a simpler Starbucks experience. I think back to what I remember of Starbucks in the 1990s. Was that really such a halcyon era? Or does nostalgia just trip us up now and then?
There are times that I feel nostalgic towards the 1990s. Starbucks was a small company and there were only two stores anywhere near me: Oaktree and Northgate Way. And in fact, for years it was only the Oaktree store. Tori Amos was in her heyday. Seinfeld played on t.v. The idea that everyone must have a cell phone didn’t exist yet. Forrest Gump and Titanic were smash hit movies of the 1990s. I always thought that the Truman Show was a brilliant movie. I admit, I still like the album Spiceworld by the Spice Girls and I saw the Spice Girls movie in theaters. (I may have to blast Stop right now just to write this article.) I don’t know about other cities, but Seattle seemed like it was a lot more affordable back then. The expense of rent (and a mortgage) has really gone up.
But what would happen if we returned to the Starbucks of the 1990s? What would that look like? I think the modern day customer of 2014 would turn and run the other direction. Hello competitors! Let’s plunk a 2014 Starbucks customer inside a 1993 – 1999 era Starbucks:
Customer: I’d like a Tall 2% Mocha. Barista: I’m sorry we only offer one milk. The only option is whole milk.
Customer: I’d like a Tall Cinnamon Dolce Latte. Barista: We have only like three syrups. Would you like Almond, Vanilla, or Toffeenut Syrup?
Customer: Shakes phone, and says “I’m ready to pay.” Barista: Nice calculator!
Customer: I’d like a Venti Brewed Coffee of the Day. Barista: I’m sorry but Venti hasn’t been invented yet. Would you like a short, tall, or grande brewed coffee? (Venti was added to the menu in the late 1990s.)
Customer: I’d like to buy your coffee beans in grocery stores. Barista: We don’t sell whole bean coffee in grocery stores.
Customer: I’d like to pay with a Starbucks card and earn rewards. Barista: I’m sorry we have no rewards. The Starbucks card will be invented in 2001.
Customer: Wow the merchandise is incredible. You have such an array of merchandise everywhere! Limoge boxes, bearista bears, stationary, gold reusable coffee filters, every size of French press that you can imagine, books, games, CDs. Wow. Look at the Christmas pottery! Planners, toys, tumblers, mugs – I love the mugs with the coffee stamp images on them – and look at this snowglobe! Barista: Yes we have tons and tons of merchandise!! We may have just 3 syrups but meanwhile we’re drowning in merchandise.
Customer: I’d like a breakfast sandwich with my Tall Coffee. Barista: We’re sorry but we have no warmed food and no breakfast sandwiches.
Customer: Can I get a domed lid on this Frappuccino? (The Frappuccino was added in 1994 – 1995 depending where you were). Barista: We’re sorry, the domed lid hasn’t been invented yet.
Customer: Can I get a Frappuccino without coffee in it? Barista: I have no idea what you’re talking about. There’s no such thing. (Starbucks introduced the crème based Frappuccino in 2002).
Customer: I’m so confused. Which line should I stand in? Barista: We have a separate line if you’re just buying whole bean coffee over there at the far end of the store.
Customer: I’m in a hurry. Why in the world is it taking five to ten minutes for my beverage and the store is empty. Barista: I’m sorry we constantly have to time our espresso shots. Our espresso shots are hand pulled. Your beverage is always slow.
Customer: Can I get that Kenya Clover brewed? Barista: I’m sorry but Starbucks doesn’t buy the company that makes the Clover until 2008. The Clover doesn’t get invented until about 2007.
***
People have changed. Times have changed. It sounds dreamy to go back to a simpler time but I don’t think it would work for any business now. The one thing for sure, the Starbucks of the 1990s had a lot more decaf coffee and there was a whole bean coffee menuboard hanging in every store. I kind of miss the old coffee menu boards. I have moments of nostalgia too but I think nostalgia is this weird phenomenon that always makes us revere the past as the best era ever. Maybe it wasn’t.
Maybe we’re having the time of lives right now.
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Melody wonderful post! Boy, I can just imagine all those past days! I have to go back and reread this post again. You know for me the one thing I would like to bring back is the feeling that partners seemed to engage more with the customers in the early years- they did not seem as stressed – maybe because SB was not as big as it is now. So, for me it would be more customer service, more congeniality. Sure things change and that is great but customer service should never change for the worse.
I agree with purple1. I am becoming increasingly frustrated with the level of customer service and knowledge of the baristas. I’m also tired of being rushed even though I’m in the city. From what I understand Starbucks is a good employer but the majority of the baristas I come in contact with on a daily basis have very little knowledge of their product and are not interested in small talk.
Thank you for this article.
@Purple1 and @Dottie – I don’t see as much of that here in Seattle. I think we have very high caliber baristas in this market. It begs the question, ‘How do you hire people who are passionate about your business and want to know more?’ Once in a while, I meet partners who are just as you described. I’ve had partners pretty much point blank ask me, “why would I ever read a customer blog about Starbucks?” There are some partners who seem to think that all they need to know and need to do ends at knowing drink recipes. It’s impossible to have 200,000 partners and not have this now and then. Maybe size is the problem? I will agree, Starbucks could do more to try to work on making sure that their partners crave knowledge of the brand and products. But I’m not for a minute willing to say it’s the majority of partners. There are many great partners out there.
Melody as we have discussed before I totally agree that there are some truly terrific partners at SB stores. However, I find with the new systems in place and much more responsibility that partners seem to have on the floor, it can sometimes be hard for them to interact with customers in ways they did in the beginning. Seattle to me is like an island- being that corporate SB is there and it seems like programs, promotions, etc. tend to sometimes be different.
My hometown had one quirky coffeehouse- looking back- it was probably as hipster as it got in the 90’s midwest town. I did not experience SB until I came out to Seattle for a fun trip in 2004. Then my midwest hometown got a Target with a SB inside and then a freestanding one. (I think they have another freestanding one now- the total is 3) I remember going and it was probably a 20 min wait for coffee. Then I came back to Seattle again in Spring 2005… then I moved to Washington state later that summer in July. So began my love with coffee. Not just SB- but all the independent coffee huts. It BLEW my mind!!! They were EVERYWHERE!!! Seriously- ya’ll dig your coffee here in the PNW. Seriously. A SB in a store- and then a big one in the same shopping strip at the other end of the parking lot? Or across the street? It still makes me giggle. I can punch in SB on my GPS and find all of them- and there are probably more in a 20 mile radius anywhere in Washington than my whole homestate combined!!!
Thank you for the comparison. Some things make me miss the early days of Starbucks, some things don’t.
I like the Clover machine, rewards card, and venti size.
I’m ambivalent towards the syrup selection and milk choices. I usually don’t get less than whole milk and I find the syrups at Starbucks to be disgustingly sweet. Although, I will concede that milk choices and syrup choices have their place at a coffee shop.
I miss the merchandise selection. The McDonalds-esque breakfast sandwiches are not worth the trouble, in my opinion. The Creme Frappuccinos never should have happened. I’d much rather have hand-pulled high quality shots than rush rush watery button shots that cater to people who, if they are in that much of a rush, should not be stopping in a coffee shop in the first place.
The first time I stepped foot in a Starbucks was in the Chicago Lakeview neighborhood in 1993. They had a dazzling selection of muffins and scones. And not a cake pop in site. 🙂
Bring back almond syrup!!! Seriously 😉
We were just talking about the bean menu board and the whole bean register yesterday! Things were sometime more complex for baristas too, like you mentioned pulling shots–which is an art form in itself. Also, we had to brew double strength coffee and chill it to make frappuccino base, and if you were really busy and didn’t brew enough, you were in trouble. Our nearest service tech was 4 hours away, so when a grinder broke, I had to take it apart and fix it myself. Nice reflections on the past!
If we are going back to the future…I will take a pound of Kona please!
I’m just glad I have a Starbucks within walking distance from my home. I don’t get too hung up on the minutia of their products or their operations. Without a SBUX nearby, life would be quite empty.
I love this idea of looking back at a business’ past to see how far it’s come. I may just use this model for my own business. Thanks Melody1 Great insight!
Maybe a happy medium. Sometime I feel like they have gotten away from their coffee roots & have too many drinks & too many offerings. Sometimes I think simpler is better & I miss the early days. Not only have they gone away from the comfortable seating & welcoming environments, but it doesn’t even smell like coffee sometimes. I miss the seasonal varieties of beans & get so tired of the same old stuff. Honestly I once love frapachinos, but I find them way too sweet & prefer coffee or an espresso drink. I do enjoy the varieties of Iced tea & coffee and the refreshers, but not all the sweet options. I do like the cold sandwiches & bistro boxes and little snacks, but not the heated breakfast sandwiches & pastries. I miss all the coffee related stuff they used to have for sale versus the expensive coffee machines they have now. I realize that change is necessary & a business that doesn’t will not last
Great essay Melody! I do agree with @purple1 and a few others. Also that Seattle apparently is like an island when it comes to Sbux and I don’t think that’s the way any huge business should be.
I do think I’d take the 90’s back. pulled shots, everything slower. I’d give up the Clover for the return of manual shots anyday. And I do agree that the partners, amny of them…and there are many that I just adore and we have great relationships and then BOOM, one day they’re gone. Two of the older best (I thought) partners that I used to see daily and enjoyed, just got the boot. I don’t know what reasons but from what I saw, they were really all the qualities on my end that I’d expect in a Sbux barista. But they’re gone. And the turnover for other reasons is just huge. It does not appear that Sbux is really such a great place to be employed, and it seems…being as successful and huge as it is, that could be improved!
Yeah. I’m pretty sure I’d take the 90’s back. I don’t see things getting better.
I don’t think Starbucks would survive in today’s economy just operating as what it did in the 1994-1995 era. Customers are more demanding about options: Milks, syrups, and they want it faster than ever before.
I too miss the smell of coffee in the stores. And I too like to see partners who are truly knowledgeable and love what they do. But I wouldn’t take the 1990s back.
purple1 and Dottie I agree. Funny thing is I work at SB for a short period of time as an Asst Mgr. I went to work at SB because I was a longtime customer who had a passion for both coffee & Starbucks. I was truly shock by the number of partners who didn’t & many didn’t even like coffee. If I were a manager looking to hire partners I would want as many coffee lovers & Starbucks lovers as possible. David I agree with a lot of your points too. I only get whole milk or breve & wasn’t too happy when they changed to 2% so I have to remember to ask for whole. My guess is that the change was so they could lower their calorie count and or cost since I think whole milk is more expensive. I stopped getting syrups a long time ago because they are just too sticky sweet & I’m sure they contain ingredients I would not typically eat & I think they just have too many choices. I worked at SB as they were transitioning from the hand pulled shots. From what I heard the hand pulled were better tasting, but they were causing a lot of repetitive injuries to the partners. I worked with a partner that had to have some sort of surgery to repair the damage. I’m sure there were a lot of workers comp claims that lead to the change & also speeding up service. Going back to the comments from purple1 and Dottie I think the partners are over run (at least at busy stores) with all the things they have to do from getting food items heating them getting drinks & they don’t have the time to chat or they forget to be friendly. I worked at two different busy stores & honestly I was so busy running around my whole shift that going to the bathroom was a welcome break.
I heart you 4evs, Melody! The only way forward is up.
Denise R- partners get 30 seconds to take your order, write your cup, and tender your payment these days. If you don’t like that PLEASE speak up. I got fired BOOM without having a chance to say goodbye. If connections matter, let them know you notice the difference.
I miss the days with the .99 cent gas and all the Camaro cars including mine.
@Terri: oh trust me, I did speak up about the sudden (BOOM) disappearance of these 2 partners. I would never NOT speak up. I am a very long time customer…..they all know me, even the newbies seem to immediately know my name (and no, 99% of the time names are not asked for to put on the cups…very rare around here). I can barely keep track of who they are…there are 3 or 4 new (6mnths or less?) partners that I can never keep straight. They’re all very kind but they’re not experienced. And it changes so rapidly these days. They’re either new or often ‘borrowed’. So, just so you know…..my voice is heard, at least locally. (sm, dm,rdm)
Bring back Tazoberry!
Don’t forget the days of cup placement (rather than writing on cups). No sugar-free syrups. The dazzling array of whole bean choices! Arabian Mocha Sanani. Smaller menu, but honestly, more of a ‘handcrafted beverage’ than the Bux of today.
almond syrup please x 10!! 🙂
oh yes: Tazoberry ‘n cream. loved that. not complicated.
I liked Marzagran, the coffee flavored pop that was only around for a short time.
That Clover thing is still a mystery today. I’ve yet to see one anywhere. I don’t understand why SB promotes that thing and then doesn’t put it in the stores.
Man, do I miss almond syrup 🙁
I didn’t know it was part of their original three that they had. Did sales of it drop off that much to warrant a discontinue? Has any other syrups been discontinued?
Haven’t seen the dark cherry or orange Valencia syrups in awhile.
Love this post @melody, maybe its the history buff in me. I’ve always been both leery and impressed with Starbucks order complexity. “Special orders don’t upset us” from BK now seems a trifle compared with the complexly coded communication, that goes “.. half caf triple extra hot over easy etc. etc.” between SB customers and baristas sufficiently “in the know” ..
Frankly, I would be ok with a “number 5” .. (say, grande latte, 2%)
But with all the choice, the numbers would go too high ..
Do we need all the choice? I’d argue, probably not. But we’ve come to expect it at Starbucks. And we know there’s no going back. Thanks for helping me appreciate the simple things, again. A latte. Yeah, that’s it. Grande would be fine. That’s a medium, right? 🙂
This was great!!! Loved all the little facts!