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Sunday, October 29, 2006

Infilling

I like Starbucks but get really... really... nervous when I hear about their infilling policy. Check this article out :: link :: and feel the worry too...
The coffee chain's aggressive growth also hinges on what the company calls "infill" — adding stores in cities where its mermaid logo is already commonplace. In some cases, that means putting a Starbucks within a block of an existing store, if not closer.../

/...Despite such saturation — and plans for much more — Starbucks insists that it sees very little cannibalization of its existing business when a new store opens. In fact, the company says, one reason would-be customers don't end up buying a Starbucks drink is because the line is too long. One solution is to open up another store nearby.
This is going to affect the indies... and that concerns me. What do you think?

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6 comments:

  1. Anonymous11:26 pm

    yeh, i've been getting worried about this too -

    without some kind of imaginative direct action by the body of christ ,the dna, driving spirit or default trajectory of an unrestrained global market invades companies increases- twisting them away from their God-given vocation of serving people to serving themselves.
    coffee trade moves even more away from fair trade and serving people - to 'empire'-

    I need to check out coffee trade watchers and fair trade research.. on the net
    thanks for raising this

    criticism >may need to move to> creative active direct action/resistance ?

    darn - i like starbucks

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  2. Anonymous9:04 am

    In one of the nearby towns, Woking there was a great coffee place called Esquires Coffee, and Starbucks opened a store directly opposite. I've made a point of ignoring them and sticking with Esquires.

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  3. Yeah, im slowly converting to cafe nero and beanscene, i did love starbucks, but their whole global domination thing put me off.

    Theres only one thing worth that level of saturation into a community. XD

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  4. Anonymous5:07 pm

    It's like when Vineyard was a hot church movement, we used to have church "plants" some even just a few miles of each other.

    Never understood that, why have four small struggling churches when you can have one strong one?

    But with Starbucks it seems to be working. I know that whenever the local Nero's is too crowded in the morning, I have to suffer with Costa Coffee since they take up the overflow.

    And you gotta realize that in a lot of american small towns there aren't many indie coffee houses anyway.

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  5. Anonymous5:25 am

    Someone once told me that Starbucks put mom and pops coffee houses in Japan out of business. i love starbucks but not at the expense of indie coffee shops, which i love more, and which, in the usa, usually offer free wifi. starbucks here has a deal with tmobile and you have to pay for wifi, which i am dead set against. Thanks for raising this issue. It's ridiculous to have so many in such close proximity.

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  6. Hmmm... DIY ethics advocate keeping yer operation small and local. Loads of wee scenes bleeding into each other, cross pollination happens, everyone prospers - strength is found is being wee and Guerra like.

    Seems like the mighty 'Buck has half cottoned onto this while managing to miss the real point completely.

    Bams.

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