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kottke.org posts about Starbucks

Starbucks Is a Bank that Sells Coffee

Starbucks sells coffee. But you can also think of Starbucks as a bank โ€” and an unregulated one at that. As part of their rewards program, millions of Starbucks customers have preloaded money onto Starbucks cards, essentially loaning the company more than $1 billion at 0% interest.

Starbucks has around $1.6 billion in stored value card liabilities outstanding. This represents the sum of all physical gift cards held in customer’s wallets as well as the digital value of electronic balances held in the Starbucks Mobile App.* It amounts to ~6% of all of the company’s liabilities.

This is a pretty incredible number. Stored value card liabilities are the money that you, oh loyal Starbucks customer, use to buy coffee. What you might not realize is that these balances simultaneously function as a loan to Starbucks. Starbucks doesn’t pay any interest on balances held in the Starbucks app or gift cards. You, the loyal customer, are providing the company with free debt.

See also McDonald’s is a real estate company.


Japan’s “Mundane” Halloween Costume Party for 2019

Each year since 2014, a group in Japan holds a Halloween event where people come dressed not as witches, Avengers, or zombies but in everyday “mundane” costumes. This year’s costumes include “woman who forgot to take out the trash” and “woman who showed up to a BBQ with no intention of helping out”. My personal favorite is “guy who face-swapped with a Starbucks cup”:

Mundane Halloween 2019

You can see more costumes from this year on Twitter #DPZ or Spoon & Tamago. See also some of last year’s costumes, including “a girl who just gave blood and now can’t do anything for a few minutes” and “guy at the office whose turn it is to empty the shredder”.

Mundane Halloween 2019

I’m not much for Halloween, but this I could get into.


Famous logos drawn from memory

Logos From Memory

Logos From Memory

Logos From Memory

Signs.com asked dozens of Americans to draw the logos of well-known companies from memory, including Domino’s, Apple, Adidas, and Starbucks. As you can see, there was a wide range in aptitude and some logos fared better than others; overall the Starbucks and Foot Locker logos were the worst drawn while Ikea and Target were the best represented.

There is also this (a true story):

Adidas, the second largest sportswear company in the world, acquired its three-stripes logo in 1952 from footwear brand Karhu Sports for two bottles of whiskey and the equivalent of $2,000.

See also drawing all 50 states from memory, can you draw a working bicycle from memory?, and maps drawn from memory.


High-rent blight in the West Village

Shuttered storefronts. Abandoned retail locations. Small businesses that fall like the House of Cards & Curiosities on Eighth Avenue. These are the signs of urban blight we usually associate with economic downturns or poor, forgotten neighborhoods. But these shuttered storefronts are in one of America’s wealthiest neighborhoods; NYC’s West Village. As The New Yorker’s Tim Wu explains, some urban blight emerges when economic times are too good and rents get too high. And we’re not just talking about mom and pop here. Even Starbucks is closing some Manhattan locations due to rent hikes.


Little Starbucks on the Prairie

Over at McSweeney’s, Gary Almeter reimagines episodes of the Little House on the Prairie TV show to reflect the presence of a Starbucks in Walnut Grove.

Charles inherits the entire estate of a wealthy uncle. Within 24 hours, the Ingallses, who are seemingly rich, suddenly become Harriet Oleson’s best pals. They are pressured to make various contributions throughout the community, and they even receive newspaper article offers to chronicle this tremendous change in their lives. Things get even worse when this newfound fortune threatens the family’s relationships with their real friends. Meanwhile, Nellie Oleson, to avenge a barista who broke Nellie’s doll, replaces the cinnamon at the Starbucks condiments bar with cayenne pepper while Mr. Edwards finally accepts the idea that coffee can be iced.

(via @tadfriend)


Starbucks CEO: leave your guns at home

How risky is it to even wade a few inches into the gun rights debate? Just ask Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. Today, he announced the company’s policy that seeks to keep guns out of its cafes. Sort of.

Under the change, baristas and other store employees will not ask customers who come in with guns in holsters, say, to leave or confront them in any way, Mr. Schultz said. No signs explaining the policy will be posted in Starbucks stores, either.

According to Schultz: “We are going to serve them as we would serve anyone else.” In other words, it’s still a good idea to think twice before asking for another shot with your Frappuccino.


And you shall know us by the locations of our Starbucks

Quiz: Can you name these cities just by looking at their Starbucks locations? Here’s a fairly easy one:

NYC Starbucks map


Starbucks to accept Square payments

I hope this will make saying “put it on Jason” a lot less awkward.

When Starbucks builds the Square Directory into their apps and in-store Digital Network, it gives Square new visibility, driving more customers to opt-in to Square. And with nearly 7,000 Starbucks stores soon accepting Square, these new payers will be able to find your business (including coffeehouses) and pay with their name, building community and creating value.

Update: Dan Frommer has more on how Square’s partnership with Starbucks will work.

Starbucks isn’t doing anything radical with its cashier / point of sale design / philosophy yet. There won’t be any pre-ordering drinks a block away, or paying anywhere in the cafe like you can at an Apple Store. Schultz says Starbucks has tried some of that and it’s “highly complicated.”


The Bank of Starbucks

I read this the other day and didn’t link to it because I thought it would get a lot of attention elsewhere…but it didn’t, so here you go. Starbucks is starting a program to help their customers lend money to small businesses.

Here’s the idea they came up with: Americans themselves would start lending to small businesses, with Starbucks serving as the middleman. Starbucks would find financial institutions willing to loan to small businesses. Starbucks customers would be able to donate money to the effort when they bought their coffee. Those who gave $5 or more would get a red-white-and-blue wristband, which Schultz labeled “Indivisible.” “We are hoping it will bring back pride in the American dream,” he says. The tag line will read: “Americans Helping Americans.”

This should be a bigger story, shouldn’t it? Banks seem less and less interested in lending money to people as their primary business and things like Kickstarter and this Starbucks initiative are taking their place.


How Starbucks is trying to get its groove back

Fourteen ways in which Starbucks has tried to revitalize its brand.

8. Ditch the underperformers: In July, Starbucks announced its closure of 600 stores. Check this map for a closure near you, or peep the full list. It’s also dropping 61 of its 84 stores in Australia, and eliminating 1,000 support jobs (not including all layoffs due to stores closures).


Forget the Red State / Blue State labels;

Forget the Red State / Blue State labels; the real question is Wal-Mart State or Starbucks State.

starbuckswalmartpercapita.png

(thx, jason)


Starbucks is switching from T-Mobile to AT&

Starbucks is switching from T-Mobile to AT&T as their wireless provider. Access will be cheaper and Starbucks Card holders will get a couple hours of free wifi a day. (via fimoculous)


Crazy story about a woman who bumps

Crazy story about a woman who bumps into the woman who stole her identity in a Starbucks. A chase ensues. “She had bad teeth and looked like she hadn’t bathed. I thought, ‘You’re buying Prada on my dime. Go get your teeth fixed.’”


The sushi economy

Adding sushi to the ever-growing list of everyday consumables as economic indicators: steak, Big Macs, Starbucks coffee, Coca-Cola, and cigarettes.


Steak house index

Can the health of the high-end steakhouse business predict the future health of the overall economy? See also: the Big Mac index, the Starbucks index, and the Coca-Cola index.


The Taste3 conference has put some videos

The Taste3 conference has put some videos from their 2006 conference up on YouTube. All three talks they posted are worth a look: Dan Barber of Blue Hill, global warming and wine, and Bryant Simon on Starbucks.


An update on Bryant Simon, the fellow

An update on Bryant Simon, the fellow who’s studying Starbucks from around the world in order to write a book about the company. An observation from Britain: “Starbucks is dirtier in Britain. Americans have been taught to do part of the labour, and they clean up after themselves. In the US, part of Starbucks’ appeal is its cleanness.” 2006 New Yorker piece about Simon and his Temple University page. (via bb)


The Coca-Cola index

Big Mac index, meet the Coca-Cola index. The more wealthy, democratic, and the higher the quality of life, the more likely a country’s inhabitants are to drink Coke. See also Starbucks as economic indicator.


Neat “center of gravity” calculator for Google

Neat “center of gravity” calculator for Google Earth. Inspired by Cory’s map of the center of gravity of Manhattan’s Starbucks.


Starbucks center of gravity

Cory has calculated the center of gravity of Starbucks in Manhattan…that is, the geographic point where all of them are pulling equally on you. It’s right around 40th St and 5th Ave.


Talk of the Town piece about Bryant

Talk of the Town piece about Bryant Simon’s upcoming book about Starbucks.


Any Starbucks in the US (and 22 other

Any Starbucks in the US (and 22 other countries) is supposed to sell you a cup of fair trade coffee if you ask them to. The Starbucks Challenge is motivating people to take them up on their offer. You can track people’s progress or join in the fun yourself.


Companies are using mapping and demographics tools

Companies are using mapping and demographics tools and software to more efficiently site their stores. “Retailers take the annual sales of a store, then zero in on the surrounding area. The numbers can be crunched down to the spending habits of seperate groups in the same block, providing insight into what appeals to different ages, ethnic, and gender groups.”


Both Starbucks and Nike are on the

Both Starbucks and Nike are on the Business Ethics 100 list this year.


Maximum Starbucks density

Justin notes that he’s got 43 Starbucks within a 5-mile radius of his apartment and now he’s looking for the highest concentration:

I’ve got 43 Starbucks locations within a five-mile radius of my apartment. First of all, what the fuck? Second of all, and I can’t help but to get competitive here, can anyone beat that?

Update: 162 is the new high (from the top of Regent’s street in London).

My old work address in Manhattan (45th and Madison) has 169 stores within 5 miles. Put your address into the Starbucks locator and see what your Starbucks density is. (Note: to find the number of stores, scroll to the bottom of the search listings and find the “(Showing 1-20 of xxx Stores)” text.)