I get my coffee from a locally owned independent coffee shop.
I get my coffee from a locally owned independent coffee shop, not from McCoffee (Starbucks) or other such chain stores
While hanging out at a coffee shop and seeing the long line of people waiting to place an order, I was reminded of a New Yorker cartoon: a guy in similar line saying "I'm much much too busy to make my own coffee". (I love irony).
Sure, I have a pump espresso maker (the only kind that makes authentic espresso), a French press coffee pot and can get freshly roasted beans locally. But there are times I like to hang out at a coffee shop (usually with my laptop, composing music -- gets me out of the house)
Starbucks helped popularize the coffee-shop culture, but, with 10,000+ shops worldwide, it has become a prime example of standardization. Instead of stopping at cookie-cutter Starbucks stores, more and more people are turning to independent coffee shops, authentic places, each with their own style and idiosyncrasies. Unlike Starbucks, many offer FREE wireless.
Delocator.net lets people search for nearby alternatives to the corporate coffee-house chain Starbucks. Visitors can search by ZIP code for independently run cafes. You can read reviews of each cafe and find out what makes them worth a visit. Post your own reviews and add to the database with coffee shops you like. (I'm not pimping for it – it is a free site) Give it a try to find a new spot to hang out.
Also, check out this web page to find a discussion of the importance of a "third place" outside of home and work to a community. http://user.gru.net/domz/third.htm
Independent
Side Score: 5
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McCoffee
Side Score: 6
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Where does your coffee come from? Not New York. Starbucks does did a great job with fair trade coffees, of keeping quality standards up, and of treating and paying their employees right. A local coffee company is fine. But, Starbucks isn't a hell hole. Get off your high horse. Side: McCoffee
Stating the obvious truth that Starbucks stores are corporate cookie cutter and standardized is being on a "high horse"? Do you have any evidence to offer to the contrary, or are insults all you got? The debate I offered is about local "flavor" vs the corporate McCoffee environment. With nothing to say about that, you bring up some other points altogether. However, without insult, I will do you the courtesy of addressing the issues you'd like to discuss even while you avoid the McCoffee debate. Starbucks is a good corporate citizen you say. I've heard from the guy whose job it was to make Starbucks look good. He said the fair trade coffee thing was largely a fraud. [1]. The $3 many Americans shell out every day for a latte at Starbucks is equivalent to the daily wage of a Central American coffee picker. Fair trade coffee at Starbucks did not come about without a fight. At first Starbucks refused to carry fair trade, saying there was no consumer demand. It was only after a year-long campaign organized by Global Exchange, and their plans to stage protests at Starbucks in 29 cities, that the retailer decided to avoid a public relations nightmare and sell the beans. Starbucks' decision to sell fair trade coffee, however, does not mean the company will brew it in their stores. You will not see fair trade as "coffee of the day" at Starbucks. [2] So, great job Starbucks! McCoffee is trying to imitate the local coffee houses now. In 2009, at least three stores in Seattle were turned into "stealth Starbucks". The company logo and brand name were removed and the stores remodeled to look like a local coffee house. Look for this experiment to spread. Hey, why not? Big beer companies are selling fake micro-brews. Why not offer the market fake independent coffee houses? Some labor relations information from Wikipedia [3] In 2005, Starbucks paid out US$165,000 to eight employees at its Kent, Washington, roasting plant to settle charges that they had been retaliated against for being pro-union. Starbucks stores in more than 50 cities around the world were picketed in 2006 to protest the firing of five Starbucks Workers Union organizers and to demand their reinstatement. In March 2008, Starbucks was ordered to pay baristas over US$100 million in back tips in a Californian class action lawsuit launched by baristas alleging that granting shift-supervisors a portion of tips violated state labor laws. So no, Starbucks is not hell. But for some workers, its Purgatory. Getting back to my debate topic, consider this. You ask where my coffee come from. Where does your Starbucks buck go to?The exorbitant price you pay for a foo-foo drink does not stay in your local area, helping your local economy. And did I mention the free wi-fi? Side: Independent
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I have to agree with hmicciche. But I would go a step further, and this is an even more serious issue of laziness. The problem is that people buy Fair Trade coffee because it has a nice logo that says 'If you buy me, you will be supporting the poor farmers'. So, done deal, without having to do any research or make any real effort, we feel good about ourselves and Starbucks can pat themselves on the back because the only reason they did Fair Trade in the first place was because they knew they could sell more. The problem is that Fair Trade is more damaging to poor farmers than helpful. Fact - The largest share of Fair Trade coffee comes from Mexico. This is a long way from being the poorest coffee producing nation and symbolises the problem. You see, in order to get certification as a Fair Trade coffee grower, you either have to fork out a lot of money (for a poor farmer), or take out loans to achieve the same goal, or form a cooperative with other farmers who are poor to be able to afford the high cost of certification. How else do you think Transfair USA (The US administrative body) is paid for. The people who can afford certification and get the nice logo on their coffee, which might be mediocre but sells anyway, are the not so poor farmers who don't need the help in the first place. Meanwhile, the poorest farmers cannot sport the correct logo and the best coffee is often produced by them. The answer is to work with suppliers who actually deal directly with farmers and give them a fair price for their coffee direct without having to pay for a large administration such as Transfair USA. Side: Independent
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