Ok, a new day has dawned on IHateStarbucks.com.
I no longer want to keep hacking the old, tired php on the site, so this is what I propose. These messages will remain up for all eternity. In addition, there is a new Guest book. So if you want to share your opinons, i.e. post to the site, go here. As always, if wish to rant or rave, send me an email:
| Name: | Jacob 04431 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 01:50 PM |
| I worked for Starbucks for 2 years. The managers always told me how "wonderful" I was and they promised to promote me and put me in the MIT program. I hung on and on and on and on! It never happened. Then finally, I was caught by an investigator for Starbucks taking "marked out" pastries home, even though my manager said I could and other people did as well. No one else got in trouble and no one else was even questioned about it. I can't believe that after two years and NO WRITE UPS and NEVER late and ALWAYS giving legendary customer service I was terminated. Others have been written up time and time again for being late, no shows, opening the store late and giving out free drinks to people (theft) but THEY were not fired! Totally amazing. Sine then (4 months ago) I now work for a great (BIG) company and I have alreasy been promoted to nanager and have been raised from $7.69 to 13.02 per hour plus bonuses and benefits. Thank you Starbucks for helping me in my career choice and hurting yourself. When Yoiu lost me, you lost someone who was (almost) perfect. EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON, AND WHAT COME AROUND GOE AROUND. |
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| Name: | Walt 04429 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 04:07 AM |
| As a first time visitor and a life-long coffee-lover, I find it quite gratifying that more than just a few folks here have a real distaste for the "vulcanized" rubber/burnt Crayola "aroma" of Starbucks brew. It took two visits to Starbucks to convince myself that the pungent aroma was not due to the vendor's use of recycled sewer water, and/or accidental exposure to chemical solvents during shipment. No, the distinctive HAZMAT "aroma" of Starbucks coffee is not unlike a weapon of mass destruction--it's that way by design. |
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| Name: | Nicolle Singer 04426 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:57 AM |
| I can vouch for the predatory business practices that you (the owner of the site) talk about in your description of why you personally hate starbucks. You say "Common practices are things like paying landlords to not renew leases for coffee shops so that they can move in", which is probably what happened in Kent Ohio two years ago. It may have already been mentioned on this site, but I wanted to add my disapointment. Brady's Coffee Shop occupied the corner of Lincoln and Rt. 59 for 70 years, and was then shut down when the landlords found out they could get more rent from starbucks. Despite lots of student and community protesting, the old hometown coffeeshop was closed and a new ugly starbucks opened up. There is another family owned coffee shop just up the street that I now frequent. I have never bought anything at the new starbucks and never will. |
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| Name: | Bill P. 04430 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:55 AM |
| I believe in "live and let live." If people want to waste their money at Starbucks, God bless them. What gets me mad is the fact that this ubiquitous corporation has invented its own language. Not only that, if you try to order in English, the counter people correct you and impliedly ask you to parrot it back! This is corporate arrogance of the highest order. When a guy told me that what I really wanted was a "vente misto caffe," not a large coffee with steamed milk, I almost attacked the bastard. |
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| Name: | Ashley 04433 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:49 AM |
| Their "coffee" is overpriced sludge that tastes like scorched asphalt and causes both diarhhea and tremors. It's like getting old really fast because suddenly you have Parkinsons and an actual need for adult diapers. Other than that it bloody rocks. |
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| Name: | mattydude 04284 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:40 AM |
| i work at starbucks and ild like to make a few points which i think are relevant,
first of all starbucks heavily clouds the concept of individuality and of personal expression be it from a creative or personal point of view by trying to install its own buisness related perspective on how a coffee should be run from an efficient point of view,
starbucks conforms to taking an exisiting method of the coffee shop which im sure in its original intention was to supply a good coffee a place to relax and enjoy other peoples company with some good food as well,coffee goes back to traditions of bringing people together in ceromonies and still does in some cultures
sadly though starbucks is a place of getting your coffee as soon as possible and manufacturing people for profit as society is largely based on this and starbucks reflects it,taking away the uniqueness of everybodys differences and harming people in the name of competition,a buisness focused on plastic rather than people
that my friends is the truth |
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| Name: | itsnotthatbad 04288 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:39 AM |
| Starbucks is once again one of the fortune 500's top 100 best places to work. They are actually number 11 this year. The people that hate working for them should just quit. Ive worked for the company over 3 years and love my job. Its easy and i get great benifits and get to work with great people. People who think this job is so bad have never worked a tough job. |
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| Name: | bozo 04283 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:38 AM |
| I work at Starbucks, and although they treat me pretty well, (comparatively, I worked in Michigan at and entry level job @ 5.15 an hour with no benefits, vacation, sense of respect and routinley was forced to slave away for 16 hours+ with no overtime pay) I do hate scrubbing toilets and wearing that goddamned green apron and being expected to treat those snobby Seattle Socialites kindly. But my big ball of angst happens to be in the way they have ruined the art of coffee. I can't stand the no-foam lattes and burnt milk (especially soy). Other shops are now following in their footsteps. Noooo! The drinks are so $%&*@#$ low quality, and the baristas (98% of them) have no idea what they are doing. They just dump milk in with some espresso and call it good. Am I the only one that works for this evil giant and still thinks coffee is an art, not a machine-driven science? Oh, and those @*&%^$# ovens have to go. Who wants to walk into a coffee shop and smell burnt cheese? We are the McDonalds of the coffee world. World-class my @$$. Down with the Verissimo! |
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| Name: | lauren 04282 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:37 AM |
| 1. I love when you're on bar, you have 12 drinks in front of you, 12 drinks that you just made, one drink sitting on the bar waiting to be picked up, and a person on their cell phone that you've never seen before saying "Is this mine?"
2. I love when you have a intellectually-deficient shift supervisor who has worked at the company for a year as opposed to your three and a half, who bosses you around and yet cannot close on time without you telling her what to do, who to deploy, and when.
3. I love when customers try to be funny. "If tall is small, what's short?! H a h a h a." Oho!
4. I love when Starbucks offers to help contribute to Tsunami relief, and when I, the part-time barista/full-time student can manage to donate my last $75, a customer who spends no less than $3 on coffee a day feels really great about themselves for donating $0.63 of their change. "I can spare it, if I'm getting coffee, huh?" Am I supposed to congratulate them?
There are lots of things I love about starbucks. Don't be hatin'. |
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| Name: | Sbux Ex 04279 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:36 AM |
| Yes, Starbucks DOES suck - and this comes from an ex-partner (as they so stupidly call employees). They have so many secrets it's not funny but they want everyone to think they are all about the customer - no they aren't. They are all about the all mighty DOLLAR!! They freak when they don't make budget - which they haven't been doing good on lately thanks to those nasty lunches they make (uuggh). They have some extreme weirdoes working there too. The weirder you are, the better chance you have of making it there. Now they have a drink called Chantico which is so thick and chocolately, it makes you gag...or vomit. I hate it and I LIKE chocolate. They are trying so hard to overtake McDonalds as the number one retail name, they are overlooking everything else. I go to the local coffee house now and they are better. I used to hate when I worked there and people would tell me how much they hated the coffee at Starbucks. Maybe someday, Sbux won't be so wrapped up in its pitiful self and those STUPID coffee tastings - I kept expecting Jim Jones to come in during one!!! |
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| Name: | Orla 04256 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:35 AM |
| i hate starbucks for a few reasons:
First of all i hate coffee!!! coffee in general is disgusting unless a pound of sugar and cream is added to it untill you are pretty much only drinking sugar and cream!!!
Secondly, Starbucks is a cliche branch of chain stores running through towns and cities destroying the quaintness of traditional small coffe shops and replacing them by an over-priced chain of stores that doesn't care about the customer.
Thirdly, Starbucks is ridiculously over-priced and going up by the minute. why is it that the price is going up while the cup is getting smaller!!! and they dupe people into thinking that it's quality they are paying for... NO its the LABEL that people are paying for!! it costs money to mass market a great label and logo, so the customers have to pay for it. |
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| Name: | Inuki 04267 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:34 AM |
| I think I have been lucky, since I have never been a fan of coffee myself. Nonetheless, I am subjected to the horror that often is Starbucks.
I live in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
If you go downtown there are at least 6, but probably way more, Starbuckses (yes, apparently that is a word) on Granville street, though I've never counted. On Davie street (not even a major street) they just built a fifth one... three of these starbuckses are less than 5 blocks from each other. Robson street has countless Starbuckses as well, but what's really sickening is the corner a block up from Robson + Burrard, where there are two Starbuckses on diagonal corners. The fact that it's built that way might make sense to me, the way competing gas stations will often build on diagonal corners from each other, but since it is the same company, it's just sickening. Yes, I know. They're trying to catch the flow of the people, but it makes my head hurt and my stomach feel sick every time I go by.
As if that is not bad enough, several of my friends are complete addicts. It's getting the point where coffee has become like some kind of a drug for them (and yes, we all have our vices, but for at $4 a pop each time? on a daily basis?! that's sick, especially when the product isn't really all that high quality).
It is very rare that I will actually like a coffee at all, but I have only had 1 coffee at Starbucks (just a plain coffee) and I found it to be rather disgusting. When I was younger I would occasionally drink their frapps, but they're so ridiculously expensive (I could buy an entire lunch for the price of their drinks, and THAT is depressing), especially since it is just a powdered mix with a bit of milk and crushed ice.
As if their lack of good products, their overcharging of customers, and their taking over, commercialized, fakeness isn't bad enough, what's worse is that for someone who is underage, there is almost nowhere to go around evening / night except to a friend's house or to coffee shops and restaurants. And since Starbucks is steadily destroying all it's competition (ie: all the nice little local places, most of which are nearly extinct), it's one of the only places I have left to go with my friends, especially in the winter, when it gets colder.
Which means blowing money every time I just want to go hang out. So usually I let my friends buy a drink (since they do anyway), and then I don't feel obligated to do so. Nevertheless, the amount of money my friends lose just because they need a place to hang out or have to fulfil a craving is atrocious.
When I go to Starbucks I buy a venti tea. Even that is like $2, which is a total rip off. You're paying for a tea bag which costs a few cents (you can buy an entire box of tea bags for $2), hot water, which costs basically nothing (oh come on, it's water which is free, just heated up. I could do that infinitely with tap water at home and a kettle. If this isn't evidence enough, they give free water refills), and a cup which costs a few cents. So all in all, my tea costs them, what? 50 cents or less? And what do I pay? Like $2. Try and tell me where that dollar fifty is going.
And here's what is worse, in Canada (not sure about all of Canada, but in Vancouver anyway) we have a local company called Blenz. Since I don't drink coffee, I can't judge how good theirs is, but I do know that their seating and atmosphere is actually far better than Starbucks'. Personally, I'm not so much into chains and commercialized locations, but I'd much rather support our local economy than give money to the American one- that's just ridiculous.
Actually, there are a few other alternatives here, there are a few Been Around the Worlds, Bean Brothers, Torrefazione (sp?), Grinds, and some smaller, even more local places, like a lovely French boulangerie I went to on New Year's Eve in the afternoon. (If you want a listing for alternatives in Vancouver to add to this site, I'd gladly type one up for you).
Point being: Starbucks isn't at all up to snuff. Even if they were/are evil bastards grinding babies into their coffee, ruining the ecosystem, and mistreating their employees- as a customer there are dozens of other reasons as to why NOT to go to Starbucks, especially in Canada. Do we really want to support companies which aren't even all that great invading our country and taking over our market? I mean, at least if the product was decent I wouldn't have a problem with it.. but why would you import total filth?
That being said, I have no gripes with the employees at Starbucks. I've found almost all employees except the very rare instance of one or two of them to be very nice (not sure about managers and such, I'm talking lower minions here).
As for the subject of disgusting drinks, Starbucks certainly has the worst ones imaginable. Their Tazo teas are at least drinkable, but everything else in the store makes me want to vomit. And their Christmas line? Eggnog latte and peppermint mocha, fine, those are pretty common I guess, but GINGERBREAD latte? What drugs were they on when they invented THAT?
I agree with the sentiments of Drlogico about the ridiculously stupid drink names. One of my friends who is exceptionally addicted to Starbucks (and goes 2-3 times a day, yes, it's that sad.) was with me in a Starbucks a few days ago, and purchased a... Carmel Macciato (sp?) with two shots of... something, and one shot of something and soy milk and.. blah blah blah...
when the guy was announcing it, it literally took an entire minute. The drinks at Starbucks are absurd. Why can't anything be normal? And the drink sizes? You can't even order a small anymore, because a small is regular sized, and a regular is large and a large is 'venti'. Heck, I don't know what the heck all these bloody names mean.
All in all, Starbucks is not worth the money at all. I have no problem with the employees, but the company itself is clearly just run by a bunch of idiots.
Honestly, I don't see a problem with Starbucks being evil- we live in a capitalist society, where it's natural that the big fish eats the little fish, that they're only interested in money, no matter what lengths they go to in order to attain this profit... I'm used to all that. It''s like blaming a person for breathing.. But when their product isn't even good? When their atmosphere is crap? When they are usually totally understaffed in the busy areas, and overstaffed in the empty areas?
It's amazing how they've continued to thrive and eat so much competition, considering their so bloody awful.
Well, that's my piece. Thanks for reading. |
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| Name: | Boston Starbucks Rebel 04277 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:34 AM |
| Hey. This is the CT Starbucks Rebel now in Boston. YEAAAA. I work for the green monster up here in the great city. I think that Starbucks can learn alot about being in Boston. For example, the meaning of self-reliance and independence. First of all I can do my job just fine without my so called manager or minions trying to tell me what to do. I am quite self-reliant. I am also independent so I don't need to be told. If I want to slide to different positions thats fine. As far as I can see it, Starbucks and me with the rebels are in an epic battle. Together we can all unite and smote her ruin upon her mountainside. |
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| Name: | Coffee-monkey 04278 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:31 AM |
| I hate hate hate hate the question: room for cream? they dont ask it it with any sincerity or any intention of leaving room. Actually they have become lazy and just ask "room?" Save us all the time and energy and don;t leave room for anyone. Just give me my f***ing coffee. Let's not get into any other conversations either.
I am a tard for going back. |
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| Name: | Eoin Lynch 04276 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:31 AM |
| Im from northern ireland and i had the misfortune of going into the recently opened starbucks in the main street of belfast for my morning coffe this morning. I wont be going back the coffee is the weakest foul tasting sludge i have ever tasted, the dozens of smaller coffee shops around the city centreare knocking out top notch coffee day after day, and the fact that this mcdonaldsesque american corporation has come to a prime location to sell its inferior product at a higher price is a travesty. In a nutshell if america cant tell the difference between good coffee and this overpriced muck then that is their problem and should keep thier rubbish instead of inflicting it upon us. |
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| Name: | Lucretia 04275 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:31 AM |
| I used to live in Seattle and I am sorry to say I frequented the original Starbucks (it was close to work) before it became a corporate behemoth. Even then, the coffee smelled and tasted burnt. If only I'd known then what I know now! I've hated Starbucks Inc. for years for their various predatory practices, but became truly enraged by the lousy $100,000 donation for the South Asia tsunami victims? How many millions has Starbucks made over the years from this part of the world? |
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| Name: | Punished for report the truth 04274 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:30 AM |
| I am a starbucks employee in florida and after being subjected to what i now call terrorist activity by the district manager, (SO) , i am having to defend myself for the mistake of another. The guiding principles they pretend to live by are a joke. The emergency helpline is there only for starbucks to be able to head off any lawsuits. The helpline is for company protection not employee protection. They work you like a dog, pay you an outrageously low wage for the work you do and then yell at you for the overtime that they made you work. I worked for weeks without a day off and a cold but the DM did nothing to help. Instead she worked to drive partners apart and keep them unhappy and afraid of her. Other employees of five years quit their carreers because of this womens i am god attitude.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS WRONG AND VIOLATES MANY RIGHTS.
TO STARBUCKS I WILL NOT STOP UNTIL THIS IS MADE RIGHT BY YOUR COMPANY. I WILL CONTINUE TO CONTACT EVERY NEWS AGENCY, INTERNET SITE, AND PICKETT AS MANY STORES AS POSSIBLE UNTIL ACTION IS TAKEN. YOUR EMPLOYEES WORK HARD FOR YOU AND KEEP YOU IN THE BLACK THEY DEMAND RESPECT FOR THE WORK THEY DO! |
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| Name: | jeow 04271 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:30 AM |
| nada |
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| Name: | Mark 04273 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:29 AM |
| Why dont we all club together and set up our own coffee house! |
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| Name: | tommy 04272 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:29 AM |
| hanabear, i read your post, and i feel sorry for what you've been through at sbux, short cups should ALWAYS be in stock, and if they aren't, i would fill out a comment card (sbux, tries to ensure every card gets a response) and if those aren't available, ask for the district managers name and number (once you have that, you're in business! DMs usually get back to you and the store in less than an hour!) As for the syrups, i agree, there is a lot (4 pumps of white mocha in a grande makes a sludge on the bottom) but, you are more than welcome to ask for a certain number of pumps in a drink (shrt-2, tall-3, grnd-4, vnt-5 icdvnt-6)
so if you like shorts, get 1, or half a pump... and as for the venti sizes... well, they did start with just short, tall and grande.. but americans are fat people (i mean, c'mon we have a 44oz supersize of coke!! geeez) and starbucks had to compensate by making the 20oz venti. (24oz if iced)
hope that helps, and i do feel bad you've had a horrible experience with starbucks..
on another note, i've noticed all over the web, people critize starbucks for having "different" names of the sizes.. to that i just ask, what about 7-11? when was the last time some one flipped out cause they wanted a large, not a super big gulp? .. if you ask for a small, *most* baristas should be intelligent enough to know you want a tall, and they should call it out as a tall, however, they should NOT correct you. they might repeat the order back (in starbucks-order [ie, non-fat, not skinny]) and use the correct name, but they should not be "correcting" to the customer, and if that does happen, once again, i would fill out a card, or ask for a store manager, or DM...
thats just my 2 cents :)
wow, i rambled.. |
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| Name: | ichikoh 04265 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:28 AM |
| I hate starbucks because of the overpriced coffee and the bad taste. To make it worst the location of the Starbucks in my city attracts so many people that the drive thru has a line that blocks the parking lot in which it is located, and sometimes I am going to the grocery store and I am literally stuck in a traffic jam, waiting for people to buy coffee. It's just coffee, they are not giving money away. |
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| Name: | Johnny 04266 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:27 AM |
| just wanted to say that it's nice to know that there are others that realize the lunacy of it. my town got a starbuck's a while back and EVERYONE goes there, causing the real coffee shop to close down. now not only do i have no place to get coffee, but my friends have started making starbuck's the social scene of choice! and i am ignored when i try to say anything about the way starbuck's malnourishes its workers or burns there beans or just sucks like a burnt-out 80's band at a crappy amusement park (yeah, i know, ive got a bad sense of humor).
just wanted to thank you for us deserted and disgusted a lifeline,
johnny L of NE Mississippi |
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| Name: | Ken 04269 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:27 AM |
| I have tried most of the coffee at Starbucks.
They all taste the same. (Some are weaker than others.)
They all taste burnt. They have no flavor.
They have attractive packaging. They have stores that attract people with throw-away money.
I would rather take the $4.00 that they charge for one cup and buy an entire can of a good Italian coffee at a grocery store or get something organic and tasty at a health food store, while directly supporting the family that grows the beans.
Don't hate Starbucks - hate the morons who can't think outside the cup.
If you shovel crap down someone's throat, they will buy it. |
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| Name: | robdc 04268 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:26 AM |
| the company promotes benefits at 20 hrs a week or more
thats great...but no one really gets 20 hrs a week or more in the store expect shift leads, asm, sm. so no one qualifies for benefits.....instead of giving people more hours they just keep hiring new employees......go figure... |
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| Name: | Isabelle 04270 |
| Date: | Apr 07 2005 03:25 AM |
| If I wanted a cup of sugar-laden milk, I would buy Nestle Quik. But I want coffee. And coffee is something Starbucks apparently doesn't serve. I've tried repeatedly to give this ubiquitous coffee chain a shot, namely because there is a Starbucks in my building. However, each time I request an espresso macchiato or a cappuccino, I’m given a whopping cup of steaming milk. I’ve tried explaining repeatedly that I want “very little milk,” but each time I get a blank, incredulous stare and a half a gallon of milk in my cup. And as if I’m not paying enough, I’m charged 40 cents more for the privilege of ordering heavily pasteurized organic milk. Now, if I do venture to Starbucks, I’m careful to stick to a simple espresso – sans milk. It’s not entirely Starbucks’ fault. The chain is cropping up everywhere for a reason. When I stand in line, I hear countless (almost always overweight) fat and sugar addicts ordering Gingerbread Lattes and Grande Caramel Macchiatos. And we wonder why Americans are grossly overweight! My Italian husband shivers in horror whenever he passes a Starbucks – and the obese customers waiting in line inside. |
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