Haven't been to my favorite afternoon hangout, Starbucks, since my nephew finished summer school. See, the routine was like this:
• Take nephew to summer school by noon.
• Stop in at Starbucks, just a few blocks from the school, to avoid relentlessly bad Honolulu freeway drivers.
• Plug in my adapter, check my favorite message boards and write on this blog.
• Milk my a) vanilla bean frappuccino, b) hot cocoa, or c) hot tea.
• Use the restroom at least a couple times as 3.5 hours passed.
• Debate whether to buy another drink. Did this occasionally, but usually just refilled my cup with water from the dispenser.
• 3:45 p.m., head up the road to pick up my nephew.
• Take him home.
• Take him to practice.
From there, my springtime habit was to stop in at another coffee shop, Coffee Bean and Tea, while he was at practice. Now, however, I head to his house, where I wait for my mother to be dropped off by the HandiVan after another day at the senior day care center. So the afternoon trips to Coffee Bean, where I liked the hot cocoa and free electricity, ended. For what it's worth, the Starbucks I frequented before my nephew's summer school session ended was quite busy. Not line-out-the-door busy. That would be the nearby Subway during lunch hour. But it was busy enough and well supported by a community that was one of the last in the city to get a Starbucks.
My need to buy Starbucks beverages is not a real need. Spending $4 for a frappuccino isn't a habit I want. Going there, I confess, is only a matter of convenience. Good service, good product, but just convenience. Air conditioning helps during a hot Hawaiian summer day. That's why, though I do respect Peter Lynch's "Buy what you know" approach, I have never bought a share of SBUX. I'll walk into a location with my Crocs Caymans and Apple PowerBook, and my nephew will come with me from time to time wearing his Under Armor long-sleeved shirt ... but I'm not going to buy a share.
What's the solution to the Co's growth woes? I see two.
1. Go private. Howard Schultz doesn't want to see all his work and sweat go down the drain, which it will if overseas expansion doesn't pan out. Going private will lessen the strain, ease the burden of growth and help the Co refocus on its soul.
2. Sell to Pepsi. PEP would be more than happy to flaunt its wares at all 14,000 Starbucks locations, while expanding its line of beverages.
Unlike McDonald's, which excels in volume and short stays, SBUX's soul caters to long-sitting patrons who savor an aesthetically pleasing experience almost as much as their beverages. Bricks and mortar can be a growth monster, but when the ceiling hits, there's no soul in concrete.
