Any good marketing executive knows that out-of stocks cause lost sales and lost customers. Starbuck should understand this. Not having freshly brewed decaf coffee is the same as an out-of-stock-situation. So I wonder why this once great place for coffee enjoyment neglects the decaf drinking portion of their customer base. It’s definitely counter-intuitive. Let’s look at the ramifications of this particular out-of-stock at the micro level.
In the past week, when the local Starbucks locations (three of them) failed to have freshly brewed deaf available, I walked out. Of course, they offered me the so-called quick-brew. That’s not the product I want. This represents a pathetic substitute for the real “thing.” It tastes terrible and leaves a yucky aftertaste. So what you say.
Often, one or two others join me for a coffee and a chat. They leave with me. Three sales are lost that day. This doesn’t include the sandwiches and pastries we might have purchased.
I no longer buy pounds of coffee at Starbucks for consumption at home. I’ve found a coffee I like better, more lost sales
Sometimes, I don’t even bother going to Starbucks first because I suspect the foul tasting quick-brew will be the sole alternative.
My monthly expenditures at Starbucks are down 64%.
I can’t be the only person in Starbuck’s marketplace to experience the same dilemma because I’ve had this happen in more than a dozen Starbucks stores in four states. This is just too much cost cutting, an overly aggressive reaction to economic conditions.
Starbucks isn’t the only corporate entity alienating their customers. Restaurants and several global retailers also estrange their client base with excessive measure to maximize profits. As far as Starbucks is concerned, all we can do as consumers is wait for the next entrepreneur who still cares about the customers starts the nest global chain of coffee houses.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Charlie Chaplin
Modern Times
Charlie Chaplin, in the method of his successor Michael Moore, exploits the plight of the poor to line his own pockets. He took what was a global disaster, and like the evil Capitalists that he claimed to disdain, profited from a psychedelic portrayal (Modern Times) of how Capitalists work. Chaplain wrote, produced, and directed most of his own movies, often forcing his staff to work late into the night, so he could capitalize on his wealth producing skills, and feed his Capitalistic cravings. He was a millionaire in an era when that really meant something.
He and his brother founded United Artists. Although Chaplin lived and earned all his money in America, he declined to become a citizen and was considered a coward, by his British countrymen. However, his films were quite hilarious, and he undeniably possessed tremendous talented.
Chaplin’s creativity and physical skills were manifest in scenes he performed, such as the roller-skating in the department store and the dive into the shallow stream (Modern Times). The most riveting imagery of the film involved the tragic aftermath of the Great Depression—a deflation of our economy—the sorrowful faces of mankind “wanting,” the soup kitchen lines, joblessness, and the inability of labor to effective bargain with employers.
In another film, “The Tramp,” he effectively portrayed an unemployable character who inadvertently errs is his every attempt to fit into industrialized society. His character unwittingly lands in front of a union organizing march, landing him in jail where he shows his high ethical and moral character, and reaps his reward, employment. He proceeds downhill from there.
Charlie Chaplin: an amazing individual.
Charlie Chaplin, in the method of his successor Michael Moore, exploits the plight of the poor to line his own pockets. He took what was a global disaster, and like the evil Capitalists that he claimed to disdain, profited from a psychedelic portrayal (Modern Times) of how Capitalists work. Chaplain wrote, produced, and directed most of his own movies, often forcing his staff to work late into the night, so he could capitalize on his wealth producing skills, and feed his Capitalistic cravings. He was a millionaire in an era when that really meant something.
He and his brother founded United Artists. Although Chaplin lived and earned all his money in America, he declined to become a citizen and was considered a coward, by his British countrymen. However, his films were quite hilarious, and he undeniably possessed tremendous talented.
Chaplin’s creativity and physical skills were manifest in scenes he performed, such as the roller-skating in the department store and the dive into the shallow stream (Modern Times). The most riveting imagery of the film involved the tragic aftermath of the Great Depression—a deflation of our economy—the sorrowful faces of mankind “wanting,” the soup kitchen lines, joblessness, and the inability of labor to effective bargain with employers.
In another film, “The Tramp,” he effectively portrayed an unemployable character who inadvertently errs is his every attempt to fit into industrialized society. His character unwittingly lands in front of a union organizing march, landing him in jail where he shows his high ethical and moral character, and reaps his reward, employment. He proceeds downhill from there.
Charlie Chaplin: an amazing individual.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The Return
It's been some time since I last made an entry, and that needs a remedy. So I will get back to my old ways and produce new and interesting items.
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