Customers Slam Starbucks’ Store Changes: “Just Fast Food, Zero Culture”
For many Americans, Starbucks is a way of life, from commemorating the start of fall with that first pumpkin spice latte to starting each morning with a hot cup of coffee. Naturally, then, many customers are defensive of their long-running routines, and many have now taken to social media to slam Starbucks for its upcoming store changes.
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Longtime Starbucks fans are pushing back against planned renovations.
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol says the company is upgrading locations to get back to a “coffeehouse vibe” that includes comfy seating, cozy lighting, local artwork, and locally inspired design elements, Fortune reports.
But in a recent thread on the r/Starbucks subreddit, customers immediately railed against the move.
“Starbucks is pioneering the ‘coffee shop of the future’ by doing…exactly what they had done about six years ago and decided to change for no reason at all,” the original poster argues. “This isn’t the coffee shop of the future, it’s just a basic [expletive] coffee shop. If I wanted to go somewhere to actually sit and enjoy coffee, I’m picking a local café with comfortable seating and warm lighting and no music blaring over a speaker system over Starbucks every single time.”
Others argued that they’re not frequenting the chain for the ambiance. “If I have time, or actually want to sit down, I go to my local coffee shop, which charges me $4 for the same drink I get at Starbucks for $8. I only go to Starbucks when I’m pressed for time,” one customer admits.
A common gripe in the thread was how the company instituted many harsh changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with some saying it was “literally impossible” to even consider spending time in the cafés or enjoying the experience outside of the transaction. But despite the planned strategy of competing with local coffee shops, one user pushed back, saying: “Starbucks is just fast food, zero culture.”
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Starbucks is also ditching certain store formats.
Starbucks will also begin phasing out its roughly 90 pickup-only locations that churn out mobile orders. “We found this format to be overly transactional and lacking the warmth and human connection that defines our brand,” Niccol told investors on a call last month.
In a separate thread on the r/Starbucks subreddit, the pending change seemed to rub most people the wrong way—including current baristas. Some argued that they would actually prefer to work at a pickup-only location, while others pointed out it was strange to keep drive-thru-only locations if the ultimate goal was to create welcoming environments for customers.
“They’re seemingly in a double bind: Present Starbucks as the third place or present Starbucks as the get your coffee and leave place,” one customer pointed out. “Corporate identity crisis is funny.”
Other former employees pointed out how the latest changes were a bit of whiplash from the chain’s previous pivot. “A large [part] of why I quit Starbucks was because of the fact that it felt like they’d completely given up on their previous goals of being a welcoming third place,” they wrote. “Over the two or three years I spent with the company I felt like I watched it go from a cafe where people could spend time and enjoy themselves to a fast food joint with more sugar syrups and fancy marketing.”
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Others took issue with longstanding policies.
In a separate thread, a current employee argued that Starbucks’ policy of forced engagement with customers was actually having the opposite effect.
“Even as a customer, the whole point of mobile ordering anywhere is so I can talk to as few people as possible, ideally none: Walk in, get my order, and go,” they write. “Now you’re hit with a chorus of ‘HI, WELCOME IN’ when you come in the store from all the baristas, and you have to interact with whoever is subjected to the green apron position and have my drink passed out to me. That’s insane and way too much interaction for a short transaction like this.”
Another employee said that longstanding policies like writing on cups, greeting everyone who enters a location, and trying to make meaningful connections with customers make sense on paper, but are cheapened by how indiscriminately they’re used.
“They’re wonderful things to encourage and make for good business, but forcing your workers to do them takes out everything that makes them special and desirable, and now it’s actually a turn off for some customers,” they explain.
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Recent sales figures show Starbucks could be losing customers.
Starbucks’ decision to become more inviting might also be a result of some grim news. According to its Q3 report issued in June, the company has seen a drop in foot traffic at its locations for six consecutive quarters, while operating income dropped from $1.4 billion the previous year to $918.7 million. At the same time, the coffee chain also posted a 7.7 percent decrease in operating margin due to additional labor costs and inflation.
“Taking into account that we have a lot in flight, combined with the uncertain consumer environment, we are conservative on how the current year-over-year trends will change in the fourth quarter for the U.S. company-operated business,” Starbucks CFO Cathy Smith said during an earnings call.
Besides the on-site renovations, the company is making menu changes. This includes reducing sugar, adding items like cold foam protein, and increasing the number of vegetarian and vegan options. The company has also said it has no plans to increase its prices anytime soon, despite new tariffs and increased operating costs.