  Derspankster Premium join:2003-02-12 Marion, OH | Who needs $8 coffee anyway? Not me, that's for sure. | |
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 |   joako Premium join:2000-09-07 Gainesville, FL | Re: Who needs $8 coffee anyway? I pay $3.88 for medium mocha or $4.47ish for medium mocha with extra shot. It's a rip of and expensive but its not $8. -- 09:F9:11:02:9D:74:E3:5B:D8:41:56:C5:63:56:88:C0 | |
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 |  |   Derspankster Premium join:2003-02-12 Marion, OH
·RoadRunner Cable
·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: Who needs $8 coffee anyway? said by joako :I pay $3.88 for medium mocha or $4.47ish for medium mocha with extra shot. It's a rip of and expensive but its not $8. I stand corrected. -- I thought I made a mistake once but I was wrong | |
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 |  |  |   bucks_man
@swbell.net | Re: Who needs $8 coffee anyway? Perhaps he is buying for two. | |
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 |  |  |  |  jc100
join:2002-04-10
·RoadRunner Cable
edit: February 11th, @10:42PM
| Re: Who needs $8 coffee anyway? ...What happened to the 89 cents worth of normal black coffee? O yes, it became the 5 dollar expresso that people chug in the A.M.... No wonder America is unhealthy. I forgot how much fat and calories those things had, but man o man, maybe the people sipping their lattes best take a jog afterward instead of sitting on wifi for hours. Just a thought. | |
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 |  |  |  |  |   Derspankster Premium join:2003-02-12 Marion, OH
·RoadRunner Cable
·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: Who needs $8 coffee anyway? said by jc100 :...What happened to the 89 cents worth of normal black coffee? O yes, it became the 5 dollar expresso that people chug in the A.M.... No wonder America is unhealthy. I forgot how much fat and calories those things had, but man o man, maybe the people sipping their lattes best take a jog afterward instead of sitting on wifi for hours. Just a thought. Don't say $5 when you know you can get it for $3.88! This was my point exactly. People apparently love to be ripped off for the ambiance, the "experience", to be seen at Starbucks with your Macbook surfing the net, drinking your latte. Sublime!! -- I thought I made a mistake once but I was wrong | |
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 |  |  |  |  |  |  jc100
join:2002-04-10
·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: Who needs $8 coffee anyway? I guess people can apply that extra $1.12 to their first pacemaker or heart surgery. I mean occasionally that stuff isn't bad but it's like fast food, too much of it kills you. Likewise, I would guess a good majority of the people drinking coffee at those places are regulars, too. Experience of not, 4 dollars for a cup of coffee is ridiculous. Sure, it's not your ordinary cup of black coffee, but who needs all that extra crap anyway? O well, there must be plenty or ATT and Starbucks wouldn't be in such an agreement. Only goes to show people will pay, eat, and drink anything as long as it's "hip". | |
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 |  |  |  |  |  |  |   Qumahlin Never Enough Time Premium,MVM join:2001-10-05 West Chester, PA
| Re: Who needs $8 coffee anyway? You say "Only goes to show people will pay, eat, and drink anything as long as it's "hip"
I don't know a single person who goes to Starbucks because it's "hip" they go because they like the drinks...
Also most of the drinks at Starbucks that cost 3+ dollars...also cost 3+ dollars at your local coffee shop. Most people going to starbucks aren't going to buy black coffee that they can get anywhere else for 50-99 cents. | |
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 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |   Derspankster Premium join:2003-02-12 Marion, OH
·RoadRunner Cable
·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: Who needs $8 coffee anyway? said by Qumahlin :You say "Only goes to show people will pay, eat, and drink anything as long as it's "hip" I don't know a single person who goes to Starbucks because it's "hip" they go because they like the drinks... I guess you don't know too many people. -- I thought I made a mistake once but I was wrong | |
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 |  |  |  |  |  |  demontop
join:2001-08-21 Chicago, IL
·AT&T DSL Service
| I always tell people, there's no such thing as "FREE Wi-Fi" - you just pay for it in some other way.
And the coffee part of a latte or mocha probably still is 89 cents - in 1970's or 1980's dollars, and you're also forgetting steamed milk, which is 85-90% of the drink. Farm subsidies might help farmers, but they don't help the american milk-drinking public, that's for sure.
I love how people conflate the price of coffee so readily to the mystical $5, even though you have to add a bunch of crap to it to get it into that price range, even after the 10.75% sales tax here in Chicago. Why not strap a pair on and just drink straight-up espresso shots if it's that big of a deal?
Back to the Wi-Fi - the plan is limiting starbucks card holders to 2 free hours per day to preserve bandwidth and table real-estate in busier stores, basically so a bunch of freeloader anarchist script kiddie types don't move in to the cozy corner starbucks and spend all day downloading pirated material while sipping on free ice water. Apple is also heavily in bed with Starbucks lately, via iTunes, so I would expect to see some Apple/iTunes banner ads, popups, portal pages, etc. as part and parcel with the "free" access. | |
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 |  |   cdru Go Colts Premium,MVM join:2003-05-14 Fort Wayne, IN
·Verizon FIOS
| said by joako :I pay $3.88 for medium mocha or $4.47ish for medium mocha with extra shot. It's a rip of and expensive but its not $8. It's still essentially flavored water. | |
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 |  |   BIGMIKE "I do not know with what weapons World W Premium join:2002-06-07 Westminster, CA
| said by joako :I pay $3.88 for medium mocha or $4.47ish for medium mocha with extra shot. It's a rip of and expensive but its not $8. Is not $8, is not 3.88, for black large cups of coffee it $1.95. | |
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 |   Rob In Deo speramus Premium join:2001-08-25 Kendall, FL
·Comcast
| Re: Seriously? said by Matt :Now witness the power of the fully armed and operational battlestation ...Seriously, more consolidation for AT&T? Is the government really asleep, or perhaps drunk, at the wheel? Are you suggesting the government should prevent AT&T from making partnering contracts with other companies? This is what they are essentially doing, teaming up with Starbucks to provide wifi access to Starbucks customers. They didn't purchase anything, they created a contract. | |
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 |  |  |
 |  |  |   pnh102 Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty Premium join:2002-05-02 Mount Airy, MD
| Re: Seriously? said by Nightfall :Someone was more concerned with posting an image of Grand Moff Tarkin and the whitty quote than reading the article. At least they did not make the mistake of using Darth Vader. Grand Moff Tarkin was far more of a evil genocidal maniac than Darth Vader ever was. -- This isn't fair! I was only supposed to hate just ONE presidential candidate! | |
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 |   Dogfather Altitude is your friend Premium join:2007-12-26 Laguna Hills, CA | How is this consolidation? | |
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 |  |   RadioDoc Sortofadog Premium,ExMod 2000-03 join:2000-05-11 Chicago, IL edit: February 11th, @04:37PM
| Re: Seriously? It isn't. His hatred has blinded him. Some folks would complain about free sex, money and eternal life if AT&T merely mentioned it. -- Toolmaster of La Grange. | |
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 |  |  |   Homebrew1994 Betzwood Basement Brewery
join:2001-11-15 King Of Prussia, PA
·Comcast
| Re: Seriously? said by RadioDoc :It isn't. His hatred has blinded him. Some folks would complain about free sex, money and eternal life if AT&T merely mentioned it. Is that the new triple play? -- My other cyber-pasttime, Where's George Miserable Failure | |
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 |  |  |  |   RadioDoc Sortofadog Premium,ExMod 2000-03 join:2000-05-11 Chicago, IL edit: February 13th, @01:00AM
| Re: Seriously? LOL.  | |
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 |  notwrth10
join:2007-03-03 1001EB
edit: February 20th, @03:24AM
| said by Matt :Now witness the power of the fully armed and operational battlestation ...Seriously, more consolidation for AT&T? Is the government really asleep, or perhaps drunk, at the wheel? LOL, man you have no clue on contracts do you? Starbucks had a choice. They made it, and apparently T-mobile wasn't it!
I don't think "The Empire" had much to do with a contract. If you want to blame someone, do what the college kids do, blame starbucks!
said by Nightfall :Someone was more concerned with posting an image of Grand Moff Tarkin and the whitty quote than reading the article. Yep, the OP obviously proved to us he can't read.
Hey read this
U SUCK!
said by RadioDoc : Some folks would complain about free sex, money and eternal life if AT&T merely mentioned it. The bad part is I could see him bitching about it here! | |
|
  milnoc
join:2001-03-05 H2Z
·TekSavvy Solutions..
| I want FREE WiFI! I ain't paying for it! Which is why I like to hang around Montreal's train station or at the Eaton Center's food court. Free WiFi for all! Even my OpenVPN connections work properly from these places. What's AT&T gonna do with that? Believe the encrypted traffic is an illegal download and block it? | |
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 |   TK Junk Mail Go ahead, make my day Premium join:2002-03-03 Margate City, NJ clubs:
·Comcast
| Re: I want FREE WiFI! I ain't paying for it! said by milnoc :Which is why I like to hang around Montreal's train station or at the Eaton Center's food court. Free WiFi for all! Even my OpenVPN connections work properly from these places. What's AT&T gonna do with that? Believe the encrypted traffic is an illegal download and block it? And what does AT&T WiFi, free or otherwise, got to do with Canada?? -- Internet News My BLOG My Web Page | |
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 |  |   milnoc
join:2001-03-05 H2Z | Re: I want FREE WiFI! I ain't paying for it! Just pointing out that I'm not going to pay for a crippled service when I can get an open service for free. We have huge telcos up here that could be planning the same thing, offering the same range of overpriced, crippled services. | |
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 |  |  FAQFixer Premium join:2004-06-28 Powder Springs, GA
edit: February 11th, @12:15PM
| said by TK Junk Mail :said by milnoc :Which is why I like to hang around Montreal's train station or at the Eaton Center's food court. Free WiFi for all! Even my OpenVPN connections work properly from these places. What's AT&T gonna do with that? Believe the encrypted traffic is an illegal download and block it? And what does AT&T WiFi, free or otherwise, got to do with Canada?? I beleive AT&T has plans to buy all of Canada...just for the ability to outlaw Curling as an official sport.  | |
|
 whiteyonenh
join:2004-08-09 Keene, NH clubs: | When are they going to do this for free? I don't understand the concept of paying for WiFi. They can't really expect someone to sit there for a full two-hours to use their $6 of WiFi. Alot of places that I've seen Starbucks locations are within shouting distance of places with free WiFi. | |
|
 proletarian
join:2007-01-08 00000 | I'll take my $8 (actually $4) coffee at my LOCAL AND INDEPENDENT coffee house that provides free wifi. | |
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 |  AquaBlaze Premium join:2004-02-02 Encino, CA | Re: I'll take my $8 (actually $4) coffee at Ditto. Charging $6 for a coffee that costs $1 to make, and then dinging extra for the coffeshop WiFi?
No thanks. I'll just get my overpriced caffine swill (bundled with free WiFi) elsewhere. | |
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 |  demontop
join:2001-08-21 Chicago, IL
·AT&T DSL Service
| what the is an "independent" coffee house? independent of what, praytell? independent of a working profitable business model, or independent of a long-term growth plan or independent of the need to provide their employees with an actual living wage and accessible health care? And last I checked, all the peeps at my Starbucks down the street are local...in fact, I'd wager most of them walk or bike to work - don't think ya can get more local than that.
And again, somebody's paying for the wifi - advertisers, some shady back-room deal to skim a few cents off the top of each drink sold, or its a write-off for the owner as a means to lure and retain customers - somebody pays for it, 'cuz bandwidth, hardware and administration ain't free. | |
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  Mizzat Will post for thumbs Premium join:2003-05-03 Atlanta, GA
·AT&T Southeast
| **Sigh** When can we login in the Southeast (and Connecticut)?
***AT&T Wi-Fi Basic and Premier Subscriptions Services are not yet available in Connecticut, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. -- **Disclaimer** My views represent only what the voices in my head tell me. | |
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 |   Rob In Deo speramus Premium join:2001-08-25 Kendall, FL
·Comcast
| Re: **Sigh** said by Mizzat :When can we login in the Southeast (and Connecticut)? ***AT&T Wi-Fi Basic and Premier Subscriptions Services are not yet available in Connecticut, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. I thought it was just me. I tried accessing it once and couldn't get on. Guess BellSouth folks keep getting shafted. | |
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 |  |
 |   not so in LA
@cox.net | Up and running in Louisina. They mainly have McDonalds, but this is good for road warriors as they are everywhere in LA. | |
|
 |  patcat88
join:2002-04-05 Jamaica, NY | Me too. | |
|
 romulusnr
join:2007-08-01 Federal Way, WA
moderated: February 11th, @03:23PM
| Umm, what the HELL?! I pay $60/month for two phones to get Total Internet specifically so we can use all the Starbucks locations for free.
Starbucks, fuck you, and fuck your little dog AT&T, too.
I ain't switching to AT&T, that's for damn sure, not the least of which because their data rates suck dick.
Starbucks HQ is about ten blocks south of here. (Uh, and TMO HQ is about ten miles due east.) Makes me want to make a personal visit, if I thought it'd do any good. | |
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 |  See 8 replies to this post |
|
  STrRedWolf
join:2006-06-18 Severn, MD | What about us 3G users? I have an AT&T USBConnect 881U with a DataConnect (W/wifi) plan. Does this mean my $60/mo also gets me free wifi to take the sting out of a $5 mocha mint frappachino? | |
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  M A R K St. Ides Heaven Premium join:2001-06-15 Long Island clubs: | iPhone? So do i get the free WIFI? I have an iphone with unlimited internet. -- Neturei Karta | |
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 |  MyDogHsFleas Premium join:2007-08-15 Austin, TX | Re: iPhone? (in Soup Nazi voice) No wi-fi for YOU!
It's for AT&T broadband (DSL and U-verse Internet) customers. Not AT&T mobile. | |
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 |  |   M A R K St. Ides Heaven Premium join:2001-06-15 Long Island clubs:
| Re: iPhone? said by MyDogHsFleas :(in Soup Nazi voice) No wi-fi for YOU! It's for AT&T broadband (DSL and U-verse Internet) customers. Not AT&T mobile. Then its a bust -- Neturei Karta | |
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 |  |  |   oh4real
@mindspring.com
| Ask and ye shall (perhaps) receive... Hang tight. I imagine Starbucks/Apple/ATT, in an effort to sell iTunes and inspire iPhone purchases, will throw in iPhone access to ATTWifi soon enough.
Just in case, stop by all of your local cingular stores and ask them if as if you didn't own an iphone already and was considering it with the Starbucks/ATT announcement.
Do it enough and it will filter upstairs. Make sure they don't think you are already a customer because then they won't care!
oh4real | |
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 |  |  |  |   JBaughb
@pacbell.net | Re: Ask and ye shall (perhaps) receive... iPhones already get access to wifi inside of Starbucks (for itunes browsing only) cause Apple have an agreement with the bucks. | |
|
 MyDogHsFleas Premium join:2007-08-15 Austin, TX edit: February 14th, @05:40PM
| in my best Mr. Burns voice: EX-ce-lent! I have AT&T Elite DSL at home, and travel a lot. I use the wi-fi-access all the time. This will open up zillions more locations for me. | |
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 |   drmorley Premium,MVM join:2000-12-20 Park Ridge, IL clubs:
| Re: in my best Smithers voice: EX-ce-lent! said by MyDogHsFleas :I have AT&T Elite DSL at home, and travel a lot. I use the wi-fi-access all the time. This will open up zillions more locations for me. Yep, amen to that! This is great news in my world! -- »tehblogs.com | |
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 |  |   RadioDoc Sortofadog Premium,ExMod 2000-03 join:2000-05-11 Chicago, IL | Re: in my best Smithers voice: EX-ce-lent! Yep. Between Starbucks, McDonalds and the UPS Store locations you can't hardly miss them. -- Toolmaster of La Grange. | |
|
 |   oh4real
@mindspring.com
| I just signed up for 'dry-loop' ATT DSL Pro yesterday because of this news - combined with 3M DSL is $28.99 from ATT and, since my deal expired, my TWCable is now $43.35.
So, I save $15 per month (deduct $50 for modem) on a NO TERM contract and get free wifi at Starbucks' 7000 locations around US!
Win, win, win! -> unless ATT DSL sucks 
oh4real | |
|
 Zyniker Zyniker Premium join:2004-12-25 Ann Arbor, MI
| iPhone II anyone? Surprising that no one is commenting on the clear connection here between ATT, Starbucks, and the iPhone user base... How many iPhone users you think frequent Starbucks? ATT is expanding 3G coverage and offering WiFi at Starbucks...iPhone II anyone? -- The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds, the pessimist fears this is true. | |
|
  CT DSL Customer
@snet.net
| DSL Rate Increase $5 per month After AT&T takes over Starbucks Wi-Fi, then AT&T Yahoo bundles Wi-Fi with DSL service and increases the DSL rates $60 per year so we can get free Wi-Fi valued at $60 per year. Hey AT&T management, I DO NOT want Wi-Fi and I am annoyed that you have raised my rate. The home DSL customer needs more fiber optic cable deployed so we can BUY faster DSL services for use at home. | |
|
 stufried Premium join:2003-10-13
·Verizon BroadbandA..
| This Will Hurt Tmobile I think this will certainly hurt TMobile because many people consider the free wi-fi and the lower prices and offset for TMobile only having EDGE. When you take Starbucks out of the equation, TMobile's offering shrinks in size.
Conversely, Starbucks isn't what it used to be. As Starbucks has been trying to drive up its bottom line, the newer stores seem smaller and less comfortable places to hang out and use your laptop. | |
|
 |   Coffee Achiever
@rr.com
| Re: This Will Hurt Tmobile said by stufried :I think this will certainly hurt TMobile because many people consider the free wi-fi and the lower prices and offset for TMobile only having EDGE. When you take Starbucks out of the equation, TMobile's offering shrinks in size. Conversely, Starbucks isn't what it used to be. As Starbucks has been trying to drive up its bottom line, the newer stores seem smaller and less comfortable places to hang out and use your laptop. T-Mobile WiFi has never been "free". This will not hurt TMobile.
Starbucks was never meant to be a comfortable place to hang out. The overwhelming majority of SBUX business is takeout; the loungers are just there for effect. | |
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 |  |  stufried Premium join:2003-10-13
·Verizon BroadbandA..
| Re: This Will Hurt Tmobile You are misreading my comment about "free." What I meant to say was that TMobile subscribers (and I should have said TMobile data subscribers) have justified their $19 a month unlimited internet plans (which use the slower EDGE network) as a great deal because it was: (a) cheaper than everyone else; and, (b) because TMobile tossed hotspot access in and if you needed to do something data intensive, "you could always drop by a hotspot." I never meant to imply that TMobile was giving their access away.
With respect to the hanging out nature of Starbucks, Starbucks was modeled off a European Coffee house and that is precisely what you do in a French or Austrian coffee house. You can easily kill half the afternoon over three espressos and an overpriced pastery.
Part of what you were paying for was the right to sit their and sip a coffee talking to friends without having a watress hovering over you and complaining that everyone just ordered a coffee.
I've seen many sales reps sitting in Starbucks, checking e-mails and returning calls. This was more two years ago than today. I think mobile data devices, 3g datacards, etc. may have cut into this. | |
|
  HellsBells
@sbcglobal.net
| Now, I'm moving upscale! WOW! As they said on the Jeffersons...I'm movin on up!
I'm one those $10.00 a month DSL customers with a $2.85 per month local line here in southern California.
I've been using the McDonald's and Barnes & Noble locations for over two years. I've tried the UPS Store, but no where to sit.
At McDonald's, I find it's rare and I mean rare that anyone is using their laptop. Sometimes, you'll see someone with the Nintendo thingy. Usually, it just me using my laptop mixed in with the other patrons and happy mealers.
The great thing about McDonald's is the amount of table space you have to work at as compared to Starbucks. I have never been questioned by an employee why I have not purchased anything while taking up a seat. Frankly, most of the employees at McDonald's have no idea what Wi-Fi or Wayport are, and for the most part are clueless about it.
Occasionally, I might buy a bottled water or a parfait yogurt but otherwise do no eat Ronald's food.
I never go to Starbucks simply because they do not have enough table space for my comfort level, and I don't drink coffee or tea (no, I'm not Mormon) so the McDonald's option has been great for me. Over the past two years, I have noticed a marked improvement in the speeds at many of the McDonald's I visit.
Now that I have my own DSL account for $10.00 per month, I just pay the extra $1.99 for the Wi-Fi option as the basic level does not provide free Wi-Fi. When I used my friends Wi-Fi account, they were also paying $1.99 per month until recently when AT&T made Wi-Fi free for the more expensive DSL plans.
This is a big change. I would have never thought that Starbucks would have switched providers. Must have been some big financial incentives for Starbucks in the bid that AT&T returned in the form of revenue sharing that T-Mobile did not care to match or chose not to beat.
Now, will this change AT&T's agreement with Wayport and are the days of AT&T Wi-Fi coming to an end at the house of Ronald and Barnes & Noble? Wait, doesn't B&N sell Starbucks? | |
|
 |  patcat88
join:2002-04-05 Jamaica, NY
| Re: Now, I'm moving upscale! Finding power outlets in McDonalds has been much more difficult for me than Starbucks, usually 0-2 for the dining area of McD, while Starbucks has one every 10-15 feet. Also its much more likly you can get a seat with a power outlet near it in Starbucks than McD. Also some McDs have problems with mentally ill homeless (compared to sane homeless for Starbucks), and attract much more wild, destructive, and jailbird customers. Ive been to McD that locks its doors for 1 and 1/2 hours after the line of sight public middle school empties. Manager stands at 1 door, and only unlocks it when an adult/non-middle schooler approaches. At one point the McD called school security to remove the kids, but they just cursed out security, and security couldn't do anything (off school property). Before this policy, every seat would be taken with screaming kids, play fighting, screaming across dining room, pounding on and screaming at glass to unsuccessfully grab their friend who is outside's attention, table taken for 45 mins with nobody buying anything, sometimes they stole stuff from each other playfully or seriously (couldn't tell) and there would be a running pursuit in foot traffic as bad as a jammed up entrance to an escalator knocking everyone off their feet, sometimes food get thrown, ass grabbing, and every last table taken for 1 hour, jumping/standing on tables and jumping over partitions, and the kids would challenge and curse out anyone who dared talk to them. No thanks, I'll stick with Starbucks.
Only thing I didn't see at that McD when the kids were there was drugs, weapons, sexual assault, and a ghettoblaster (thankfully it was the portable CD player age already). My advice would be to allocate a soda machine (drive thru one most likly) and put horse tranquilizers in the syrup lines to that machine and fill the kids' sodas from that machine. | |
|
 |   oh4real
@mindspring.com
| Interesting observation on competition! So, McDs and Starbucks are now head to head with SBUX going more into food and McDs offering espresso-machined coffees.
Remember the days when SBUX folks used to grind the beans for each shot and you could smell it? Now all SBUX shops use enclosed machines and push buttons - not much different from McDs. Like restaurants who pump oven exhaust onto street in front of their shops (smart move especially for bakeries), those machines should blow exhaust from internal grinders out to cafe...
With ATT serving both, that is interesting indeed. | |
|
 |   ManBearPig1
@comcast.net | Re: Now, I'm moving upscale! Thats for sure. McDonalds has Wayport wi-fi access (cheaper) and better coffee than Starbucks. Then again the folks at McDs are very clueless of "whats a wayport?".  | |
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 |
  sanfranson Norm, The Enourmous Basset Premium join:2001-02-08 San Francisco, CA | Everywhere But Starbucks You mean there are still coffee houses where you have to pay for Wi-Fi access? | |
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 |  See 6 replies to this post |
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