What’s Gone Wrong at Starbucks?

Starbucks has had a tough few years. The company is now on its fourth CEO in less than four years, and is currently struggling with a steep decline in sales worldwide. So in this video, we dive into the history of Starbucks and why they're struggling.

Our mission is to explain news and politics in an impartial, efficient, and accessible way, balancing import and interest while fostering independent thought.

TLDR is a completely independent & privately owned media company that's not afraid to tackle the issues we think are most important. The channel is run by a small group of young people, with us hoping to pass on our enthusiasm for politics to other young people. We are primarily fan sourced with most of our funding coming from donations and ad revenue. No shady corporations, no one telling us what to say. We can't wait to grow further and help more people get informed. Help support us by subscribing, engaging and sharing. Thanks!

//////////////////////

[piesareround]

I think people realized that drinking a 1000 calorie drink, which costs $9, isn't the greatest idea.

[doujinflip]

The genius of Schultz wasn't in the coffee, but in turning the coffeeshop into basically a daytime bar where people can meet up over pretty good fresh brewed coffee. Much like how we pay way more for freshly poured drinks at a club when we could have it ourselves at home for a fraction of the cost.

Deviating from the Schultz's coffee bar concept is what's causing Starbucks to again peak and begin another cycle of greed-driven decline.

[smada]

Boomers said that if we stop drinking we could buy a house.

[nick]

Starbucks doesn't sell coffee, it sells sugar, premium priced sugar drinks. I think many people took their business to actual coffee places, where you can choose things like coffee beans instead of which sugary toppings you want on the overburned Starbucks liquid.

[thabsor]

as a barista currently working at a starbucks, our coffee sucks

[lewismelrose]

Same as mcdonalds

- Ongoing boycott
- Unjustified Price Hikes
- Oversaturated Market

[Hrafnskald]

Pre-pandemic, one of the biggest selling points for Starbucks within the US was as a meeting place with AC and Wifi where people could spend time without being shoved out the door. Losing that is a serious issue for the chain, just like if all the pubs in the UK became takeout-only. Without the social meetingplace side, there's little reason to go to Starbucks.

[vladsnape]

Short answer: over-priced, crap coffee.

[alexandrealvarez]

Did people finally understand that paying >10$ for caffeine is stupid ?

[stevenveltrie]

1) Overpriced 2) taste burnt 3) Sugar and lots of calories .

[alv_gc]

Starbucks was seen outside of the US as "American coffee" which in countries with strong coffee culture (like my home country Spain) is seen a bad quality, burned and watery coffee. So why buy it?

[dihyaneverforget]

I joined the boycott and started supporting the local coffee shop, I saved money and lost weight... never going back

[CaseyNeuville]

F*** Starbucks! Support local coffeeshops.

[bastienguerre]

Here is why they suck:
a) too expensive 💸
b) poor quality coffee 🥴
c) too corporate 🏢

a) most of us drink coffee everyday... if I were to pay $3 per day for a full year = $1000+. For most of us, this is a LOT of money.

b) especially considering that their coffee are awful... and it will never be: Good quality coffee comes from carefully crafted beans, which is impossible to get when you are selling 4 billions cup per year. To be able to serve that quantity of coffee, they have to decrease quality. They are trapped... in being a global, faceless brand:

c) Starbucks is no longer the cool, indy, local coffeeshop we like visiting. It's a mega corporation that provide the same experience regardless where you are, with staff that don't know/care about you. They've become pretty much the opposite of a premium coffeeshop.

To survive they need to radically reinvent themselves. My bet is that companies like Odeko are the future. They provide the ecosytem and tech for local coffeeshop to thrive. Soon, most local coffeeshop will have the same tech and financial support as Starbuck...

[TheJosephPrice]

Greed. That is the short answer.

The company has refused to hire enough staff, despite most orders now being mobile orders and the staff is struggling to keep up.

They keep raising prices, far above the average levels of inflation. They always have done this.

They also have been dealing with terrible mismanagement for years. That hasn’t improved.

Their new CEO ruined Chipotle and is getting paid handsomely AND gets to commute back and forth to Seattle from CA on a private plane. You can bet Starbucks will be helping with that.

[GregPederson]

I used to frequent Starbucks regularly, but ended up taking my business to local shops instead. A big reason for me quitting Starbucks was because every time they “revamped” their rewards program, it got stingier and stingier. The final straw was them retroactively wiping out 2 coffees that I had earned with rewards.

[TekindusT]

People are just thinking twice before dropping 7€ in a coffee. The same 7€ can get you a bag of specialty coffee at a nice supermarket that will last for around 20 generous brews on a moka pot. It’s simple maths.

[ShantyIrishman]

The only time I’m going to Starbucks now is if I’m up too early for a local spot to be open or I’m at an airport.

[YC-bkfl]

Where I am the boycott is a huge part of it.

[Philipk]

I can tell you what happened to Starbucks in Australia. Bad coffee.