A Temple University professor has released a book about Starbucks, based on years of research at outlets all over the world.
The author concludes Starbucks is not really selling coffee, but a lifestyle image: [we DO sell coffee!]
“If you read the signs at Starbucks and if you read their own advertisements, this is a lot of what they’re selling is all these different things, in the cup.”
History professor Bryant Simon spend 15 hours a week in Starbucks. [what a job!] He visited 425 of its stores in nine countries, but mostly in Philadelphia, and he concluded that people go for much more than coffee:
“For instance, we had this real need for community, we had a real need for safety, we had this real need for predictability, we had this need to give ourselves treats.”
Simon’s book “Everything but the Coffee: Learning about America from Starbucks,” explores what our purchases say about us.
Starbucks, he says, provides a cheap status symbol and the illusion of community, though he believes true connection cannot be found in an international chain.
source: KYW NewsRadio
I have long said that the cup sleeve is just that: a “status symbol”. They’re really not necessary on most drinks in my opinion, just straight up coffee and teas. However, if we ever run out, people go bizzerk! Status symbol: I agree!
0 Responses to “Temple Professor Says Starbucks Sells People a Lifestyle”