RyanHarne.com

A few RSS feeds that I subscribe to get a quick “Mark All As Read” press once a day after I glance over the article titles. Today, though, something decent fell through the line-up from Business Week. Is Starbucks Pushing Prices Too High?

The title isn’t what interests me here. The first point to catch my eye was the use of the term “cannibalizing” in reference to a supersaturation of storefront locations. Some time ago, I was in that mega anti-Starbucks mood, where I discovered that term appeared in their very own annual shareholder report. It has always intrigued me how cannibalizing sales is even possible when you consider the number of McDonald’s, 7-11s, Dunkin Donuts, etc, etc and how they don’t seem to suffer a similar epidemic.

I know that Apple doesn’t sell logo-clad attire (and it is ridiculously difficult for campus reps to get Apple-logo shirts for ourselves) in order to not saturate the brand image to the point of washing it out. Ironically enough, the iPod has engulfed the music player industry putting the Apple logo everywhere. Here me out, before long, Apple will stop putting those Apple stickers in iPod boxes and will instead reserve them especially for Mac purchases. Anyways, the point is that, perhaps, keeping your brand image intact and attractive boils down to allowing competitors room for making themselves look stupid. Starbucks had a period of rapid expansion so broad that they could have violated their own heritage and become the foolish coffee purveyors themselves. Thus the initiative to ramp back and curb the drop in sales.

Secondly, the article mentions the full offensive front that Dunkin Donuts and McDonald’s are setting up to take a chunk out of the existing Starbucks coffee consumers that are indifferent to the image when compelled with the bottom line, as long as the bottom line tastes similar or better. On my latest spring break romp in NYC, I walked from Spring St. to the Empire State Building in 10º F weather, complete with frightful winds and runnyred nose. Just a few blocks shy of ESB, I stopped at a Dunkin Donuts to warm up and to guzzle some afternoon java. Once my tastebuds warmed up, I discovered I was drinking a fabulous cup of coffee. The table beside me eventually filled up with newly-freed schoolkids who shared donuts and coffee, as well as rumors about who is keen on who. It was an experience I had never thought I could have at a Dunkin. If Dunkin Donuts and McDonald’s can take a bite out of the Starbucks share, have at it. They deserve it. Quality at a fraction of the cost of the standard $bucks charge; plus, both establishments are cleaning up their atmosphere from the historically-degrading reputation of sloppily-mopped floors and messy condiments tables.

My distaste for drinking at Starbucks continues, but, though I may be purchasing their bagged coffee from discounters like Target, I have no particular wish that their profits perpetuate. If Starbucks can’t maintain competitive prices, forget about it. Their stockholders will drop like flies, employee perks vanish into the manager’s offices, and earthen-colored tiled floors will show signs of negligence and sloppy mopping.

It will be quickly remembered that I began some type of anti-Starbucks front using the Collegiate Times as a sort of sounding board for my views and research. My few visits to the coffee corp. were solely for espresso-making hardware, which I continue to hail as some of the best I have laid hands on. Lately, though, I took a second look on my views and assessed whether my outcome was fully justified.

Oxfam’s Day of Action challenged Starbucks to answer questions about payments to suppliers. Starbucks responded, just as they did to my prodding, and I am very well impressed with their remarks. This is a similar type of response that I received from the VP of Corp. Social Responsibility to my CT pieces. Further Starbucks’ website detailing their responsibility and efforts is admirable. Lastly, the fact that they responded to Oxfam also using the YouTube medium was impressive - it’s great to see corporations take hold of outlets that some still perceive as sub-par, when reality proves the power of those resources.

Reconciliation, maybe? Not entirely. Yet, I applaud Starbucks’ efforts to support their supplier/farmer base, which truly makes their company. I do not applaud their domestic practices of cluster bombing competitors or their own cannibalization tactics, which I find to be some of many murky paths through a corporate corruption swamp that inevitably leave a clear mark. When it comes to buying coffee or coffee drinks, I do not consider Starbucks as a potential; their espresso is unimpressive and the atmosphere is similar to any other chain environment that I eschew.

Still, knowing a few bits more of their coffee-buying practices, my future coffee bean-buying will heed the fertility goddess, to an extent. It always comes down to location, to be sure. If a nice local coffeeshop is nearby, no hesitation would be evident in my decision to go in that direction. I will always prefer local.

But, this moderate change of heart is a far cry from an about face. I’m still fair-game for a good, old-fashioned Oxfam picketing if I were in the right mood, and if the sandwich board were stylish enough.

Partially as a favor and partially just because I was going to have only a few things to work on today, I agreed to open Bollo’s this morning for one of the other baristas. I understood the implications: waking up before the sunrise, enduring the last stretch of Parent’s Weekend pandemonium. But I could manage it, and with a helper coming in for part of the shift, I was not about to stress for a second.

At 9:05, I was curious where my helper was, a new guy I had trained several times recently whom I had become impressed with in terms of responsibility and ability. I called then only to get his voicemail. Then I called at 9:10 and 9:15 and… but by then the tide of customers had started to roll in.

My mechanics turned on to a maximum; the efficiency expert inside of me directed each movement, calculating the fastest ways of doing everything and correcting minor imperfections that were present so as to get rid of that line to the door. My customer relations never skipped a beat. Despite the difficulties, people didn’t mind waiting, and I believe, in part, that it was my pace that kept them from losing their own minds in queu.

It must have been Latte Day 2006 because an unusually high amount of people began ordering special drinks, rather than standby coffee. That greatly slowed my pace, but each latte was made with individiual care and I still saw hints of grins when customers saw my foam designs even though they could have waited 10 minutes for one. That alone helped me keep sanity for the time.

Miguel also helped. He is our technical guru, who had actually arrived later that morning to repair the Wi-Fi. He directed a lot of bake case sales when the line was truly unbearable for one person, which happened at two distinct times for a stretch of about 25 minutes each. Miguel used to be a barista, back in the day, but only comes in to work in cases of extreme need and his assistance was well-appreciated this morning. I could have worshipped him on my knees when he left later.

Were I not consumed with latte drinks, the sales total would have rocketed for this final Parent’s Weekend day. I typically do about $150 sales in a night shift, sometimes made as much as $300 in an afternoon which is a stretch and exhausting chore. This morning, the sales were just below $500. When a friend, Jodi, came in at the very end of my shift to grab some coffee with friends, I tried to talk to her, taking deep breaths, but I stuttered so badly that I eventually stopped, ashamed of how much of my mind was lost earlier in pots of coffee and muffin orders.

I won’t hurt this particular new guy the next time I see him, but I may swing some clenched fists in his general direction. When I left Bollo’s this afternoon, I launched into an enormous recovery phase that began with soup alone in a scarcely occupied campus building and continued with a lengthy nap before a visit to the gym.

My point is, in summary, finally, if you see my jittering this week, it’s not from my morning coffee, it’s probably not from a lack of sleep, and it’s not from a jazz beat I’m grooving to in my head - my jitter was caused by an impromptu assassination of my sanity at the hands of a slew of Blacksburg visitors and their student progeny. But I must begin a further stage of recovery by returning to that house of mine for a smooth latte and some elementary homework and studying.

The future is one of those tricky items. With a flip of a switch, throw of the dice, drop of a hat, our plans can change their course, usually in a direction we certainly were not expecting.

A friend of mine mentioned potentially getting an apartment very near to campus next scholastic year. I was previously set in my plan for being an RA again - decent salary, great housing situation, drawbacks of red tape and other time-consuming requirements. This new living arrangement could be very advantageous, particularly the getting away from RA time-consuming requirements, plus, I’d be living with a very good friend.

Even now as I think about it, the idea sounds the more appealing. With expected research, design project prospects, Apple Campus Rep roles, not being an RA would be amazing. And really, what did I go into this job for? Fun? Love handling inconveniences?

No. For experience. I wanted to have mentoring experience, so I was a mentor. Then grading and engineering TA experience. Then mathematics TA experience. Then barista experience (perhaps some expected longer-term experience, though). And now residents issues and minor organizational experience.

So, perhaps, I have convinced myself out of next year’s RA job. It will be for the better.

I have always had a weakness for vocal music - tunes lacking significant instrumental support but rather riding high on human harmonies. Choirs sometimes bring a tear to my eye, to be honest. Maybe a few tears. Maybe.

But. Anyways. I cannot stop listening to The Beach Boys, particularly their earlier releases. As time moves on, the drum set becomes accompianed with some piano and guitar riffs and then eventually you have bustling pop tracks. And I’m ok with that, really. However, their harmonies are beautiful and I quickly am overwhelmed with a desire to go listen in on a VT choir rehearsal. Maybe that’s not a good idea, actually.

This morning I had the great pleasure of capturing a snake while I was working in Bollo’s. A garden-variety garden snake found its way inside from the walls, somewhere, and started climbing from the bathroom area to the ceiling truss and then towards the bakery. I found a way to guide him into a huge bucket I had available and then took him outside. Some nice VT cyclists took the critter to the duck pond for us - the snake being quite obliging and not minding the free ride. It was a quick ordeal after a few students in the back started mentioning something about possibly seeing a snake around the ceiling.

So, plenty of stuff to be excited about, I suppose. Today, I need to try setting my computer’s clock back in hopes that some expired software (expired as of yesterday because I forgot to renew my license on-campus this week) will return to life so I can complete an assignment. It’s a risky maneuver and the feds will be after me, but I’m always willing to take a shot at corporate and bureaucratic America.

I closed the espresso machine early tonight in order to get out and go home. Two not-intoxicated girls came in around 11:50 pm and one immediately asked if the machine was still on. I explained that I had closed it not long before. She then asked why, if Bollo’s was open to midnight, did I close the machine earlier. My explanation was prompt and was centered around the facts that I am a student, I have other pressures and responsibilities on me, and that it is my call when the machine gets shut down for the night. She was satiated and actually apologized later in our chat for having been “bitter”, as she put it.

I owe her a drink. It actually wasn’t a fun feeling to combine someone with a specific drink desire in mind and my current inability to make exactly what was about to be requested. I really enjoy making lattes, particularly for people who appreciate the effort and aesthetics. I believe she actually caught a hint of my dejection following my no-espresso-available explanation and that could be what prompted the apology.

Regardless, I have a feeling this anecdote will be passed on to many more generations of people through the avenue of my autobiography. I might also mention that tonight I had a bunch of chocolate cake and icing. Icing straight from a tube. It was purple and made of butter and confectionary sugar. I am not sure why there was that much icing left over from the special order cake, but me (and a few others) put an end to it. To be sure.