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Starbucks Love?

by Rich Page, a Coffee Lover		CoffeeShop Critic Articles
Truth be told, its a love hate story. Back in 1971 a company with a twinkling in its eye was founded in Seattle - a city long famous for its coffee fanatics. Little did the founder, Howard Schultz, realize his little piece of coffeeshop heaven would soon go on to become one of the worlds biggest brands and business success stories.		Coffeeshop Karma Anyone? You Tube Coffee Videos Coffeeshop Lingo For Newbies Coffeeshop Etiquette: Do's & Don'ts Starbucks Love?

One of the biggest factors in Starbucks success has been their ability to recreate the same ambience anywhere. Thank their strict coffee standards and training for this! And some of us, like me, have even been through this training and found themselves working in a Starbucks - and much to my surprise, actually rather enjoyed frothing the milk and pouring the espresso!

And it's just so easy to count on Starbucks being around. Just look around your hometown, no doubt its pretty easy to find one for your caffeine buzz. There are now over 13,000 locations in 36 countries. In fact, you can even find two Starbucks opposite each other - see the video below! In fact many people cannot go a day without visiting Starbucks. And some have taken it to extremes - one man lives in his car so that he travel to every Starbucks in America (and even the ones in other countries!) So just why do so many people still seem to hate Starbucks and all they stand for?

Well, one reason for this hatred is because of Starbucks ruthless 'Walmartism' of the small mom and pop local coffeeshops. Yep, they are putting many of these coffeeshops out of business - just look in the town near you. More and more Starbucks appear, yet more and more independent coffeeshops fold. In fact, when Starbucks first opened in a hippy area of San Diego called Ocean Beach, there was huge local outrage and protest to stop this corporate giant from moving into a very tight-nit area of mom and pop stores. They nearly even succeeded in making it close once it opened. Taking a look at the website ihateStarbucks.com reveals just how passionate some people are!

And another reason to not always visit Starbucks is for the simple reason that Starbucks are all one flavor - vanilla. Strawberry sometimes tastes just as good. And that's where the local coffeeshops like in San Diego are really coming into play - featuring more of a local community, often with live music and wonderful home cooked food, these coffeeshops often give nearby Starbucks a run for their money. I personal like a nice mix of vanilla and strawberry...

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