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Why Starbucks can't crack the Australian market

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LeleSocho

Banned
So, national coffe traditions pummel over new corporate products?



You should see Italy: here Starbuck was never heard.

Yup, it took time for me to understand what the hell a starbucks was when i first landed on the international side of the internet.
Thank god for that.
 

kitch9

Banned
Coffee down that neck of the woods is great from pretty much anywhere, pretty much everyone in New Zealand is a trained barista and Oz ain't much different.
 

Lucian Cat

Kissed a mod for a tag; liked it
Gloria Jean's coffee is not much better in my opinion. They also supported the Australian Christian Lobby whilst they were opposing same sex marriage, and they have big links to Hillsong. As such I won't touch the place.

So many good independent coffee places even in the Suburbs around Sydney. I don't see why anyone would need a Starbucks.
Welp I'm crossing them off my list then :/

I don't think we even have a Starbucks in Adelaide anymore. Used to be on Rundle mall. If there is one I've not seen it.
 

Volotaire

Member
Starbucks is just bad quality product imo, we have something called Cafe Nero here in the UK which is 100x better than it, cheaper and you get more.

You're doing it wrong, go to the independent coffee houses. Some of the best are in London, sensational. Comparative price as well. Monmouth is great.
 

bcl0328

Member
I hope my local Starbucks will one day be a Dunkin Donuts restaurant.

dunkin is way better. they have new flavors comin out all the time. that's what i love the most about them. plus, their drinks are simple. iced coffee or a latte. no venti double whipped mocha 3 pump bullshit.

i had one of those oprah chai latte from starbucks on sunday and it was terrible. my local gas station makes a better vanilla chai latte.

You're doing it wrong, go to the independent coffee houses. Some of the best are in London, sensational. Comparative price as well. Monmouth is great.

i went to a local one called 'coffee coffee' and got the worst tasting coffee i have ever had.
 
I had Starbucks once, first summer in US. Was hot outside, got a Cold Coffee. So Horrible. Avoided their coffee products ever since, tried Hot choclate once too and it was horrible.

Would rather go to Dunkin for a chain if I was in the US.
 

Shpeshal Nick

aka Collingwood
That's honestly surprising to see them fail in a Western, European-descended nation like Australia. They seem to thrive in a lot of foreign cultures (ie Korea).

Our coffee culture is surprisingly refined and quite pretentious as well. Especially in Melbourne.
 

okno

Member
I guess that's good to see? In the U.S. they're known for actually helping the local coffee shops grow their businesses in the long run, though. Not intentionally, of course. One of the few massive chains that tends to have that effect.

I run a cafe that was two blocks away from two separate Starbucks. Both are now out of business, but we're stronger than ever :)

Feels good.
 

mephel

Member
Sorry to derail the thread, I just wanted to ask if AussieGAF has a community thread or something akin to that. I've had some questions regarding Australia and I couldn't find anything. Thanks

Regarding Starbucks, I don't understand why it is so successful. The only reason I buy coffee there (from time to time) is that there is no other local coffee shop around. They don't make particularly good coffee and their other drinks are full of sugar and fat.
 

Frodo

Member
My biggest problem with Starbucks is that it is generally more expensive than the other alternatives and there is no guarantee that your coffee will be just as good as the last one you ordered (which also happens to other coffee shops). I always order the same drink and sometimes it is great and sometimes it is absolutely horrible. I can understand why this happen, but that should be a little bit more control. A lot of the time the cheap beans I buy to use at home make a more decent brew than Starbucks could ever hope for, which kind of keeps me from spending my money there, since the price of a Grande whatever with a few extra shots is probably the same price of a package of beans that will make me >30 cups.
 
Gloria Jean's coffee is not much better in my opinion. They also supported the Australian Christian Lobby whilst they were opposing same sex marriage, and they have big links to Hillsong. As such I won't touch the place.

So many good independent coffee places even in the Suburbs around Sydney. I don't see why anyone would need a Starbucks.

Nooo, why'd you have to tell me that =(
 
My biggest problem with Starbucks is that it is generally more expensive than the other alternatives and there is no guarantee that your coffee will be just as good as the last one you ordered (which also happens to other coffee shops). I always order the same drink and sometimes it is great and sometimes it is absolutely horrible. I can understand why this happen, but that should be a little bit more control. A lot of the time the cheap beans I buy to use at home make a more decent brew than Starbucks could ever hope for, which kind of keeps me from spending my money there, since the price of a Grande whatever with a few extra shots is probably the same price of a package of beans that will make me >30 cups.

You get a Grande with "a few extra shots?" That's like drinking 5 cups of coffee...?

--

FWIW, in the US at most locations, a grande coffee at Starbucks is about the same price as any other coffee chain.. a little over $2.20 or so, depending on the region. This is comparable with Dunkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme (which is horrible), Seattles Best, and any dedicated coffee chains in the States. The non-coffee chains compete like McDonalds, Burger King, and so on, compete on price, so they can gamble on $1 coffee hoping that you'll also order food. Personally, I find Starbucks coffee to be remarkably consistent across the United States, whether you're in Massachusetts, California, or Florida, if you find a Starbucks, they're coffee is brewed consistently and will taste mostly the same. As recently as 2012, you couldn't say this about Dunkin Donuts, where a coffee in Florida would typically be disgusting, watered down, and luke warm. Mcdonalds still doesn't know that not all people drink their coffee with extra cream and extra sugar... I'm a "cream only" guy for hot coffee, and black for iced coffee, and "cream only" doesn't make sense to the McDonald's staff. They just assume everybody wants extra cream and extra sugar so that it's 'like a half-and-half milk shake.

Me? I like Starbucks iced coffee. It's stronger than Dunkin Donuts and I prefer it. I also prefer putting my own cream in the coffee, because it's still too much of a crap shoot whether "Cream" is going to mean "light" or "Extra extra" or whatever. I also go to two local coffee shops but not as often mostly because of consistency. If the owner is there, he coffee will be good. If the owner is not there and it's being run by one of the ~18 - ~22 year old hipsters, they're more interested in glazing their eyes over Proust than they are actually making the store run well.

Not surprised Sbux isn't doing well in Australia, but this line seems to suggest that coffee drinkers in Australia still owe a bit of gratitude to Sbux:

"I think we've got a lot to thank Starbucks for," says Mr Patterson. "They grew the category. They basically invented the lifestyle cafes that we know today.

"But then the competition saw this was a successful formula and copied them... so they really struggled against the... competition."
 

Rlan

Member
When you can trip over Coffee places that look like this:

TWE_Bennies2.jpg


1483880_477658465685786_122291797_o.jpg


1175068_535049759946656_1032985167_n.jpg


10176089_551335778318054_578821748087897825_n.jpg

Why would you go to a Starbucks?
 
Canadian here, and it completely baffles me to see a huge line-up of people willing to pay their exorbitant prices for drinks. Good on the Aussies, and you guys are so lucky to have such lovely local coffee shops.
 
Huh. Good on Australia, but where's the distinction I'm missing? I mean, Stabucks kind of sucks and is surrounded by better, independent coffee shops everywhere. What is it about Australia that makes the general populace recognize that when they don't seem to elsewhere?
 

microfolk

Member
You should see Italy: here Starbuck was never heard.

Well duh it's not even real coffee, it's just dirty water.

And this makes me wonder, how do you australians like your coffee? I don't really know shit about how the world drinks it outside of the Mediterranean area.
 
Canadian here, and it completely baffles me to see a huge line-up of people willing to pay their exorbitant prices for drinks. Good on the Aussies, and you guys are so lucky to have such lovely local coffee shops.

Just to say again... Starbucks is about the same price as most other national chains, and roughly the same price -- or usually cheaper -- than most local coffee shops. Sbux might be like $0.05 more expensive than Dunkin Donuts around me for a medium coffee. The exceptions are McDonalds and the like, that can afford to sell a large coffee for $1 hoping you'll also get a breakfast sandwich.
 

demon

I don't mean to alarm you but you have dogs on your face
Starbucks is decent in a pinch, and I have a thing for their sweetened iced Red Eye, but their coffee is pretty garbagey.
 

Chao

Member
Everytime I'm out and have a coffee at Starbucks or any other coffee place they give me some old guy's diarrhea, sometimes a little better than that, but mostly diarrhea. So I'll brew my own coffee thank you very much.
 

Rest

All these years later I still chuckle at what a fucking moron that guy is.
I guess that's good to see? In the U.S. they're known for actually helping the local coffee shops grow their businesses in the long run, though. Not intentionally, of course. One of the few massive chains that tends to have that effect.
What? Where I live, we used to have a major local chain and lots of little drive though huts, local cafes and more, but Starbucks has killed them all. Where do they grow the industry?
 

saunderez

Member
Gloria Jean's coffee is not much better in my opinion. They also supported the Australian Christian Lobby whilst they were opposing same sex marriage, and they have big links to Hillsong. As such I won't touch the place.

It's still better coffee. I don't boycott a business because they once made a donation to a political organisation I don't agree with. How many businesses do you think donate to or support the LNP or feeder organisations to the LNP like IPA who are also actively opposing same-sex marriage?
 

Nilaul

Member
Starbucks coffee sucks; its horrible. I'm surprised how they manage to stay open in Athens (probably because all the tourists and foreigners) .
 
It's good that Starbucks couldn't break the Australian market, but Coffee Club (which is absolutely everywhere here) is almost as bad. Over priced, bad coffee, bad food.
 

Fusebox

Banned
Fuck Gloria Jeans Glorious Jesus mob too, same problem there. 15 year olds making coffee by following the illustrated steps on their water-proofed instructions.
 

Volotaire

Member
dunkin is way better. they have new flavors comin out all the time. that's what i love the most about them. plus, their drinks are simple. iced coffee or a latte. no venti double whipped mocha 3 pump bullshit.

i had one of those oprah chai latte from starbucks on sunday and it was terrible. my local gas station makes a better vanilla chai latte.



i went to a local one called 'coffee coffee' and got the worst tasting coffee i have ever had.

I'm talking more about the established great independent ones.

The frappacinos at Starbucks are quite poor as well.
 

Mdk7

Member
Wish i could have a Caramel Frappuccino here in Italy. :(
No Starbucks No Party here!

(and we don't even have those sweeet donuts from Dunkin Donuts, fuck me and fuck this place ;_;)
 

andycapps

Member
Wish i could have a Caramel Frappuccino here in Italy. :(
No Starbucks No Party here!

(and we don't even have those sweeet donuts from Dunkin Donuts, fuck me and fuck this place ;_;)

Why would you complain about that when you can get actual good coffee drinks there?
 

Arksy

Member
Our awesome coffee is one thing that brings us all together. I've been all over the world and NO WHERE ELSE does coffee as well as we do.
 
Starbucks and similar chains never succeeded in Mediterannean countries as well. We simply HATE all flavoured things and especially filtered water called "coffee".

Also, eating cookies, brownies or any similar add-ons while driniking coffee is simply not common.

Also, social culture determines drining coffee at caffes, having a chit chat, smoking, socializing and such.

None of above fits into Starbucks model.

Also, and finally, their coffe sucks, simple as that. I tried it in US and UK and it was awful. Milk have too much fat and espressos are too expensive in order to make a decent quantity (I needed 3 espressos for regular amount of coffee in cup).

However, Nero in UK was amazing, great coffee and full focus on European (even Mediterannean) coffee experience.


well, I gotta say Starbucks is quite successfull here in Spain, though they have shops in a few cities, the most important ones.
 

Dash27

Member
Starbucks is why I drink coffee now. Never did my whole life til I tried a Vanilla Latte. I just love the combination of vanilla and coffee/espresso whatever. think I'll go get one actually.
 

Not Spaceghost

Spaceghost
This piece reads like a guy turning up his nose at people who like starbucks because it's too mainstream for his country and his people lmao.
 
I can't speak for Australia, but here in the U.S. it's simple for me. Duncan Doughnut's coffee tastes leagues better.

How do you live in the US and still manage to fuck up the name of the franchise that much? I'm surprised you didn't namedrop Stor-Bokkens Coughee.
 

BunnyBear

Member
There's a Starbucks in the heart of the Brisbane CBD. It's been there for years and is always full. I walked past on Monday and there was probably 20 people waiting in line at around 3pm so it can't be doing that badly.

Then again, inner-city Brisbane's 'cafe culture' isn't as expansive and ingrained as it is in Melbourne or Sydney. There are definitely parts of the city that are renowned for it. But the CBD lacks it a little.
 
Starbucks packing up shop in Australia?
Is this a dream?
I always wondered why they bothered to set up at all in Melbourne, and was totally baffled at people who stepped foot in there.
A win for the little guys, and superior products.
 
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