And there's the rub. Walmart might destroy all the "Mom and Pop" stores here in Oz eventually, but it's been my experience that "Mom and Pop" were selling the same low quality crap as Walmart, but for premium prices, so I say "bring it on".
There's some honesty. Question: Why is Walmart the largest employer in the US? Answer: Because lots of folks do lots of shopping there. In capitalism, people vote with their dollars. It's their customers that make Walmart go, not the other way around.
I lived in a small Vermont town, and some truly lame mom and pops went under when the Walmart opened nearby. On the other hand, the there was a thriving hardware store that excelled in service. When the Home Depot opened, well, it was the Home Depot that closed a couple of years later.
But as for Starbucks, that's a horse of an entirely different wagon. I love Starbucks. I do. I hate their coffee with a passion, and I won't go there if I can avoid it, but I love Starbucks.
So why the love? I admire a good scam. As has been pointed out, Starbucks intentionally burns its beans. Happy patrons believe that the "burned" taste is actually a "strong" taste. Here we get to the good scam part. If you're going to sell your customers burned coffee, do you need to buy the best beans? NO! Buy cheap beans and sell the coffee at a premium price. The beans used to make that $4 grandissimo likely cost less that those used to make a $1.67 Dunkin Donuts coffee.
That's pure genius!
Oh, and if you burn the beans, they don't need to be very fresh, either. This brings us to Dunkin Donuts.
About 10 years ago I toured Jamaica with a friend who had lived there. Just for fun, we stopped at a coffee plantation and asked if we could go for a hike there on the mountain.
The plantation we hiked on, Twyman's Estate, sells gourmet coffee that sold for $50/pound then. I would have scoffed at the price; however, the owner asked us in for coffee after we had gotten done hiking (actually, after the search party had been sent out). His coffee is truly amazing, so amazing that my buddy and I emptied our wallets to bring home about 8 pounds each (he sells for half price at the plantation).
After voicing his opinion about Starbucks, Mr. Twyman went on to say, "Do you know who brews a good cup of coffee in the U.S.?" "Dunkin Donuts," says he. Why? "Because their beans are always fresh." I like fresh beans. I like DnD, too. Mebbe Dunkin Donuts could be the vehicle for world commercial understanding. England, Germany, Australia, Brazil, we bring you our fresh beans!
