Starbucks - Stop With the Via Madness
I'm a big Starbucks fan. I've owned their stock for 15 years, so I frequent their stores in support of my own retirement plan. I've been impressed with their service ethic. Regardless of the store, I feel as if I'm at my home store (which they closed, but that will be the subject of a future rant). Their stores are one of my sanctuaries in a world of chaos.
Until Via came along...
Via is the Starbucks instant coffee creation. I was first exposed at a store in New Haven, CT, where they were passing out packets as samples. Innocent enough - seemed like a nice addition to the product portfolio. I'm a Hazelnut Coffee or Vanilla Latte guy, so I doubted that I would be buying any Via.
Over the next few weeks, I became bombarded with Via. Every morning, my ritual coffee order was held hostage until I consumed the daily Via concoction. At first, it was just brewed Via. Then, the horror began. Some marketing genius created some form of challenge to see how many different ways Via could be used. There is literally a recipe for a meat marinade, using Via, posted in my home store. I've had it pushed to me in the drive through - what do I do with it if I don't care for the taste. The little shot cup is too small to fit in my drink holder - do I poor it on the floor? Out the window?
Someone thought it was a good idea to hold a taste test during the morning rush. I'm lucky if I can spell my name before 10am. Morning rush at Starbucks serves only one purpose - get caffeine in people quickly. 6am is not the time to socialize, or to sample the latest marketing creation.
But it didn't stop...
Week after week, new uses for Via. As I ordered my Hazelnut Coffee, the store manager asked me if I've tried Via with hazelnut. Let's think about that question for a moment. Via is designed as an on-the-go, didn't have time to stop at Starbucks for coffee -throw it in your briefcase or purse. Did I miss the sister offering of dehydrated hazelnut? How in the hell would I try an instant coffee with hazelnut syrup? Hazelnut syrup is not a common item in my briefcase, my house, my office, the airplane...in any of the places that Starbucks recommends Via use. About the only place I know to get hazelnut syrup for coffee is at Starbucks. So, why would I drink Via at Starbucks if I could get actual brewed coffee at Starbucks?
I guessed that the Via attacks were part of a carefully orchestrated marketing warfare plan. My fears were confirmed when one of the store associates told me they would get into big trouble if they were found not to be pushing Via or Via + _____ (insert edible product here). I told the associate that I was doing work at a Starbucks the previous week, and every 20 minutes an associate came through the store with a tray of Via potions for everyone to try. Even though I had my headphones on, and was working on my laptop, the Via brewer would stop at my table and demand to be recognized. The associate cringed and indicated that the particular store was going a little overboard, and they would never do that in their store. I didn't have the heart to tell her that it was her store, and the perpetrator was standing five feet to her left.
Please Starbucks, please, stop with the Via push. Your demographic is unlikely to be regular customers. After all, if we're regular customers, we are coming to the store for coffee - do you want us to stay home and drink Via instead? Additionally, I'll guess that the larger portion of your in-store customers are not brewed coffee drinkers. They likely come for the espresso drinks, so why would they be interested in instant coffee?
The biggest fault I have with Via is that you still have to find hot water (or hot something) to enjoy the product. Yeah, I know you can put into cold stuff (I'm reminded of the fact whenever a new concoction is pushed at me), but I can't wrap my head around cold coffee. So, for me, hot water availability is a show stopper.
Now, if you could develop dehydrated hot water - then you'd have something.
Stop the Via madness. Please.
Until Via came along...
Via is the Starbucks instant coffee creation. I was first exposed at a store in New Haven, CT, where they were passing out packets as samples. Innocent enough - seemed like a nice addition to the product portfolio. I'm a Hazelnut Coffee or Vanilla Latte guy, so I doubted that I would be buying any Via.
Over the next few weeks, I became bombarded with Via. Every morning, my ritual coffee order was held hostage until I consumed the daily Via concoction. At first, it was just brewed Via. Then, the horror began. Some marketing genius created some form of challenge to see how many different ways Via could be used. There is literally a recipe for a meat marinade, using Via, posted in my home store. I've had it pushed to me in the drive through - what do I do with it if I don't care for the taste. The little shot cup is too small to fit in my drink holder - do I poor it on the floor? Out the window?
Someone thought it was a good idea to hold a taste test during the morning rush. I'm lucky if I can spell my name before 10am. Morning rush at Starbucks serves only one purpose - get caffeine in people quickly. 6am is not the time to socialize, or to sample the latest marketing creation.
But it didn't stop...
Week after week, new uses for Via. As I ordered my Hazelnut Coffee, the store manager asked me if I've tried Via with hazelnut. Let's think about that question for a moment. Via is designed as an on-the-go, didn't have time to stop at Starbucks for coffee -throw it in your briefcase or purse. Did I miss the sister offering of dehydrated hazelnut? How in the hell would I try an instant coffee with hazelnut syrup? Hazelnut syrup is not a common item in my briefcase, my house, my office, the airplane...in any of the places that Starbucks recommends Via use. About the only place I know to get hazelnut syrup for coffee is at Starbucks. So, why would I drink Via at Starbucks if I could get actual brewed coffee at Starbucks?
I guessed that the Via attacks were part of a carefully orchestrated marketing warfare plan. My fears were confirmed when one of the store associates told me they would get into big trouble if they were found not to be pushing Via or Via + _____ (insert edible product here). I told the associate that I was doing work at a Starbucks the previous week, and every 20 minutes an associate came through the store with a tray of Via potions for everyone to try. Even though I had my headphones on, and was working on my laptop, the Via brewer would stop at my table and demand to be recognized. The associate cringed and indicated that the particular store was going a little overboard, and they would never do that in their store. I didn't have the heart to tell her that it was her store, and the perpetrator was standing five feet to her left.
Please Starbucks, please, stop with the Via push. Your demographic is unlikely to be regular customers. After all, if we're regular customers, we are coming to the store for coffee - do you want us to stay home and drink Via instead? Additionally, I'll guess that the larger portion of your in-store customers are not brewed coffee drinkers. They likely come for the espresso drinks, so why would they be interested in instant coffee?
The biggest fault I have with Via is that you still have to find hot water (or hot something) to enjoy the product. Yeah, I know you can put into cold stuff (I'm reminded of the fact whenever a new concoction is pushed at me), but I can't wrap my head around cold coffee. So, for me, hot water availability is a show stopper.
Now, if you could develop dehydrated hot water - then you'd have something.
Stop the Via madness. Please.
