"Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there."
-John Wooden
I have to believe when Starbucks started out, they had the ability to get to the top which is why they seized the coffee house market and have dominated for so long. However, I truly think Starbucks has lost its character. What else could explain my visiting two different Starbucks locations more than 100 miles apart in the same day and getting SHITTY attitudes from two different baristas at said Starbucks? At this particular location, I was a little surprised to see the coffee of the day being served out of thermos pumps. I don't recall having seen that before, and it may be standard operating procedure, but as a consumer, it turned me off. It made me wonder why I was paying Starbucks premium for coffee that was being kept warm and pumped out of a thermos carafe. One thing I was going to compliment this location on was how nice their baked goods display looked. However, I was taking a picture on my phone and was halted by the barista saying I couldn't take pictures of their things. Again, I don't know if this is standard operating procedure, and this is the only barista out of a hundred Starbucks I've visited to enforce it, or if this was just another way for this particular barista to share her "sunny" disposition (that's sarcasm) with me. I think anyone can go on Starbucks website and see the food items they offer. It's advertised and public knowledge, so I'm unsure how preventing photos applies here. Anyway, was glad to see that Rochester finally got a Starbucks; but after this visit, I'm not so sure that's a good thing. read more