Cities/metros without Starbucks

[Dan]

Can you think of any? Why wouldn't Starbucks have a presence in these places, when in some parts of the country they're literally across the street from each other?

Largest I could find in the US with no "independent" Starbucks - El Paso, Texas

Largest I could find in the US with no Starbucks, period - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Las Cruces, New Mexico - 0
Fargo, North Dakota - 0 (one in a Super Target)
Amarillo, Texas - 0 (one in a supermarket)
Lubbock, Texas - 0 (one in a supermarket)
Pine Bluff, Arkansas - 0
Yuma, Arizona - 0 (one in a supermarket)
Ocala, Florida - 0
Jackson, Mississippi - 0 (one in a supermarket)
Beaumont, Texas - 0 (one in a supermarket)
Williamsport, Pennsylvania - 0
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania - 0
Reading, Pennsylvania - 0
Altoona, Pennsylvania - 0
Danville, Virginia - 0
Wichita Falls, Texas - 0
Topeka, Kansas - 0
St. Joseph, Missouri - 0
Utica, New York - 0

[boiker]

Peoria-Pekin Metro Area - 355,000
NO Starbucks

[Chet]

They're putting Starbuck's in metros now? Not even porta johns are safe..... sheeesh.

[boiker]

Originally posted by boiker
Peoria-Pekin Metro Area - 355,000
NO Starbucks

actually here's a map from starbucks website indicating the closest starbucks. over 70 miles away

The whole illinois region outside of chicago has been ignored by this chain.. i guess that's a good thing.

Springfield, IL - 105,000
Bloomington/Normal 100,000
Champaign/Urbana 100,000
Decatur, IL - 83,000
Rockford, IL 150,000

i guess illinois just don't like coffee

[Dan]

A few more ...

Little Rock, Arkansas - 0
Davenport, Iowa - 0 (one in a Super Target)
Roanoke, Virginia - 0
Chattanooga, Tennessee - 0

[Chet]

Originally posted by boiker

i guess illinois just don't like coffee

Actually, they just have better taste than the rest of the nation (thats why they love Wisconsin real estate too)

[Planderella]

Those cities should consider themselves lucky. Starbucks has the WORST coffee I've ever tasted. :blah

[NHPlanner]

There's only one in NH, in Portsmouth. Altough there are rumors floating around that they want to expand up here....BLECH!

[nerudite]

Originally posted by boiker


actually here's a map from starbucks website indicating the closest starbucks. over 70 miles away

Holy! I thought I was escaping Starbucks by moving out of the country, but noooooooo. There are 14 of them here in Edmonton. Our knock-off of Starbucks up here is "Second Cup", which has better coffee (but that's not too hard now, is it?).

Even when I lived in Seattle I avoided Charbucks like the plague. Strong = burnt.

If only there were more Peet's coffeehouses around. Oh well...

[Jeff]

Why the lack of Starbucks's in PA?? We have a strong support of our convenience stores in this area (WaWa and Turkey Hill). I wonder if Starbucks just didn't want to compete.

Also, those areas in PA are some of the most "Blue Collar" cities in PA....coal mining and steel towns for the most parts. Them guys don't drink any of that fancy coffee

[BKM]

Peets rules! Its still a chain, And Albert Peet was one of the founders of the Big Gren Machine, but I find their coffee the best. I'm supposed to be on a diet now, so no more full fat "Large" Mochas, but. . .

[Bucky alum]

Hey I like Starbucks. Not the coffee but the stock. I invest in what my friends and I don't believe in. We invest in companies that make crappy products that the masses loved. I paid for college by investing in Wal-mart and my 401K is in AOL (not too good now, hopefully better later) and Starbucks.

I've never had a cup of coffee, never will. But find me a huge company that everyone hates but everyone uses and I'll hopefully make some money on it. BTW, viewpoints on Best Buy??? Trying to decide if I should invest in them.

[boiker]

Originally posted by Bucky alum
Hey I like Starbucks. Not the coffee but the stock. I invest in what my friends and I don't believe in. We invest in companies that make crappy products that the masses loved. I paid for college by investing in Wal-mart and my 401K is in AOL (not too good now, hopefully better later) and Starbucks.

I've never had a cup of coffee, never will. But find me a huge company that everyone hates but everyone uses and I'll hopefully make some money on it. BTW, viewpoints on Best Buy??? Trying to decide if I should invest in them.

hmm. best buy.. i love it and use it...

[JNL]

This time last year we had no Starbucks in my city. Now, there are at least 4!! I saw a new one on Saturday that popped up out of nowhere.

Planderella, I agree - it's the worst coffee I've ever tasted! Fortunately there are lots of other good places to get coffee. We have some kind of record in Wellington for the number of cafes per person.

[BKM]

Best Buy beats Sears for appliances. It compares favorably to Good Guys for electronics.

Lousy service, but I still like 'em

Given the saturation in electronics retailers, will it be a good investment? They seem to be beating Good Guys in the Bay Area, the stores are very busy (with many frustrated customers).

[boiker]

we don't have good guys in the midwest.

the only 'discount' electronics retailers are Circuit City and Best Buy.. I always prefer Best Buy, because normally, I don't need service at an electronics store. And I hate Circuit City.

[plannerkat]

Jacksonville, FL was able to avoid Charbucks (why oh why do people think they have good coffee?!) for most of the 1990s. For a few years the only one was at the airport. Alas, no longer. I am sorry to report that there are now 4 of these godforesaken places within 5 miles of my house. 3 of these opened within the past 18 months.

[boiker]

I've had peet's, got a free bag off their website when they first went online back in 2000 or 1999. can't remember. Good stuff though.

But my question is, is starbucks that bad? is their marketing that good?

[BKM]

I personally don't find Starbucks that bad. Their drinks have too much sugar and other stuff, but some people do like the harsher, darker roasts.

As for marketing: its that, and the sheer ubiquity of the chain. Can anyone really claim that any of the processed junk that McDonalds and Burger King extrude tastes good? (Even their fries are mediocre, imo) Yuck, but they are multibillion dollar businesses. Starbucks, like McDonalds, is "comfortable" for a middle class clientel.

I just prefer locally owned cafes where possible. And, I think Peets is much better, overall. Does that make me a better human being? Nah (although there is the nasty, undeserved element of hippie moral superiority which sneaks in).

Starbuck's consolidated market power does mean significant negative impacts on coffee-growers in Central America. If you believe in the religion of untramelled markets, that's fine. I'm a proud agnostic in regards to America's true religion.

[boiker]

Originally posted by BKM
I personally don't find Starbucks that bad. Their drinks have too much sugar and other stuff, but some people do like the harsher, darker roasts.

As for marketing: its that, and the sheer ubiquity of the chain. Can anyone really claim that any of the processed junk that McDonalds and Burger King extrude tastes good? (Even their fries are mediocre, imo) Yuck, but they are multibillion dollar businesses. Starbucks, like McDonalds, is "comfortable" for a middle class clientel.

I just prefer locally owned cafes where possible. And, I think Peets is much better, overall. Does that make me a better human being? Nah (although there is the nasty, undeserved element of hippie moral superiority which sneaks in).

Starbuck's consolidated market power does mean significant negative impacts on coffee-growers in Central America. If you believe in the religion of untramelled markets, that's fine. I'm a proud agnostic in regards to America's true religion.

Ok, this thread is now officially hijacked

I have never found roasts, other than starbucks house roast to be that bad either. It's probably one of the only places around that will make a strong brew. (in my region anyway).

I don't notice much starbucks advertising on tv or other.. at least for their coffee shops. Only for their crapachinos and double shots.

So i really don't get how people are so attracted to starbucks..

[El Feo]

Originally posted by BKM
As for marketing: its that, and the sheer ubiquity of the chain. Can anyone really claim that any of the processed junk that McDonalds and Burger King extrude tastes good? (Even their fries are mediocre, imo) Yuck, but they are multibillion dollar businesses. Starbucks, like McDonalds, is "comfortable" for a middle class clientel.

Somebody's been reading Fast Food Nation again lately, haven't they!

Actually, I've never claimed to be an arbiter of good taste - in fact, some wags claim I'm a philistine - but yeah, sometimes the processed junk at McDonald's and Burger King taste good to me - damn good. That's not to say that you don't have a point re: "comfort." But that ain't necessarily a bad thang (not that you meant it as such - or did you?).

As for coffee, I just don't care for Starbucks at all. I'd cross the street to avoid it, but there's one over there too. I like to make my coffee at home (plain ole, boring, Chock Full o' Nuts), black, no sugar, and strong enough to float an ox.

[BKM]

Never actually read the book, but as a Kunstler quoting semi-leftish over-educated BOBO, I probably HAVE inhaled many of its arguments.

I am a food snob But, I just like non-overprocessed stuff better. I really don't like McD's very much-I can stomach the hamburgers, but the "Shakes" (processed, sugary soy) and, remember the McRib? My god, is that all the culture the US will be known for? Blahhh.

Even when I was growing up, mom never foisted all the processed junk on us.

[nerudite]

I think I don't like Starbucks because everything tastes so burnt. And... their coffee is *so overpriced*. I can't taste the difference much with the fru-fru drinks they serve (mochas, etc), but I don't like those much in general. I'm a regular black coffee kind of gal, and generally I like medium to dark roasts. At Starbucks that means highly acidy and burnt. Peet's coffee is every bit as strong as Starbucks, but without the burnt ashy aftertaste.

I don't have too much of a problem with smaller chains (such as Peet's), it's just that some of them get out of control. And it's sad when chains end up being substitutes for the real thing. As an example, Vienna has four Starbucks. I'm sorry, but Vienna IMO does not need a Starbucks. It has perfected cafe culture, so what does it need a Starbucks for? Well... maybe to have coffee (or Starbucks' facsimile thereof) in a "to go" cup. But that negates the whole Vienna cafe experience.

I think that's the reason that people don't "like" Starbucks. Take something great like a coffeehouse culture, water it down (or in Starbuck's case over-roast it), and then mass produce it for the world. The idea of all that homogeneity is what peeves me.

Hmmmm... I think I was starting to wander there. I better go grab some coffee (at the local coffehouse I may add)...

[Planderella]

I will always support one of the local coffee houses before I spend my hard earned cash at Starsucks. Some of the best coffee is made right here in this city. **in Homer Simpson voice** Mmmmm........chicory coffee.......

[El Feo]

Originally posted by BKM
Never actually read the book, but as a Kunstler quoting semi-leftish over-educated BOBO, I probably HAVE inhaled many of its arguments.

I am a food snob But, I just like non-overprocessed stuff better. I really don't like McD's very much-I can stomach the hamburgers, but the "Shakes" (processed, sugary soy) and, remember the McRib? My god, is that all the culture the US will be known for? Blahhh.

Even when I was growing up, mom never foisted all the processed junk on us.

I did read it, and as a Friedman-quoting semi-rightish over-educated former BOBO (I was the ONLY conservative art major), I tried its arguments, but I NEVER inhaled.

Don't get me wrong BK(that ain't BURGER KING)M, I don't usually go for the McD's or BK taste, but sometimes it just...well, hits the spot for some reason.

I grew up in KY, and while my mom never foisted any of the processed junk on us either (due in part to the fact that we couldn't afford it - processed was MORE expensive back then, not less), everything we were served was soaked in bacon grease, salt, and redeye gravy. Maybe that's what deadened my tasebuds...