Starbucks Thailand Tells Teachers "Order More Coffee Or Get Lost"

[mrbiggwigg]

Starbucks Thailand Tells Teachers "Order More Coffee Or Get Lost"

Then they should read the title, and so should you.

Do you think the Thais are accusing other Thais of freeloading?

[Ohyesuare]

When I'm in USA I have to buy a cup of coffee to use the free wifi. If not, I am not a customer and somebody just freeloading. When I am in Thailand, I should not have to buy a cup of coffee if I am already paying for the wifi. If Starbucks wants people to buy coffee, then they can do exactly what the USA does and make the wifi free so people will have to buy the coffee. When I go into Starbucks and buy wifi, I am then a customer as I have spent money in Starbucks to use the Wifi.

A cup of coffee in USA Starbucks costs around $1.00. I'm paying three times that amount to use Starbucks wifi for a few hours in Thailand. So how about making the Wifi free so then the money I spend on the wifi can be transferred over into the coffee so all the whiners can see the coffee cup instead of the wifi card and feel that this makes me less of a freeloader.

$1.00 for a coffee in the U.S, serious? Geez in Australia it is $5.00 we are being ripped off big time.

$5 even for the basic coffee's?

[Stevebkk01]

I agree with Starbucks.

They are doing the right thing. You have to draw the line somewhere. Too much is too much.

And the taste and the cost of the coffee is not relevant here.

What kind of environment is that to study anyway?

[Briggsy]

This is quite an amazing story. I know one tutor who uses the Starbucks outside St Gabriels in Bangkok and has been making a packet for years from this prime spot.

When I asked why Starbucks don't kick him out, he said he has a good relationship with the manager. For that, I read a cut of his fee.

Presumably, the real story here is that Starbucks have cottoned on to the fact that the company is not getting a cut of the profits whilst the branch manager is getting backhanders. As ever, running a company in Thailand is all about stopping the staff robbing off the company one way or another.

[JSixpack]

Well, this thread seems to be winding down, yawn. We did have a few good posts and exchanges amid the hot air, trolling, non sequiturs, and general bashing.

OK, Starbucks supporters. To commemorate this very thread, it's time to resolve to hit a Starbucks at first opportunity and increase their greedy profits. I think I can enjoy a cup of that SIMPLY AWFUL, OVERPRICED CRAP produced by none other than CAPITALIST TOOLS as soon as--tomorrow! Yeah!

Cheers, till the next Starbucks fest!

[chiangmaicharlies]

Starbucks coffee is some of the worst around, the staff are pretty useless and you have to pay for wi-fi there.

[Nisa]

Starbucks coffee is some of the worst around, the staff are pretty useless and you have to pay for wi-fi there.

[softgeorge]

Starbucks coffee is some of the worst around, the staff are pretty useless and you have to pay for wi-fi there.

Does anyone remember the old days before wifi when you would meet with people for a chat and a coffee face to face? It seems now that you need wifi to have a coffee and communicate with friends sitting at the next table.

[CMNightRider]

Wow, I'm surprised to see so many Starbuck haters. Starbucks serves excellent coffee and their stock is great. Starbucks does very well in Europe which surprised me, and now they are converting the Chinese tea drinkers into switching to Starbuck lattes in China. In Europe, if you don't want to go to Starbucks, there are plenty of good coffee houses to choose from. In Thailand, I guess you can go to Wawee. Personally, I think Wawee serves lousy coffee.

[CMNightRider]

Can we in turn write a letter to Starbucks asking them to stop serving overpriced garbage?

Where do you drink coffee or do you prefer to make it at home. Starbucks is on the high side but they don't serve "garbage."

[Jayman]

Slightly off topic but what does me is places like SE-ED bookshops where you have to do an obstacle course over people who're sitting on the floor engrossed in a book or slink your way through people standing reading ( not just flicking through in a " Maybe I'll buy it if there's something to interest me" sort of way ) the mags at the magazine display. It's a bookshop not a frigging library. You know, a place of business where they hope for some insanely irrational reason to make a profit. Maybe it's me ( coming from a business family ) but I can't help but think "Cheeky sods"

I think you just nailed the root of that problem which is the lack of decent libraries for the public to enjoy. In the US we frequented our local library regularly. Once computers and the internet became the norm the library even had several of those on offer for free public access. You could even check out audio tapes and then as times changed DVD's and the like. Sure they were not the latest release movies but they were free and not a Blockbusters.

Folks like to knock the US for making it's citizens pay taxes but I for one can see some of the positives of that tax money in use. Sure there are also many negatives but I'm trying not to foucs on those.

Do the high schools and Universities even have libraries for student use? What about a public library in each major city? Do they even exist? That could account for why there are so many ppl sitting on the floor in the book store trying to have a read.

Try buying the book and reading it at home!..bit like reading the daily newspaper and not buying...

I don't disagree with that. I can afford to buy books and read them at home. My comments come from most thais not being able to afford books and the lack of public libraries. Do you agree with that?

Edited July 26, 2012 by Jayman

[Jayman]

When I'm in USA I have to buy a cup of coffee to use the free wifi. If not, I am not a customer and somebody just freeloading. When I am in Thailand, I should not have to buy a cup of coffee if I am already paying for the wifi. If Starbucks wants people to buy coffee, then they can do exactly what the USA does and make the wifi free so people will have to buy the coffee. When I go into Starbucks and buy wifi, I am then a customer as I have spent money in Starbucks to use the Wifi.

A cup of coffee in USA Starbucks costs around $1.00. I'm paying three times that amount to use Starbucks wifi for a few hours in Thailand. So how about making the Wifi free so then the money I spend on the wifi can be transferred over into the coffee so all the whiners can see the coffee cup instead of the wifi card and feel that this makes me less of a freeloader.

Never seen Starbucks in Thailand advertise as an internet cafe. What you are saying is a kin to saying you came into starbucks, bought a condom from the bathroom vending machine and that makes you a customer. Get real mate. If all you want is to use the internet and not drink coffee might I suggest an internet cafe and not a coffee shop.

Edited July 26, 2012 by Jayman

[hellodolly]

Starbucks coffee is some of the worst around, the staff are pretty useless and you have to pay for wi-fi there.

Does anyone remember the old days before wifi when you would meet with people for a chat and a coffee face to face? It seems now that you need wifi to have a coffee and communicate with friends sitting at the next table.

No

That is for text messaging while you are on your facebook with your friends half a world away. Who when you get home you will text message with while you facebook with your friends half a world away.

[Semper]

Starbucks coffee is some of the worst around, the staff are pretty useless and you have to pay for wi-fi there.

Does anyone remember the old days before wifi when you would meet with people for a chat and a coffee face to face? It seems now that you need wifi to have a coffee and communicate with friends sitting at the next table.

Yes.

[Reasonableman]

Starbucks coffee is some of the worst around, the staff are pretty useless and you have to pay for wi-fi there.

Does anyone remember the old days before wifi when you would meet with people for a chat and a coffee face to face? It seems now that you need wifi to have a coffee and communicate with friends sitting at the next table.

Yes.

Instead of conversing you can fileshare, wifi and bluetooth the time away. 8-]

[oops]

Mcdonalds GROW SOME BALLS. Starbucks did so can you. I go to eat at Mcdonalds to eat in a store with 10 tables, nine will have kids sitting at them with nothing on the table except books. Or like the other day when I went to go eat in a smaller store and this jerk sitting at a table for four, just looking at everyone. I pulled up and looked at him with my wife and children, he did the only thing a Thai knows how to do right before running over your children....looked the other way. not funny you little s**t

[Nisa]

Mcdonalds GROW SOME BALLS. Starbucks did so can you. I go to eat at Mcdonalds to eat in a store with 10 tables, nine will have kids sitting at them with nothing on the table except books. Or like the other day when I went to go eat in a smaller store and this jerk sitting at a table for four, just looking at everyone. I pulled up and looked at him with my wife and children, he did the only thing a Thai knows how to do right before running over your children....looked the other way. not funny you little s**t

Why should McDonalds change? It sounds like they have not lost your business.

[Fookhaht]

Wow, I'm surprised to see so many Starbuck haters. Starbucks serves excellent coffee and their stock is great. Starbucks does very well in Europe which surprised me, and now they are converting the Chinese tea drinkers into switching to Starbuck lattes in China. In Europe, if you don't want to go to Starbucks, there are plenty of good coffee houses to choose from. In Thailand, I guess you can go to Wawee. Personally, I think Wawee serves lousy coffee.

Agree with this post. I never really liked coffee until I wandered into Starbucks' original coffee shop at Pike Place Market in Seattle to give it a try. Been addicted ever since. Now, my favorite Saturdays are spent correcting papers (I'm a teacher) for a few hours between perusals of The Bangkok Post and sips of my de-caff Mocha with a shot of raspberry. Ah, heaven!.

[Ron19]

Starbucks coffee is some of the worst around, the staff are pretty useless and you have to pay for wi-fi there.

Does anyone remember the old days before wifi when you would meet with people for a chat and a coffee face to face? It seems now that you need wifi to have a coffee and communicate with friends sitting at the next table.

Yes.

That was a while back.

[Ulysses G.]

Wow, I'm surprised to see so many Starbuck haters. Starbucks serves excellent coffee and their stock is great. Starbucks does very well in Europe which surprised me, and now they are converting the Chinese tea drinkers into switching to Starbuck lattes in China. In Europe, if you don't want to go to Starbucks, there are plenty of good coffee houses to choose from. In Thailand, I guess you can go to Wawee. Personally, I think Wawee serves lousy coffee.

Agree with this post. I never really liked coffee until I wandered into Starbucks' original coffee shop at Pike Place Market in Seattle to give it a try. Been addicted ever since. Now, my favorite Saturdays are spent correcting papers (I'm a teacher) for a few hours between perusals of The Bangkok Post and sips of my de-caff Mocha with a shot of raspberry. Ah, heaven!.

I think Starbucks is overpriced, but their coffee is fine. Pretentious coffee snobs only impress each other.

[Credo]

For God's sake, Starbuck's coffee is fine. If you put enough sugar & milk in anything people will drink it!

Many, many years ago, I worked in a restaurant for a time. It was a slightly up-scale place, but I noticed that sometimes the piped in music was louder. The manager explained that when the restaurant was full and they needed people to leave, they turned up the music (a little) and people would begin to leave. Once the seating was back to normal, they would turn it back down. I doubt that would work in Asia; everyone is pretty immune to noise.

I also read somewhere that some McDonald's that are busy have chairs that are deliberately designed in such a way as to be uncomfortable to extended sitting, this discourages people from loitering.

Starbucks tries to create a little better environment and it's a pretty enjoyable place to relax for a time, but it's sometimes hard to find a place to sit.

[CMNightRider]

Wow, I'm surprised to see so many Starbuck haters. Starbucks serves excellent coffee and their stock is great. Starbucks does very well in Europe which surprised me, and now they are converting the Chinese tea drinkers into switching to Starbuck lattes in China. In Europe, if you don't want to go to Starbucks, there are plenty of good coffee houses to choose from. In Thailand, I guess you can go to Wawee. Personally, I think Wawee serves lousy coffee.

Agree with this post. I never really liked coffee until I wandered into Starbucks' original coffee shop at Pike Place Market in Seattle to give it a try. Been addicted ever since. Now, my favorite Saturdays are spent correcting papers (I'm a teacher) for a few hours between perusals of The Bangkok Post and sips of my de-caff Mocha with a shot of raspberry. Ah, heaven!.

I think Starbucks is overpriced, but their coffee is fine. Pretentious coffee snobs only impress each other.

I have certainly been accused of a lot of things but snob isn't one of them, lol. I do think Starbucks is a little over priced.

[Katipo]

Can we in turn write a letter to Starbucks asking them to stop serving overpriced garbage?

Where do you drink coffee or do you prefer to make it at home. Starbucks is on the high side but they don't serve "garbage."

The 84 likes on my OP say otherwise

[chrisinth]

Starbucks coffee is some of the worst around, the staff are pretty useless and you have to pay for wi-fi there.

Does anyone remember the old days before wifi when you would meet with people for a chat and a coffee face to face? It seems now that you need wifi to have a coffee and communicate with friends sitting at the next table.

No

That is for text messaging while you are on your facebook with your friends half a world away. Who when you get home you will text message with while you facebook with your friends half a world away.

Yep, you have a point there Hellodolly. Just think if the text service was down you would have to revert to that outdated system of communication called verbal conversation......................

Still, technology has provided an answer to that in the many VOIP packages available. Conversation is dead.

RIP

[jackspratt]

Can we in turn write a letter to Starbucks asking them to stop serving overpriced garbage?

Where do you drink coffee or do you prefer to make it at home. Starbucks is on the high side but they don't serve "garbage."

The 84 likes on my OP say otherwise

Perhaps to indicate what posters really think, TV should introduce a "Don't Like This" button - I would certainly have clicked it.

[bkkjames]

yea 84 likes on over 20,000 views in the topic says, I wouldn't pat yourself on the back to hard, in public anyway lol

[jackspratt]

Gotta love those posters on TV who say they would never step inside a Starbucks store, but whinge about Starbucks introducing a policy to assist those who would.

[MunterHunter]

Can we in turn write a letter to Starbucks asking them to stop serving overpriced garbage?

Where do you drink coffee or do you prefer to make it at home. Starbucks is on the high side but they don't serve "garbage."

The 84 likes on my OP say otherwise

Wonder how many cups of coffee (or other beverages) Starbucks serve on a daily... or even hourly basis? Worldwide or even Thailand... or to make it fair, lets just say within Bangkok...

How does your 84 'likes' compare then?

[Ron19]

Can we in turn write a letter to Starbucks asking them to stop serving overpriced garbage?

Where do you drink coffee or do you prefer to make it at home. Starbucks is on the high side but they don't serve "garbage."

The 84 likes on my OP say otherwise

Perhaps to indicate what posters really think, TV should introduce a "Don't Like This" button - I would certainly have clicked it.

What a great idea if TV added one.

[Scott]

The internet is probably not capable of accommodating the dislikes of the membership.