Bangkok: Starbucks demands arrests in IP case

[planetdweller]

Starbucks need to get over themselves and extract their head from their collective corporate arse.

The only humorous thing Starbucks is hearing Americans rave on about how good the coffee is. Most of the world wouldn't even degrease their car engines with the stuff.

And why are they are so popular then? I don't see any Australian businesses doing as well, do you?

I agree mochefan. I guess the overwhelming success of an American corporation is a big joke. Also, I have barely ever been inside a Starbucks anyway and they're on every block here in America. Just don't care for coffee much. All of a sudden we all RAVE about Starbucks? Hardly. Guess I'll refrain from any stereotypes about the nationality of the OP.

[richard_smith237]

We all need to send an email to Starbucks and tell them to back off. To try to ruin two enterprising Thai men financially is totally despicable. Nasty nasty corporate greed.

Copying is hardly enterprising...

If you had read the story representatives had already given Starbung coffee an opportunity to use a less plagiaristic name and sign. They gambled and ignored these requests to their own costs.

It has been said by many on this this thread already: Starbucks are simply protecting their brand - Big guy or little guy, good coffee or poor coffee is completely irrelevant. People commenting otherwise are letting their immaturity and emotions outweigh a very simple legal matter - Starbung are copying Starbucks and infringing on IP laws.

[robblok]

We all need to send an email to Starbucks and tell them to back off. To try to ruin two enterprising Thai men financially is totally despicable. Nasty nasty corporate greed.

Copying is hardly enterprising...

If you had read the story representatives had already given Starbung coffee an opportunity to use a less plagiaristic name and sign. They gambled and ignored these requests to their own costs.

It has been said by many on this this thread already: Starbucks are simply protecting their brand - Big guy or little guy, good coffee or poor coffee is completely irrelevant. People commenting otherwise are letting their immaturity and emotions outweigh a very simple legal matter - Starbung are copying Starbucks and infringing on IP laws.

The bashers wont listen, they either can't afford a cup of coffee there or don't like American companies or some other idiotic excuse.

Its quite simple they guys are in the wrong, they have been warned, did not listen and now they are being sued.

Had starbucks gone straight to suing them I would have looked differently at them but they had warnings.

Copying is not business even if they are small it should not be done like this. If I create a brand and invest time and money and someone steals it I wont be happy. Be original don't leach of other peoples succes.

I don't drink coffee, i just look at this from a law and realistic point of view, just like some others. But the bashers seems to just hate Americans or Starbucks Starbucks is in the right its simple.

[ianf]

Starbucks being overly petty here.

They'll lose a few Muslim customers

if they carry this to the end I'm sure.

What a load of cods wallop....

you spend years building up your business and expand globally and then your saying its OK for blatant rip offs of your brand , Starbucks have every right and from the look of the logo's every basis to be concerned here... one thing about brand equity that needs to be understood is that if you knowingly allow a rip off brand such as here to trade then if someone bigger uses your brand as well then you have lost all ground to defend your trademark.

I fully support Starbucks here.. dont particularly like their coffee but fully support what they are doing.... find it ironic too that the issue of religion was weaved into the guys excuse.

To the issue of them losing a few Muslim customers... ohhh please.. globally / regionally do you think Starbucks will care if a few Muslims get upset and don't drink their coffee albeit I doubt the ones who would get upset here don't have enough money to step inside a Starbucks.

Ask yourself where the buck stops on this one... is it all right if a guy copies the logo and pushes a cart ?? What if its a shop out back of Nonthaburi ?? What if its a few shops around the capital.. what about 10-15 shops all around hiso shopping areas... when is it that it doesn't become petty anymore.. the answer is when you are dealing with your brand and the intrinsic brand equity that its never.. any minor infringement of the brand should be acted on...

Starbucks arent being petty, they are simply protecting their considerable investment against blatant infringement.. fact that he has a cart and is small fry is irrelevant.

I was under the impression that Muslims didn't drink coffee?????

[ianf]

We all need to send an email to Starbucks and tell them to back off. To try to ruin two enterprising Thai men financially is totally despicable. Nasty nasty corporate greed.

Nothing to do with greed. A lot to do with law and ethics.

[fab4]

I was under the impression that Muslims didn't drink coffee?????

They don't drink coffee during Ramadan, unless of course they don't drink coffee at all and prefer tea, that is, it's not compulsory.

[fab4]

We all need to send an email to Starbucks and tell them to back off. To try to ruin two enterprising Thai men financially is totally despicable. Nasty nasty corporate greed.

Nothing to do with greed. A lot to do with law and ethics.

Nasty nasty corporate (I squirm when I hear that word) law and ethics. I used to work for a great (well it was before the takeover) telecoms firm that was taken over by a corporate with it's corporate "law" and corporate "ethics".

You may have heard of it, it was called WorldCom. It's CEO, Bernie Ebbers is currently serving a 25 year jail term for a $11 billion corporates securities fraud.

(and No, I am not bitter through losing a job with them, I left voluntarily shortly after the takeover - I have standards.)

[SuwadeeS]

I have never been to Starbuck's, and I do not go to Starbuck's, because when I see from the outside the prices and then, that they give you a "cup of coffee" in a plasic cup or paper.

No way. Get out.

[richard_smith237]

I have never been to Starbuck's, and I do not go to Starbuck's, because when I see from the outside the prices and then, that they give you a "cup of coffee" in a plasic cup or paper.

No way. Get out.

You have never been to Starbucks... how on earth would you know what type of cups they serve their coffee in ????

Paper cups for takeaway... decent ceramic cups otherwise.

[richard_smith237]

I have standards.

Would these same standards permit you to copy someone else or let someone else copy the brand your hard work has created ?

While questioning the business ethics of Starbucks should the ethics of the two brothers who copied Starbucks not also be called into question ?

[boomerangutang]

We all need to send an email to Starbucks and tell them to back off. To try to ruin two enterprising Thai men financially is totally despicable. Nasty nasty corporate greed.

I don't agree at all. Starbucks doesn't have to be as clean as the driven snow, in order to protect its brand name. What if people drank coffee at the copy place (thinking it was Starbucks), thought it was terrible (or got sick), and then blogged all over the internet that SB had an inferior product. Even that's secondary.

Thai people in general and officialdom in particular can barely fathom the idea that there's anything wrong with copying a trade name or product. Fact remains: the copying sidewalk vendor tried to be cute with the logo copy. He got caught. And now he's dragging his feet, because (as they say in show biz) 'there's no such thing as bad publicity.' Thai authorities should come down firmly, and put him in jail for a few days, and make sure, when he comes out, that he doesn't keep using that logo.

[hawker9000]

Obey and support the law when it suits; cry & whine when it doesn't. Some are just plain dysfunctional when it comes to thinking things through. If smalltime wannabes can pick & choose the laws they wanna' obey, why should the bigger boys be held to any different standard? Be careful what you wish for...

[kimamey]

Does anyone even drink that muddy rice paddy water they call starbucks? I tried it once, never again. Give me Starbung anyday or a kafai yen for a fraction of the price!

No you're right. nobody anywhere ever drinks coffee from Starbucks.

It's an amazing story when you think of it. Thousands of shops in dozens of countries just set up overnight and making millions of US$ and all without anything being sold because they had no idea how to make a cup of coffee that anybody was able to drink.

Unbelievable.

[kimamey]

I was under the impression that Muslims didn't drink coffee?????

They don't drink coffee during Ramadan, unless of course they don't drink coffee at all and prefer tea, that is, it's not compulsory.

Would they only drink decaff because caffeine is a drug? I don't know, just asking.

[Clutch]

Does anyone even drink that muddy rice paddy water they call starbucks? I tried it once, never again. Give me Starbung anyday or a kafai yen for a fraction of the price!

 

No you're right. nobody anywhere ever drinks coffee from Starbucks.

 

It's an amazing story when you think of it. Thousands of shops in dozens of countries just set up overnight and making millions of US$ and all without anything being sold because they had no idea how to make a cup of coffee that anybody was able to drink.

 

Unbelievable.

Same same for MacDonalds! It's all about how it's marketed. Come up with a gimmick, splash

Millions $ at advertising and Waa- la!, even dog turd hot dogs would sell..

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Bikkii]

Does anyone even drink that muddy rice paddy water they call starbucks? I tried it once, never again. Give me Starbung anyday or a kafai yen for a fraction of the price!

No you're right. nobody anywhere ever drinks coffee from Starbucks.

It's an amazing story when you think of it. Thousands of shops in dozens of countries just set up overnight and making millions of US$ and all without anything being sold because they had no idea how to make a cup of coffee that anybody was able to drink.

Unbelievable.

Funny that you say that because of all these so called stores are diminiushing around the world. Starbucks tried to infiltrate the Australian market with their vile s@@t and opened 100's of stores. Today I think they have 2 left. Theres an example I guess?

[hawker9000]

Does anyone even drink that muddy rice paddy water they call starbucks? I tried it once, never again. Give me Starbung anyday or a kafai yen for a fraction of the price!

No you're right. nobody anywhere ever drinks coffee from Starbucks.

It's an amazing story when you think of it. Thousands of shops in dozens of countries just set up overnight and making millions of US$ and all without anything being sold because they had no idea how to make a cup of coffee that anybody was able to drink.

Unbelievable.

Funny that you say that because of all these so called stores are diminiushing around the world. Starbucks tried to infiltrate the Australian market with their vile s@@t and opened 100's of stores. Today I think they have 2 left. Theres an example I guess?

Even funnier YOU say that, since the actual numbers are 87 (vs "100s"...lol) and 22 (vs "2"). Sources: Starbucks own AU website and strategiccreative.com.au. What's any of this got to do with willful trademark infringement, or are we just being petulant?

[kimamey]

Does anyone even drink that muddy rice paddy water they call starbucks? I tried it once, never again. Give me Starbung anyday or a kafai yen for a fraction of the price!

No you're right. nobody anywhere ever drinks coffee from Starbucks.

It's an amazing story when you think of it. Thousands of shops in dozens of countries just set up overnight and making millions of US$ and all without anything being sold because they had no idea how to make a cup of coffee that anybody was able to drink.

Unbelievable.

Funny that you say that because of all these so called stores are diminiushing around the world. Starbucks tried to infiltrate the Australian market with their vile s@@t and opened 100's of stores. Today I think they have 2 left. Theres an example I guess?

It doesn't always work in every country. Tesco made a mess of it in the US. Bestbuy quickly closed in the UK. I don't know about Starbucks worldwide but with a recession around the world sales will be affected and stores that make a loss will be closed to protect the rest of the company.

The point I was making in my sarcastic way is that sweeping statements claiming that their coffee tastes like rice paddy water and asking if anyone drinks it given the fact that they make so much money is rather childish. Much like my comment I suppose.

[kimamey]

Ah! It's been a while since we had yet another Starbuck-bashing thread to bring out all our usual clowns--the nanny-staters, anti-globalists, anti-corporates, antiamericanistas, phony environmentalists, Occupy Wallstreeters, dizzy little Che Guevaras, wannabe coffee snobs, Cheap Charlies, farang *kee noks, populist demagogues, and mostly just plain ol' trolls pilin' on. Always a good laugh.

All been said before and will be again and again and again . . . here.

Meanwhile I'll be sure to stop in Starbucks for a cuppa next time I'm near one. Price doesn't bother me a bit (I can afford it), tastes OK, nice enough atmosphere, air-con, blueberry cheesecake (!), cleanliness, service, wi-fi, convenient locations, music, comfort.

Love it if they ain't letting the Brits extort them to pay for the failed welfare state. Use the money productively to build more Starbucks and give people real jobs. Hee hee!

BTW, be sure to read about how Thailand feels about non-Thais using the name "Jasmine" or harmless variants such as "Jasmati" on non-Thai rice or even attempting to create another variety of jasmine rice--which Thailand regards as its own intellectual property. Whoops!

Back to the bashing!

Hey--nobody's pushed the McDonald's hot button lately . . . .

I'm sure you'd love the the welfare state in the UK to be failing but I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. Like any welfare system some people will abuse it and there are differing views on how to prevent it but it's still going fine. This should also include the NHS which despite many problems has provided a life expectancy which the last time I looked was pretty good. Slightly better than the USA which I would say is some achievement. Things are a little difficult right now due to the ongoing financial crisis partly caused by the failures of the US mortgage and banking system. We are partly to blame as well but before you start worrying too much we and our welfare system will get through it.

As for the rest of your post, whilst it may be a bit over the top I would generally agree with you.

There's always a lot of posters saying that the coffee, burgers, cola ect. are inedible or undrinkable depending on which large company is the target at the time. All these companies started small and built up often over many years. There may well be legitimate criticisms that can be levelled at them but not just on the fact that they have a lot of outlets. They're big because people buy from them. They aren't forced and to so they must provide something that their customers like.

Many have been attacked for moving profits out of countries like the UK to avoid tax but have started to pay more when they realised their profits could be affected by the bad publicity. This is down mainly to the tax laws not keeping up with globalisation. I don't know why the legislation hasn't been changed but it may be more difficult than it seems. It does need changing as it's unfair on domestic companies like Costa Coffee who pay more tax as a proportion of their profits.

Big companies like Starbucks are always going to have a problem when they come up against a small operation like this as they will often be seen as bullies. They seem to have tried their best to resolve the problem without success. Whilst I wouldn't confuse the two it's obviously a copy designed to gain from Starbucks brand image. If not why not just change it? Maybe Starbucks should have offered to help design a new logo and paid for the old one to be replaced. Perhaps even a new cart. I'm sure that when this gets to court the brothers will realise that calling Starbucks' bluff hasn't worked and some reasonable settlement will be reached. It's not in Starbucks interest to be seen to ruin a small business.

[Spare]

Heartless Farang bully poor Thai people trying to make enough to just get by day to day.

[JSixpack]

Funny that you say that because of all these so called stores are diminiushing around the world.

No. In the last year the number of stores has risen by about 9%.

Why resort to lying? Or is this just a beloved fantasy?

Starbucks tried to infiltrate the Australian market with their vile s@@t and opened 100's of stores.

No. I guess somewhere you attempted to learn 'bout numbers and all, but failed.

Today I think they have 2 left. Theres an example I guess?

You have no idea really.

Starbucks coffee names have too many syllables for Ozzies to remember long enough to place their orders.

In short, some serious errors were made in the whole marketing strategy there. Mostly needed to suck up a lot more and pretend to "go native."

[Bikkii]

Funny that you say that because of all these so called stores are diminiushing around the world.

No. In the last year the number of stores has risen by about 9%.

Why resort to lying? Or is this just a beloved fantasy?

Starbucks tried to infiltrate the Australian market with their vile s@@t and opened 100's of stores.

No. I guess somewhere you attempted to learn 'bout numbers and all, but failed.

Today I think they have 2 left. Theres an example I guess?

You have no idea really.

Starbucks coffee names have too many syllables for Ozzies to remember long enough to place their orders.

In short, some serious errors were made in the whole marketing strategy there. Mostly needed to suck up a lot more and pretend to "go native."

Clearly you love the muddy filth they serve or are you a Starbucks manager in disguise?? Pity on you if you are.And no Starbucks certainly doesn't have too many syllables for us to say. The point is unlike you people that will drink anything in a cup, we like many European countries have a little bit more class than that and actually enjoy coffee made well. Please enlighten me then seeing you have a masters in Starbucks infiltration, how are they going in Australia??

[3SoiDogNight]

Ah! It's been a while since we had yet another Starbuck-bashing thread to bring out all our usual clowns--the nanny-staters, anti-globalists, anti-corporates, antiamericanistas, phony environmentalists, Occupy Wallstreeters, dizzy little Che Guevaras, wannabe coffee snobs, Cheap Charlies, farang *kee noks, populist demagogues, and mostly just plain ol' trolls pilin' on. Always a good laugh.

All been said before and will be again and again and again . . . here.

Meanwhile I'll be sure to stop in Starbucks for a cuppa next time I'm near one. Price doesn't bother me a bit (I can afford it), tastes OK, nice enough atmosphere, air-con, blueberry cheesecake (!), cleanliness, service, wi-fi, convenient locations, music, comfort.

Love it if they ain't letting the Brits extort them to pay for the failed welfare state. Use the money productively to build more Starbucks and give people real jobs. Hee hee!

Amen, Amen and Amen to that! ! !

Good one! You need to let me borrow that quote. Spot on!

These must be that handful of bitter expats that constantly gripe about the cost of things going up in a developing country.

Yet have their nose up in the air thinking they're better than the rest of the world as they sit around drinking cheap beer and watching soccer.

I'm amazed at the amount of ignorance proudly being displayed in this thread. How on earth did a topic about Starbucks turn in to an America bashing free for all? Not sure how 1 company's decision became reflective of a nation of over 315 million people.

My previous post I already mentioned that I'm an American that is not a fan of Starbuck's coffee because of their taste. The price doesn't bother me much because I'm paying for the air conditioning and comfortable seats inside - something a push cart operator doesn't offer. I do prefer the push-cart operator coffee when I'm on the go, which is most of the time when I drink coffee.

Kudos to Starbucks for not feeding the welfare state in the U.K.!

That said, I still will defend the Starbung coffee push cart operator.

[Benmart]

It is good to see that the majority of replies to this topic recognise just how ridiculous these wanke_rs at Starbucks are. It shows what the truth of the matter is.

"The truth is rarely pure and never simple" - Oscar Wilde

[kimamey]

Ah! It's been a while since we had yet another Starbuck-bashing thread to bring out all our usual clowns--the nanny-staters, anti-globalists, anti-corporates, antiamericanistas, phony environmentalists, Occupy Wallstreeters, dizzy little Che Guevaras, wannabe coffee snobs, Cheap Charlies, farang *kee noks, populist demagogues, and mostly just plain ol' trolls pilin' on. Always a good laugh.

All been said before and will be again and again and again . . . here.

Meanwhile I'll be sure to stop in Starbucks for a cuppa next time I'm near one. Price doesn't bother me a bit (I can afford it), tastes OK, nice enough atmosphere, air-con, blueberry cheesecake (!), cleanliness, service, wi-fi, convenient locations, music, comfort.

Love it if they ain't letting the Brits extort them to pay for the failed welfare state. Use the money productively to build more Starbucks and give people real jobs. Hee hee!

Amen, Amen and Amen to that! ! !

Good one! You need to let me borrow that quote. Spot on!

These must be that handful of bitter expats that constantly gripe about the cost of things going up in a developing country.

Yet have their nose up in the air thinking they're better than the rest of the world as they sit around drinking cheap beer and watching soccer.

I'm amazed at the amount of ignorance proudly being displayed in this thread. How on earth did a topic about Starbucks turn in to an America bashing free for all? Not sure how 1 company's decision became reflective of a nation of over 315 million people.

My previous post I already mentioned that I'm an American that is not a fan of Starbuck's coffee because of their taste. The price doesn't bother me much because I'm paying for the air conditioning and comfortable seats inside - something a push cart operator doesn't offer. I do prefer the push-cart operator coffee when I'm on the go, which is most of the time when I drink coffee.

Kudos to Starbucks for not feeding the welfare state in the U.K.!

That said, I still will defend the Starbung coffee push cart operator.

I don't think anyone is asking for Starbucks to feed the welfare state just pay their tax like everyone should. To be fair they haven't done anything illegal but it's certainly not good when a company avoids tax. This will also be true in the US as well. I'm grateful for the welfare state in my country as it has helped me.

I think I've only been in Starbucks once before with my sister. I can't remember how good the coffee was and I wouldn't call myself a coffee expert anyway but I'm sure if it tasted as bad as many say I would remember it. I may have to go and try some now just to check.

This isn't really about the taste of their coffee anyway. Nobody has to drink it if they don't like it.

If Starbung coffee is that good they would be well advised to change their logo as when they go international they will be in even more trouble.

Edited October 21, 2013 by kimamey

[Prbkk]

Starbucks not paying any tax at all is somehow a good thing? So all profits repatriated to US shareholders is somehow equated to not subsidising a welfare state. Don't quite get that logic. Your comment about noses in the air reminded me of the last time I was in a Starbucks in Thailand. The server had her finger so far up her nose , it would have been dangerously close to brain cavity. No doubt staff ( and one would hope, standards) have improved in the 10 years since then.

quote name="3SoiDogNight" post="6947532" timestamp="1382351780"]?

Ah! It's been a while since we had yet another Starbuck-bashing thread to bring out all our usual clowns--the nanny-staters, anti-globalists, anti-corporates, antiamericanistas, phony environmentalists, Occupy Wallstreeters, dizzy little Che Guevaras, wannabe coffee snobs, Cheap Charlies, farang *kee noks, populist demagogues, and mostly just plain ol' trolls pilin' on. Always a good laugh.

All been said before and will be again and again and again . . . here.

Meanwhile I'll be sure to stop in Starbucks for a cuppa next time I'm near one. Price doesn't bother me a bit (I can afford it), tastes OK, nice enough atmosphere, air-con, blueberry cheesecake (!), cleanliness, service, wi-fi, convenient locations, music, comfort.

Love it if they ain't letting the Brits extort them to pay for the failed welfare state. Use the money productively to build more Starbucks and give people real jobs. Hee hee!

Amen, Amen and Amen to that! ! !

Good one! You need to let me borrow that quote. Spot on!

These must be that handful of bitter expats that constantly gripe about the cost of things going up in a developing country.

Yet have their nose up in the air thinking they're better than the rest of the world as they sit around drinking cheap beer and watching soccer.

I'm amazed at the amount of ignorance proudly being displayed in this thread. How on earth did a topic about Starbucks turn in to an America bashing free for all? Not sure how 1 company's decision became reflective of a nation of over 315 million people.

My previous post I already mentioned that I'm an American that is not a fan of Starbuck's coffee because of their taste. The price doesn't bother me much because I'm paying for the air conditioning and comfortable seats inside - something a push cart operator doesn't offer. I do prefer the push-cart operator coffee when I'm on the go, which is most of the time when I drink coffee.

Kudos to Starbucks for not feeding the welfare state in the U.K.!

That said, I still will defend the Starbung coffee push cart operator.

[Baloo22]

Ah! It's been a while since we had yet another Starbuck-bashing thread to bring out all our usual clowns--the nanny-staters, anti-globalists, anti-corporates, antiamericanistas, phony environmentalists, Occupy Wallstreeters, dizzy little Che Guevaras, wannabe coffee snobs, Cheap Charlies, farang *kee noks, populist demagogues, and mostly just plain ol' trolls pilin' on. Always a good laugh.

All been said before and will be again and again and again . . . here.

Meanwhile I'll be sure to stop in Starbucks for a cuppa next time I'm near one. Price doesn't bother me a bit (I can afford it), tastes OK, nice enough atmosphere, air-con, blueberry cheesecake (!), cleanliness, service, wi-fi, convenient locations, music, comfort.

Love it if they ain't letting the Brits extort them to pay for the failed welfare state. Use the money productively to build more Starbucks and give people real jobs. Hee hee!

Amen, Amen and Amen to that! ! !

Good one! You need to let me borrow that quote. Spot on!

These must be that handful of bitter expats that constantly gripe about the cost of things going up in a developing country.

Yet have their nose up in the air thinking they're better than the rest of the world as they sit around drinking cheap beer and watching soccer.

I'm amazed at the amount of ignorance proudly being displayed in this thread. How on earth did a topic about Starbucks turn in to an America bashing free for all? Not sure how 1 company's decision became reflective of a nation of over 315 million people.

My previous post I already mentioned that I'm an American that is not a fan of Starbuck's coffee because of their taste. The price doesn't bother me much because I'm paying for the air conditioning and comfortable seats inside - something a push cart operator doesn't offer. I do prefer the push-cart operator coffee when I'm on the go, which is most of the time when I drink coffee.

Kudos to Starbucks for not feeding the welfare state in the U.K.! That said, I still will defend the Starbung coffee push cart operator.

Spot on!

There is certainly nothing like a "Starbucks" topic to get the ThaiVisa "Whine-O-Meter" pegged out at maximum whine level !!

[bigbamboo]

Just as well not every company dodges paying their taxes like Starbucks or else the country would be bankrupt and nobody would be able to afford their coffee anyway.

[Baloo22]

Khun JSixpack aptly described the mentality of the shrill Starbucks haters in another topic last year. His description of them and his observations were very accurate and astute. They remain accurate and still apply today!

If I may quote;

Something, but more so the very word "Starbucks." It's always caused a knee-jerk reaction for many of the members. The reasons are

• it's American, appeals to the vast America-bashing crowd here;
• it's global, anti-globalists hate it;
• it's not Thai, anathema to our Thaier-than-thou farangs;
• it's a chain;
• it's a corporation;
• it's relatively upscale for a mere coffee shop, many can't comfortably afford to go there;
• Starbucks coffee tastes like Starbucks coffee--not what some think coffee should taste like, not that they would know anyway;
• Starbucks isn't just about coffee but about the other products, service, and atmosphere--which many disingenuously ignore;
• some need to cling to a kind of reverse snobbery for illusory self-affirmation.

The original comment can be found here.

[Prbkk]

Yes, it's the coffee equivalent of Kraft processed cheese...bland , appeals to the mass market but very cleverly promoted and marketed . Someone said hi-so. I don't think so....closer to McDonald's end of the scale

ote name="Baloo22" post="6948094" timestamp="1382362040"]

Khun JSixpack aptly described the mentality of the shrill Starbucks haters in another topic last year. His description of them and his observations were very accurate and astute. They remain accurate and still apply today!

If I may quote;

Something, but more so the very word "Starbucks." It's always caused a knee-jerk reaction for many of the members. The reasons are

• it's American, appeals to the vast America-bashing crowd here;
• it's global, anti-globalists hate it;
• it's not Thai, anathema to our Thaier-than-thou farangs;
• it's a chain;
• it's a corporation;
• it's relatively upscale for a mere coffee shop, many can't comfortably afford to go there;
• Starbucks coffee tastes like Starbucks coffee--not what some think coffee should taste like, not that they would know anyway;
• Starbucks isn't just about coffee but about the other products, service, and atmosphere--which many disingenuously ignore;
• some need to cling to a kind of reverse snobbery for illusory self-affirmation.

The original comment can be found here.