Starbucks looks to 400 outlets in Thailand

[opalred]

when i go past i smile at the pretending star bucks wanting someone to look at them

[JSixpack]

when i go past i smile at the pretending star bucks wanting someone to look at them

And without ever even learning how to spell Starbucks, too! You've obviously been "past" a lot. How lucky were those terribly insecure Startucks patrons to receive a smile from YOU.

Just more fantasy projection, quite common to the HATE STARBUCKS threads.

Next!

[GuestHouse]

I seldom use Starbucks in Thailand, there are so many first class local Thai coffee shops offering better service, better coffee, wi-fi and a better price.

As for Starbucks Espresso - nobody who's ever been to Italy could conceive such an atrocious mess as being an espresso - Starbucks Macchiato <deleted> what where they thinking when they named it so?

[zydeco]

I seldom use Starbucks in Thailand, there are so many first class local Thai coffee shops offering better service, better coffee, wi-fi and a better price.

As for Starbucks Espresso - nobody who's ever been to Italy could conceive such an atrocious mess as being an espresso - Starbucks Macchiato <deleted> what where they thinking when they named it so?

Frankly, I don't know why everyone is paying for someone else to make their coffee. Just buy some quality beans (Starbucks, btw, does sell some okay whole beans) and make your own. Preferably, get it direct from a coffee plantation. There are lots of those in Hawaii for superb Kona beans that can be roasted to your taste and shipped within 24-48 hours. I've never understood why Europeans drink the swill they do, with overburnt beans smothered in all sorts of candied froth. Good source for small scale Kona farms: http://www.konacoffeefarmers.org/

[bartender100]

Only time I tried Starbucks in Pattaya, I asked for a black coffee and he topped it up with hot water, is that normal?

[Jingthing]

Only time I tried Starbucks in Pattaya, I asked for a black coffee and he topped it up with hot water, is that normal?

I saw that in a Starbucks Pattaya once.

It could have been an Americano which is espresso shot(s) dilluted with water.

Many coffee shops sell that, nothing wrong with it if it is openly sold as that.

However, I don't think Americanos are on Starbucks menus.

They do sell brewed coffee which is a different thing and customers should expect that if they order it.

Even worse they could have been diluting brewed coffee. That's a rip off.

Edited July 11, 2014 by Jingthing

[opalred]

did you know that fancy overpriced froth comes yunnan china enjoy

[techboy]

Starbucks tried to go big time in Oz but we know what good espresso tastes like as pretty much every shop that sells food sells espresso coffee. A few years after they arrived they closed up several hundred shops and left with their tail between their legs. Even McDonald's makes better coffee in Australia.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Yeah well, how much can I trust the judgement of someone who lives in beef country and goes to McDonalds for a frigging hamburger!

[techboy]

Starbucks tried to go big time in Oz but we know what good espresso tastes like as pretty much every shop that sells food sells espresso coffee. A few years after they arrived they closed up several hundred shops and left with their tail between their legs. Even McDonald's makes better coffee in Australia.

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Agree. Starbucks is just overpriced crappy American coffee and food. The yanks have a hell of a lot to learn when it comes to making a quality cup of coffee, not at rip off prices. That is the reason they failed in Australia.

Australia is famous a beef capitol. And I am supposed to believe the opinion of a couple of people from there who are McDonalds fans?

[opalred]

to our learned friend in oz mc donalds coffee comes from brazil starbucks called arabica coffee to fool you

comes from yunnan china

now which would be better coffee cheers

[techboy]

Starbucks tried to go big time in Oz but we know what good espresso tastes like as pretty much every shop that sells food sells espresso coffee. A few years after they arrived they closed up several hundred shops and left with their tail between their legs. Even McDonald's makes better coffee in Australia.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Agree. Starbucks is just overpriced crappy American coffee and food. The yanks have a hell of a lot to learn when it comes to making a quality cup of coffee, not at rip off prices. That is the reason they failed in Australia.

I am afraid that your take on SBUX is a bit negated on a planetary scale. They have around 20000 stores and almost 6000 of them international. Your palate is in a minority. But then from your post history you are not beyond making a boob out of yourself just to take an outlandish crack at the Yanks. BTW, the reason SBUX failed in Australia was because they did not anticipate massive competition from an already well established café culture.

[chooka]

Starbucks tried to go big time in Oz but we know what good espresso tastes like as pretty much every shop that sells food sells espresso coffee. A few years after they arrived they closed up several hundred shops and left with their tail between their legs. Even McDonald's makes better coffee in Australia.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Agree. Starbucks is just overpriced crappy American coffee and food. The yanks have a hell of a lot to learn when it comes to making a quality cup of coffee, not at rip off prices. That is the reason they failed in Australia.

I am afraid that your take on SBUX is a bit negated on a planetary scale. They have around 20000 stores and almost 6000 of them international. Your palate is in a minority. But then from your post history you are not beyond making a boob out of yourself just to take an outlandish crack at the Yanks. BTW, the reason SBUX failed in Australia was because they did not anticipate massive competition from an already well established café culture.

Definitely not taking a crack at the yanks, I just stated my opinion on what I think of the coffee and food a certain American owned company provides. If you see that as American bashing then my apologies to you and your American country people. It was not my intention to assault Americans.

I don't like fish it is disgusting also but that does not mean I am taking a crack at fishermen around the world.

[opalred]

the only reason sold in other countrys they pay big dollars for location learned from big mc

got that location can sell sand to an arab cheers

[GuestHouse]

I seldom use Starbucks in Thailand, there are so many first class local Thai coffee shops offering better service, better coffee, wi-fi and a better price.

As for Starbucks Espresso - nobody who's ever been to Italy could conceive such an atrocious mess as being an espresso - Starbucks Macchiato <deleted> what where they thinking when they named it so?

Frankly, I don't know why everyone is paying for someone else to make their coffee. Just buy some quality beans (Starbucks, btw, does sell some okay whole beans) and make your own. Preferably, get it direct from a coffee plantation. There are lots of those in Hawaii for superb Kona beans that can be roasted to your taste and shipped within 24-48 hours. I've never understood why Europeans drink the swill they do, with overburnt beans smothered in all sorts of candied froth. Good source for small scale Kona farms: http://www.konacoffeefarmers.org/

Starbucks are not simply selling coffee, they are selling an experience - hence they pay a lot of attention to the layout and decor in their coffee shops, somewhere to sit and watch the world go by.

But as I say, I believe the local Thai coffee shops often do a far better job on that front.

[Thai at Heart]

I wonder. do they pay any corporation tax in Thailand?

[Prbkk]

Only time I tried Starbucks in Pattaya, I asked for a black coffee and he topped it up with hot water, is that normal?

I saw that in a Starbucks Pattaya once.

It could have been an Americano which is espresso shot(s) dilluted with water.

Many coffee shops sell that, nothing wrong with it if it is openly sold as that.

However, I don't think Americanos are on Starbucks menus.

They do sell brewed coffee which is a different thing and customers should expect that if they order it.

Even worse they could have been diluting brewed coffee. That's a rip off.

Yes, Starbucks offer Americano. However, the coffee is not good and the staff are way too jolly in a cheesy, fake, corporate kind of way. Au Bon Pain is far nicer, better music, better coffee, have the BP and NYT, nice staff, better food options, pity most of the outlets are in hospitals...but the one in Soi 11 is nice ( between Villa Market and The Ambassador). I think about the same price as Starbucks.

It is sad to see the lack of growth in the single store market. Maybe it will come in the future.

[techboy]

While I have rebutted some dissenting opinions here about Starbucks I personally am very disappointed in them over recent years. The coffee has become less rich and weaker in strength although they deny this. The cakes and pastries are not as good tasting, higher in price and smaller in size. When they contract a bakery in a new vicinity I cannot imagine that they are any longer looking for quality, therefore a given item will be delicious in one store and lousy in another. Internationally they need to listen to customer feedback rather than just responding to all complaints that it must be a language barrier misunderstanding. Possibly most important is that the barista service now frequently stinks and it used to be primo.

Edited July 11, 2014 by techboy

[SoFarAndNear]

Somehow it is sad to see. 400 branches of a store which sells a big cup of coffee which costs more then a half of the minimum daily wage of the majority in this country

How to satisfy the Occupy Wall Streeters? I know: the gov't should offer vouchers, tied to Thai ID card, to all those you decide are too poor to afford a coffee at Starbucks. Good? Then there could be the Benz vouchers . . . .

It's good to see more Thais employed at a real company, more tax revenue generated, more opportunities for investment, and more satisfaction for the market for the Starbucks product.

It is not like this. We are talking about the 400th branch of some coffee shop where a coffee costs more then the most earn in this country in a half day of work. This is not a benz, this is not some coffee with caviar inside, this is simply just "coffee".

You are paying simple 4-5 times more because of the brand name. So I guess it is kind of social injustice if you live in a country where the "most" ( MOST ) people can't afford this simple coffee because it costs more then half of your daily salary. We are not talking about some parasites who want everything for free...we are talking about the majority of people in this country...

If you ask me. Small things like this are a mosaic stone of the problem what makes this country so split up.

Edited July 11, 2014 by SoFarAndNear

[MikeOboe57]

to our learned friend in oz mc donalds coffee comes from brazil starbucks called arabica coffee to fool you

comes from yunnan china

now which would be better coffee cheers

Ah, it seems the coffee experts have joined the fray.

The two major sorts of coffee beans are the Arabica and the Robusta - no matter where they grow.

It is funny to see that most of the Starbucks critics come from across the pond where until not long ago coffee was a brown liquid in a two gallon open glass jar kept on a hot plate with free refill to the esteemed customer until the last of its taste had evaporated. Then some caramel, vanilla or whatever sirup would be added to make it palatable again.

So it is as well befitting to call an espresso diluted with hot water an "Americano".

[JSixpack]

I wonder. do they pay any corporation tax in Thailand?

How familiar are you w/ Thailand's corporate tax laws? Not very, I suspect.

The only meaningful question is whether is Thailand shaking down Starbucks to pay tax they don't in fact legally owe, as Starbucks has never been so much as indicted for tax evasion, let alone prosecuted. Such a tempting target; and the shakedown of a foreign corp is always popular w/ the brainwashed local yokels, so they can be easily whipped up into a zenophobic boycott. A local firm, as in the case of Caffe Nero in the UK, can ride ignorant populism in the opposite direction, avoiding the extortion.

Well, let's hope not as less tax means less going into politicians' pockets and more local jobs, economic opp'y, and servicing of the market.

Edited July 11, 2014 by JSixpack

[Jingthing]

So when is there FINALLY going to be a Starbucks in Jomtien?

I don't get the Starbucks bashing.

They serve some of the best coffee in Thailand.

They were responsible for popularizing better coffee in the USA (but usually not the best there in most cities).

Sure there were Italian espresso joints in "Bohemian" neighborhoods like North Beach and Greenwich Village long ago, but Starbucks made it big mass market.

Bashing McDonalds and KFC I understand.

Starbucks doesn't deserve it.

When I hear it, I just assume more knee JERK anti-Americanism is in play.

That said, bring on PEETS! (A man can DREAM, can't he.)

Actually sipping on a cup of Peet's Major Dickasons right now in Thailand!

http://www.peets.com/

Edited July 11, 2014 by Jingthing

[JSixpack]

So when is there FINALLY going to be a Starbucks in Jomtien?

I don't get the Starbucks bashing.

They serve some of the best coffee in Thailand.

They were responsible for popularizing better coffee in the USA (but usually not the best there in most cities).

Sure there were Italian espresso joints in "Bohemian" neighborhoods like North Beach and Greenwich Village long ago, but Starbucks made it big mass market.

Bashing McDonalds and KFC I understand.

Starbucks doesn't deserve it.

When I hear it, I just assume more knee JERK anti-Americanism is in play.

That said, bring on PEETS! (A man can DREAM, can't he.)

Actually sipping on a cup of Peet's Major Dickasons right now in Thailand!

http://www.peets.com/

+1 except for the sideways glance at KFC and McDonalds. Don't get 'em started AGAIN. A Starbucks in Jomtienski would prove popular, I'm sure.

Peets--ah, dream on.

[belg]

black canyon coffee, half price & taste much better than that overpriced crap

[losworld]

Starubucks coffee sucks. If you want American chain coffee the "Coffee Bean and Tea Life" is popping up in Tland and is better.

Starubucks is all about face and nothing about taste. Look at me I have money and can drink this coffee! And look at this new phone I am playing on too!

Edited July 11, 2014 by losworld

[JSixpack]

It is not like this. We are talking about the 400th branch of some coffee shop where a coffee costs more then the most earn in this country in a half day of work. This is not a benz, this is not some coffee with caviar inside, this is simply just "coffee".

And so? I don't see your point. Why should there be any limitation on the number of branches? Starbucks is paying for the branches, another contribution to the local economy, and is being taxed on them. Was there some secret magic number you wish to share with us?

Actually Starbucks offers more than just coffee. Good service up to near-international standards, variety of products, aircon, pleasant clean environment, ability to sit quite a long time, newspapers, good locations, desserts, internet, etc. Anybody can afford a Starbucks coffee if he really, really wants one. Nor is there any necessity to go there very often.

You are paying simple 4-5 times more because of the brand name.

Well, no. See above. But why should a local Thai be subsidized to enjoy a brand name if that's all it is? Plenty of cheaper and, we're assured, better coffee elsewhere. Lots of Black Canyons, Coffee Worlds, mom&pops, etc. My family grew up drinking instant coffee at home. We survived that psychological trauma quite well, thank you.

Why should there be any limitation on the locals who do wish to enjoy Starbucks and can pay for it? It is a RELATIVELY free market here, esp in the coffee segment.

I go to Starbucks sometimes but never give a thought to the brand name, except that I know it means a relatively civilized, predictable experience in this Third World country where a lack of work ethic and poor quality control are all too common. There is quite a cost to the company to maintain its standards. Yeah, you can find better standards--go for 'em then.

So I guess it is kind of social injustice if you live in a country where the "most" ( MOST ) people can't afford this simple coffee because it costs more then half of your daily salary. We are not talking about some parasites who want everything for free...we are talking about the majority of people in this country...

Yep, comes down to it (as I knew it would) buying a coffee at Starbucks "affordably" is nothing less than a HUMAN RIGHT. Another violation by corrupt Thailand! This should be reported to the UN!

As a said, the gov't should give the poor locals, based on ID card, vouchers they may spend at Starbucks. We're talking about nothing less than a necessity of life here! But your taxes can pay for the vouchers, not mine. And this solution should satisfy your objections, which is why you didn't address it.

I don't think you've got any rational reason behind your views, and you don't understand the economics. Nanny state upbringing? Emotionally you just don't LIKE having more Starbucks outlets around. They're evil.

[Prbkk]

Starbucks is not part of the real coffee culture. It appeals to those who don't understand coffee, have no taste for it, generally drink sugary sweet concoctions of frappucinos and other ridiculous beverages. Of course it appeals to the no class Thai elite...it has a trendy image. The fact that the coffee is crap doesn't even enter the picture.

No, Starbucks is one of the world's great tax avoiders and had to be shamed into paying some nominal amount of tax, retrospectively, by a Tory govt. Disgraceful. At least in their favour they are not merchants of death and disease like McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Donkin Donut, Baskin Robin, Wendy's, Krispy Kremes, etc etc etc

[Sealbash]

I wonder. do they pay any corporation tax in Thailand?

Yes they do

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[Jonmarleesco]

I wonder if they've been able to structure their tax affairs in the same way as they have for their UK operations? Avoidance on a massive - and legal - scale.

[Jonmarleesco]

Starbucks is not part of the real coffee culture. It appeals to those who don't understand coffee, have no taste for it, generally drink sugary sweet concoctions of frappucinos and other ridiculous beverages. Of course it appeals to the no class Thai elite...it has a trendy image. The fact that the coffee is crap doesn't even enter the picture.

No, Starbucks is one of the world's great tax avoiders and had to be shamed into paying some nominal amount of tax, retrospectively, by a Tory govt. Disgraceful. At least in their favour they are not merchants of death and disease like McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Donkin Donut, Baskin Robin, Wendy's, Krispy Kremes, etc etc etc

Being in Thailand, I'm surprised that diatribe doesn't constitute defamation.;

[opalred]

ok people want to been trendy or upper crust slurping and holding cup starbucks one finger pointing up but while you do that

think coffee grown in china no control on any posion pesticides ? or what feed plants on human waste cheap and use alot of enjoy