Friday, October 15, 2010

Starbucks Slowdown

Starbucks is making news by telling its employees to slow down and not make coffee so quickly. Isn't it a drag on the bottom line when employees are too productive?

I'd expect Stabucks to continue to do a good job running their business, and simultaneously that this rule to be difficult to enforce within their company. Will employees tolerate already edgy-before-their-caffeine customers watching them make one drink at a time, and hence the wait time for their beverage to increase? I don't see it happening. I'm predicting a spurious correlation-type statement in 6 months from Starbucks saying that 1) business has improved, 2) we've incorporated this take-more-care policy, thus 3) people care a large deal about the craftsmanship of their morning mocha-- after all, our bottom line proves it.

I'm curious to see how it all shakes out, both in the aggregate and at my neighborhood location.

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