Millionaire Jim Cramer decides this isn't the right time to be flaunting his $4.99 triple-venti-cappuccino-with-skim-wet

Don't you just love it when multi-millionaires like CNBC's Jim Cramer make believe they are tightening their belts? Cramer's beef isn't just with the price; "I got served the wrong cup of coffee the other day, without an apology." So now, 'I'll be drinking an extra-large Dunkin' coffee. It’s at least a buck cheaper than Starbucks." If any NYC/NJ SBUX baristas see Cramer in their store, let me know (with time, dates, photo if possible). || Read "Starbucks Sends the Wrong Signal"

Comments

[tftfd]

More like he wasn't paying attention at the hand off and just assumed a drink was his.

[K-Dog]

If Cramer follows his own stock picks he probably isn't a millionaire. A recent study of his picks and their subsequent value suggested it would be better to short sell them (that is, bet they will go down in value) rather than to invest in the companies. On the other hand, he is right about the average level of service out there. That's what happens when you cut labor to the bone and beyond in a customer service driven operation. Go figure...

[jonesb]

Agree with tftfd. Not fact, but my guess is that it went down like this:

Barista: Venti latte for Jim

Cramer (Trying to sell his book to customers at the handoff): "Big Boulya" to all you this morning (Pulls out some kind of stuffed animal and waves it around showing people that it makes fun noises.)

Barista: Jim...Mr. Cramer ..your venti latte is ready.

Cramer: Distracted by a squirrel outside in a tree decides to use the restroom.

Barista: Knowing that Cramer is a scatterbrained egomaniac gives the drink to another barista to meet him with it. "Special customer" service.

Cramer: Busts out the bathroom on cell phone and grabs a kids hot chocolate.

Cramer, mother and little kid all disappointed.

[Asher]

Oh, the plight of the celebrity wannabe who takes the spotlight by jumping on the "I hate Starbucks" bandwagon with everyone else. Good for you dipshit...just another article attacking everyone and everything associated with Starbucks. Point the finger where it belongs (at executive leadership) and show a little empathy for the partners who try to get it done despite being over-worked and underpaid in short-staffed stores that continue to be subjected to the ridiculous plights of Pike Place, Vivanno, Value Pairings, and Instant Coffee...Mr. Cramer should direct the scrutiny where it belongs. Then again, having a recognizable name these days apparently gets you published no matter the trash you write. While his advice on occasion is accurate, it's impossible to watch him for too long as he's obviously someone who likes to listen to himself babble, moreso than offering anything of relevance...

Are we really supposed to believe he's being a genuine advocate of the public? The guy's a millionaire and he's going down the road to Dunkin' to save a dollar? Please, sounds more to me like his buddy whom he mentioned in the article put him up to this...

What's next? The story of the prima donna who walked into Starbucks, ate an Apple Bran Muffin and then had a bad experience in our restroom because there wasn't any toilet paper? This is hardly relevant considering everything else that's going on right now...

[Barista Ben]

That guys just annoying and loud. His show gives me a headache.

[Christin]

Jonesb- spot on!

[XsbuxAsm]

I think it's hilarious...and probably true. (in a sense)

Sbux will br the next McD's.

[beantheredonethat]

Good thing he didn't grab a cup of instant by mistake. Poor service would have been the last of his problems...

[HonestyHurts]

Jim Cramer is very influential out their. Although I agree with the fact that the wrong drinks get taken by customers not paying attention, it's not their fault. Our briliant management has set up a system that is doomed to fail. It shouldn't be the customers responcibility to make sure they have the correct order, it should be ours. Only we can't do it because our leaders are so focused on taking money, calling drinks, cutting labor, and theater that they forgot to focuse on result. Yet another result of idiots at the top!

[brando]

Have fun drinking THAT garbage, sucker.

[expired shot]

I find his logic and facts faulty, I fear he will be the newest addition to our leadership team.

[green_cup]

Now, don't get me wrong. Cramer is a nightmare. Anyone who considers themselves intelligent knows Cramer is just annoying. He's loud because it's easier to influence people with screams and sound effects than with actual decent advice.

Either way, he's spot on about the service at Starbucks.

Another nail in the coffin.

[adam]

Cramer is a poser but if posers think it's time to stop going to Starbucks the company could be in much more trouble than we think. Much of the growth of Starbucks over the past decade is due to the whiff of snobbery and elitism that grew around the company. People were attracted to it even if they didn't want to admit it.

They felt special spending $4.99 on a drink, even if it was garbage. They liked being seen with those gaudy venti sized cups. The company became part of our culture, it was everywhere. If people decide it's no longer the place to be seen they are in for a world of hurt.

The guy in the article was right. Places like Trader Joes and Chipotle are kickin butt while S Bucks is in decline. Selling stale coffee and food made months ago won't cut it anymore.

[-adam]

are you foreal? this guy has his drink messed up one time and is over looked for an apology and he is going to go on a raid about how he hates starbucks now and will not drink their coffee.yeah, im pretty sure the dunkin people are just going to treat you like royalty and never EVER mess your drink up..it's not like SBUX baristas are rude..i mean, we have our fair share, but that is part of why SBUX has such a great reputation is because their staff is made up of all kinds of great, generous people who actually give a crap about what is going on.

[adam]

Kind of strange with the same name! The article was about more than a bad customer experience. It was about people deciding that maybe it's time to stop going to Starbucks because it is overpriced for the most part coupled with poor quality. The company has relied on a certain group of people to keep coming back. It is a fad company in many ways.

As for CS it is lacking at too many stores. Poorly trained employees who don't know squat about coffee and seem lazy may fly when money is easy but now...? I don't want to hear about cut backs either. Some people here act like they need an army to run one of these places. And the food is utter garbage for the prices. People are starting to wise up. The company is in trouble. Starbucks was a huge benefactor of the credit bubble. That era is over. What do they do now?

[meapartner]

please--seriously, cramer is a total jackass ...who really gives a shit.

[BOSTON STARBUCKS REBEL]

Really? I didn't know that Cramer would be Starbucks new CFO.

Let me think here, if every adult American spent $5 at Starbucks for a week, we probably would have more money pumped back into the economy than that stimulus bill they have in Washington?

Just a thought that increased consumer spending might actually help the economy overall.

[regional coffee guy]

"So I’ll be drinking an extra-large Dunkin’ coffee. It’s at least a buck cheaper than Starbucks."

Latest work out of Seattle is talking points on why sbux price point is not as high as media plays it, ounce for ounce. Which is generally accurate; the scale is not like $25 Abercrombie T-shirts made for the same price as those on the $1.99 rack at walgreens; paying an extra 50 cents for sbux experience...worth it to lots of people, not just rich folk.

[Jim C]

This is a REAL concern at SSC, that some core customers (those who still visit 5x a week) may feel that other people think they are "Tools" for going to Starbucks. The greatest advertising for our company has always been the green dot on a cup or mug, and we don't have to spend squat for it. So, what happens of our customers are embarrassed, instead of proud to display the Siren? We lose precious brand association. Go ahead and ask any of the ad agencies Howie has fired, we suck at promoting the brand outside of our stores beyond the cup.
Booya to Ya

[regional coffee guy]

As regards non-negative 'Adam' (not to be confused with the positive -Adam!)

"Much of the growth of Starbucks over the past decade is due to the whiff of snobbery and elitism that grew around the company."

Its more probable that it's because of its being a ubiquitous, known quantity and experience in many various locations. As to snobbery, I think less of an elitist bent, closer to "special", like Ritual or Vita or whatever hip indy shops you hit now. If you read the posts on this site from anyone who's been at sbux a while, you can grasp the fear that the "special" sbux quality is going, going (instant coffee) gone. I have not read any that are happy about losing that mojo. Sbux was built on being a special experience to share with others and has morphed into, for many customers, just another commodity.

"They felt special spending $4.99 on a drink, even if it was garbage."

Seems a little harsh. Not too many folks out there consistently spend 5 bucks on something unpalatable (unless you're supersizing for calories at Carls Jr.)

"The company became part of our culture, it was everywhere."

Yup, it IS part of the culture, and helped a lot of other businesses thrive as well, including coffee competitors.

"Places like Trader Joes and Chipotle are kickin butt while S Bucks is in decline. Selling stale coffee and food made months ago won't cut it anymore."

Brewing every half hour is pretty fresh. Removing any expired coffee beans from the shelves and donating hundreds of thousands of pounds of it to charity is commendable, no? For months old food, try frozen McNuggets. Sbux food is generally shipped in daily, and is tagged for expiration and destroyed.

Anyone out there have a good sociological (or religious?) explanation for that seemingly innate human desire to see the successful fail? Would love to hear it.

[fluffykitten17]

How hard is it to get your own travel mug? If you don't want people to know you got your coffee from Sbux, put it in a travel mug (obviously one that doesn't look like a Sbux cup). You'll save 10 cents, reduce waste, and hide where your drink came from.

[theSam!!]

LOL

this guy has as much clout as the Inebriates that sit at MY store and hem and haw and paw at every opportunity to tell me what to do with what "they want".

at least they'll honestly tell me where their coffee will be in about 20 minutes vs this Millionaire telling me where his coffee will be in 20 minutes (a urine stain)

comeOn!!,

but then again.
at least "he'll" have a cup when 'they" wont".

LOL,

lovs,
theSam!!

[Tom T.]

Some of the greatest promotion a brand can have is a celebrity endorcement. When celebrities like Ben Afleck are seen in photos holding a Starbucks cup it says it all. If celebrities take this attitude then Starbucks is over (it may be over already).

Bottom line we need to fix our stores. Management is doing everything wrong. We need to keep our brand exclusive and highly thought of (no instant coffee!!!!). We need every celebrity out their to talk us up...not down. Regardless of how you or I feel about Jim Cramer we need him and all the other celebrities.

We also need the local "celebrities". The cool guy at the office, the powerful business woman, The boss, etc... We need these people all to be seen with our cups in hand. Our society is full of "want a be's", I want to be like him or her. A lot of people bought Starbucks for that reason.

We don't want this attitude to spread.

[lookatcasestdies]

The senior leadership would be smart to read "The Tipping Point" and take the story of the skateboard shoe company (either Vans or Airwalk, can't remember) to heart. They did the same thing with their brand that Starbucks is doing now.

[A Customer]

I don't get it. Most people post on here day in and day out and bash everything Starbucks does. Now someone else is in the lime light doing the exact samething and everyone thinks he is a jack@ss? You can bash but celebrities (or people that think the are) can not? Or is it just because they can reach more people with their message than you? Talk about a double standard.

What do I know, I am just A Customer

[spence]

Only a brother can hit his own brother. Let anyone else try and they'll get pounded.

[dark4epson]

HAHA! Ok so that's fine notice how it says "for no anyway". He will be back. Just like everyone else. The average ticket for starbucks is under three bucks. Get a brewed coffee and shut up. Its got more caffeine any way.

[Juan Valdez]

@jim c

Dude, you've nailed it. The SSC (and Howard) are rightfully scared to death that folks are starting to be embarrassed by the cup. But it's their own damn fault. They spent a couple of decades building up the mystique of the Starbucks experience and it all revolves around that cup and what it means. There were an amazing number of people who went to Starbucks, not because of the product but what that product said about THEM. It gave them instant "cache". Of course it didnt but they thought it did. And perception is reality.

Now the reverse is true. With all the missteps and the screwups and new product misfires that have been aired oh so publicly, there no longer is any mystique about the Starbucks experience. And while it's just as insane to think carrying a Starbucks cup now is an embarrassment, it was just as insane to think a couple years ago that carrying the same cup gave you cache.

But people do. And now, that perceived sense of embarrassment is costing the company dearly. You live by the sword, you die by the sword.

[Sneaky]

Yes Jim cramer may be a jerk. But her is on the national stage. people follow him and other like him. He is not the only one saying this right now. All teh talking heads are saying Starbucks is just not worth it.

This is real bad news for business. Real bad. And the reality is, the service was probably bad. Real bad.

Oh, and who said you have to have multiple bad experiences to make the decision to go elsewhere? I personally won't give my highly vasluable shopping dollars to a business that doesn't care.

[Torontodude]

Sic transit gloria mundi.

So the Starbucks logo has morphed from from a symbol of prestige to a shameful symbol of conspicuous consumption out of step with the temper of the times.

Well, why try to fight it?

When snobbery no longer works, it's time to adopt...

....wait for it....

....drumroll, please.....

INVERSE SNOBBERY!

Starbucks drinks should be offered in the equivalent of the plain, brown paper envelope.

This should be a plain white cup, adorned with a very tiny 'S' (but no logo).

Call it the "premium cup." Guess what? It's available at the customer's option ... at no extra charge!

Baristas would say "would you like a regular cup or a premium cup?" with a knowing wink.

This could be big! Like blackberries in the early days. Them what knows, knows!

[Joe Smith]

Torontodude - is that post a joke or are you serious

[Torontodude]

Am I serious?

Yes.

But in order to cultivate the proper aura of exclusivity, maybe the blank cup should cost 25 cents more.

[kb]

No, he has a point about service. Speding 5 dollars on a non-essential expense is a bigger deal than it used to be. If I can't get what I want, in the way I want it, why bother parting with my money?

[SSAustin]

Why don't people who has the cellphone stop using their cellphone while ordering their drinks and take a close look at your drink and make sure to give your name and listen when the barista calls you name with the Drink name! Cell phone users that tries to order drinks and tries to whisper it to the cash register person are so RUDE!!!

if you are a millionaire or billionaire..you must have a great education... well, USE IT!!! don't be rude... JIM C, that's for you!!! A**HOLE!

[baristainaction]

We had a little problem with distribution center, and many people in the district didn't get cups. We ended up getting some plain white cups at a restaurant supply store, and people FLIPPED. Same cup, same lid, no logo. They were even solo. 2/3s of the customers made comments or asked questions about it, most of them seemed pissed. It's not like they weren't getting a sleeve either, but it WAS the Tazo Tea sleeve, no logo there.

[me]

first off i am pretty sure it was the summit nj store. he waited 15 min for a tall cup of coffee.

[me]

dont remember meeting him there ever but heard he hasnt liked us for a while and is a douche. he wrote our dm as well. Everyone was afraid he would mention us, now he did.

[Double Venti Salted Caramel Espresso Truffle Sub Hazelnut.]

Regardless of the level of service, the tone of the article is relevant. What is hilarious is that Torontodude solved the entire circumstance on a public blog, and the CEO will never read it. Just offer a brown cup. I would take the cup with the highest post-consumer content available, then be snobbish abot my level of commitment to being green.... isnt being green the latest trend? brown cardboard cup with soy based ink.

The article writer is not unique to this idea though, guys/girls.... countless professionals use Starbucks as a way to discuss the ease of cutting costs... just brew your own coffee and save x thousand dollars per year. Been happening for years, this particular person just had an accessible media outlet.

SBUX better reinvent themselves soon... My espresso machine is paying dividends.

Oh and 15 mins for a cup of coffee is indeed non-awesome... but did he not see the line? Was he feeling optimistic when there were 15 people ahead of him? I'm spoiled because I never go when its busy, so I get to have the full experience, a stress free beverage on both sides. Lots of chit chat with my baristas... I even built a tower out of sleeves once.

[Alvin]

Is this the same JC douche that has called a bottom in the market 7 times in the last 9 months? The same JC that has cost investors millions of dollars with his idiotic rantings?
His dismissal of SBUX can only mean one thing. Buy SBUX.

[CounterBean]

What, he wasn't offered a Sauasagino Muffelletto Cheesarino combo with his no-whip drink?

No--I bet he pronouinced the newvalue combo name wrong so they gave him the wrong drink to spite him. He deserves it.

The customers are a-holes and should go somewhere else if they are not going to take the time to learn to speak the Starbucks language properly!!!

[CoffeeisHard]

Remind me not to buy any of his stock picks.. this guy can't tell the difference between a triple cappuiccino and an extra large cup of coffee and you guys want him to pick you stocks?

[Torontodude]

A previous poster writes:

" What is hilarious is that Torontodude solved the entire circumstance on a public blog, and the CEO will never read it. Just offer a brown cup. I would take the cup with the highest post-consumer content available, then be snobbish abot my level of commitment to being green.... isnt being green the latest trend? brown cardboard cup with soy based ink."

Actually, I'm sure some lowly minion does indeed read this site and writes report for SBUX execs. And if I'm not mIstaken, I think Howard Schultz has been quoted as saying
that he is an occasional reader.

The environmental twist the poster proposes is interesting.
In the grand scheme of things, Starbucks is already an environmental good guy. (In a previous life, I worked for an environmental non-profit that worked with Starbucks to develop the cup sleeves, in lieu of double-cupping)

A optional logo-less cup that is even MORE environmentally friendly is a great idea that serves many purposes:
- helps the planet
- helps people embarrassed to be spending big bucks on Starbucks
- appeals to the remnants of the lefty Naomi Klein no logo crowd during the recession

So this is a memo to the Starbucks lowly minion
reading this -- escalate this idea promno! You'll look good!

And my consulting services are available. My identity is known to the webmaster. (We're Facebooks friends and share an association with a journalism think tank.)

[kb]

Counter Bean- OK, but then who is going to come to your store to keep it open? That kind of attitude is a huge turn off (whether customers are as big a-holes as you claim them to be). Like I said before, a decline in good service only encourages people to stay home for coffee or go somewhere like Mcdonalds where the price makes up for the lack of service.

[truth]

I've said here for months that the SSC staff weren't getting the true picture of the customer service at the stores, because when an SSC person walks in the door, they immediately flash their partner card and get different service.

The last time I was in a sbux store, I was truly shocked at the decline of the service. Combine this with the general lack of cleanliness, and you end up with the look of a bus station which is run by airline personnel. A dump run by jerks.

[former shifty]

Uh, yes, because I personally worry about what my coworkers think of my personal purchases and how I spend my money...isn't that really the issue here? People so self-centered that they think everyone is thinking about them? What is this--middle school? Jim Cramer is in the public eye and so has a smidge of logic on his side, but that is all--a smidge. I do love the idea of the brown cup=green snobbery.

[rocky]

Went to my local Starbucks the other day. Ordered two iced teas, one for me and one for my friend. Barista made the teas and set cups down behind counter, then turned and started working on another order. Other Barista walked by the cups without a glance. Cups sat by themselves for another couple of minutes. Finally asked first Barista if I could have my order and the Barista stared at me blankly for a moment. I said..."the two cups of iced tea behind you?"...she said, oh, right and then handed me them. Not even an apology for keeping me waiting. I don't doubt that Jim Cramer was given bad service, it happens more often lately. I could maybe see if it was really busy, but it wasn't. So, I guess it's appropriate that they will be serving combo meals and instant coffee out of their drive through windows...I certainly feel like I'm in a fast food joint whenever I go there these days...I'm pretty much done with Starbucks.

[helen helper]

Having just come off a really bad day (bad turnover from an inexperienced Manager trainee), I still say... nonsense. Just as a customer service story, if Cramer wants to blame us for a cup mixup and use that one tale as a reason to go to Dunkin... well, okay. I've actually "shopped the competition" and there's a reason we win people from Dunkin, even with some higher prices (it's worth noting that Cramer's saying he'll go from a Cap to a coffee... well, if he did that in my store, he'd save about $2 there, too).

Of course we have a price-point problem; we've been a luxury-ish item and now there's a serious economic downturn. But the problem isn't quite as bad as all that - few other stores can deliver lattes and caps for much less than we do - that's economies of scale at work. Or you can buy the sludge coming from McD's and Dunkin...

As for service, I know in my store we have a lot of good people who are giving good service, and you see it in the people who come back, regularly. You can't replicate that in every store... but I think we do better at it than people may realize looking here (where the audience is probably a bit more jaded than the average barista). If Cramer has a service problem - why not take it up with store manager? If he has a price problem, that's not a store level issue. And if he can equate a cappucino with a cup of Dunkin coffee... well, that's a taste problem no one can solve.

[Charbucked]

Helen helper

Dunkin coffee is actually good, and not over roasted to hide the inferiority of the coffee bean. You cana ctually taste it.

That is why Starbucks closed over 1000 shops last year and Dunkin opemned 750 new ones.

Numbers don't lie, but you apparently do by equating your personal preference to overpay for over roasted swill from Starbucks to a more sphisticated roast that you can get for less money.

Do you wear designer jeans and does every piece of clothing you own have a brand embalzoned on it somewhere? If so, Starbucks is for you!

[demitasse]

Charbucked,
Starbucks isn't hiding anything by roasting their coffee like they do. Thats simply the Starbucks flavor profile. We do start with great beans, and it is dishonest to suggest otherwise.

Calling Dunkins roast "sophisticated" might be a bit of an exaggeration, if you ask me. Please, go ahead and do a side-by-side tasting in a French press of Dunkins coffee and our Kenya or Sumatra, or even Guatemala if you want something a bit milder. Then you can talk to me about which is more sophisticated...

[Charbucked]

OK, demitasse.

Check out www.dunkinbeatstarbucks.com.

It isn't french press, but Dunkindoesn't do french press and their coffee isn't designed for it. Compare apples to apples. That has already been done.

Dunkin' won. It is winning the economic battle as well. No mass layoffs, no store closures (but hundreds of new store openings), etc.

It just is what it is. Starbucks has place, for sure. t just isn't on every corner in the planet as the people at HQ in Seattle seemed to believe.