Starbucks can’t seem to decide if they wish to remain a coffee shop or a library.
No, Starbucks doesn’t serve the best coffee in the world. It is just another bloodsucking American chain but the one at Orchard Point used to have the largest number of smoking seats and we pipe and cigar smokers would gather there to indulge in our hobby.
However in recent times, Starbucks all over Singapore has begun to replace their comfortable seats and transforming the stores to look like libraries.
Very uncomfortable.
Students throng Starbucks and stay all day though I’ve seen signs requesting students not to hog seats.
Often they just buy one drink and occupy the seats for long stretches.
If Starbucks have converted their stores into libraries to entice students in, then that strategy is flawed.
Starbucks staff have no guts to implement the no-hogging request.
In fact Starbucks staff have no guts to do anything.
Very often, non-customers would also plonk themselves at Starbucks and smoke away, depriving paying customers their seats but Starbucks staff would not chase them away.
I’ve blogged about this more than once – just do a search on my blog by typing Starbucks.