A really great piece. I remember reading a book about Starbucks years ago and their strategy and found it really interesting. When I compare it to my local Starbucks, (which has now closed) it was so different. Lighting really low, it was dark, dirty, staff who didn't seem to care. It felt old and unloved and definitely not a 'third space' for the community. Will be interesting to see what happens next.
Thank you so much for reading and for your comment! Do you remember the name of the book? I'd love to check that out!
Niccol is pretty controversial-- I'm not sure his execution is working. His ideas can't work in a vacuum-- all components of the employee experience have to be conducive to those values as well, not just the customer experience. I know the previous CEOs had completely different priorities; Schultz is often lauded for his employee treatment and benefits and the third space culture, and I think Niccol probably needs to take a leaf from his book, but most of the complaints about Niccol I know of are anecdotal, and I can't be too sure where he's going wrong.
I agree with you that Starbucks hasn't felt like a third place for a while. I'm not sure what it would take to get customers to see it that way again. Thank you for sharing!!
A really great piece. I remember reading a book about Starbucks years ago and their strategy and found it really interesting. When I compare it to my local Starbucks, (which has now closed) it was so different. Lighting really low, it was dark, dirty, staff who didn't seem to care. It felt old and unloved and definitely not a 'third space' for the community. Will be interesting to see what happens next.
Thank you so much for reading and for your comment! Do you remember the name of the book? I'd love to check that out!
Niccol is pretty controversial-- I'm not sure his execution is working. His ideas can't work in a vacuum-- all components of the employee experience have to be conducive to those values as well, not just the customer experience. I know the previous CEOs had completely different priorities; Schultz is often lauded for his employee treatment and benefits and the third space culture, and I think Niccol probably needs to take a leaf from his book, but most of the complaints about Niccol I know of are anecdotal, and I can't be too sure where he's going wrong.
I agree with you that Starbucks hasn't felt like a third place for a while. I'm not sure what it would take to get customers to see it that way again. Thank you for sharing!!