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Starbucks Customers Demand More Wi-Fi On New Site

blogs.computerworld.com — Starbucks has launched a social network called "My Starbucks Idea" where customers can post suggestions or complaints, and others can vote if they agree. Like foam in a cappuccino, the most popular entries rise to the top. One of the biggest complaints: Not enough free Wi-Fi.

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  • followfocus, on 03/21/2008, -7/+4dugg.. very cool!
  • Ardentfrost, on 03/21/2008, -6/+5What a great idea to solicit customers for ideas. It'll be even better if they actually implement some of the ideas.
  • sockpuppets, on 03/21/2008, -4/+30Fourbucks Coffee.
    • TheLastFreeMan, on 03/21/2008, -7/+2The price makes you think it taste better. It's probably some generic ***** grocery stores sell as store brand.
      • supermanred, on 03/22/2008, -0/+1Actually they buy the best beans in the world. Good luck buying good coffee from Columbia... Starbucks already has rights to those plantation's crops.

        They make a damn good Espresso, and I'm a coffee lover who usually buys espresso from Italian cafes.
    • Philbert, on 03/21/2008, -0/+3It's a lot less than four bucks for regular coffee. Regular coffee doesn't require a trained bartender to make it correctly.
  • odiego, on 03/21/2008, -5/+17How about not stealing your employees tips.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/business/21sbux. ...
    • cmallinson, on 03/21/2008, -1/+9They didn't steal any tips - RTFA

      Employees usually distribute tips, and they were giving a share to shift supervisors. Some laws include shift supervisors as management, who are not entitled to tips. An employee sued to get a higher share of the tips. Right or wrong, it had nothing to do with Starbucks stealing anything.
    • nekteo, on 03/21/2008, -2/+2you haven't read the nyt's articles. Don't you?
    • supermanred, on 03/22/2008, -0/+1RTFA before you accuse a company of stealing from their employees.

      I bet you the best place to work serving coffee in a retail/fast food environment is Starbucks. Better pay and environment, and the girls who come in to buy coffee are usually pretty cute and well educated. Better than working in a donut shop dealing with customers who smell like pee. :)
  • digitallysick, on 03/21/2008, -13/+1How about more starbucks , nearest for me is over an hour drive....
    • InfamousAtheist, on 03/21/2008, -0/+7Move out of the sticks? ***** Starbucks is on every other corner in most cities.
      • cyrix, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2Yeah, here we have two on our "main street" plus we have two separate shops that sell Star bucks coffee in their store, and we have three stations that replaced Aramarks Java City coffee shops on our campus. Oh, not to mention four separate shops that exist within a 5 mile radius of our town.

        I mean it's nearly impossible for us to have any more.
    • TheLastFreeMan, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2Don't give a ***** how good that coffee is, I'd never drive an hour unless the baristas blow me while I sip it.
  • TheLastFreeMan, on 03/21/2008, -3/+10Geez Louise. Just go home if you want to d/l pr0n.
  • 0livero, on 03/21/2008, -4/+18And... I still don't like their coffee. Small coffee houses ftw!
    • illegalamigo, on 03/21/2008, -2/+3I don't like their coffee either. It's too bitter.
      • 0livero, on 03/21/2008, -5/+2From what I understand they use chemicals to roast their beans and on top of that, they purposely burn the coffee to leave that bitter bite in your mouth. Not what espresso should taste like. Anyways, apparently they do it so you'll drink more of your drink in hopes of removing the taste and developing an addiction to it. But.. who knows. Crazy marketing peoples.
        • sgtpppr, on 03/21/2008, -0/+5Is this somehow tied to the moon landing being staged?
      • asdfkane, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2Depends which one you get. The extra bold tend to be sweeter--try the Gold Coast blend. Virtually no aftertaste, surprisingly. I personally can't drink the more acidic, citrus-y blends but I like the nutty ones. The espresso is a personal favourite--it's caramel-smooth and very nice. Brewing the espresso like regular coffee = win.

        I don't work there, I just drink way too much coffee.

        And yeah, indie coffee houses > Starbucks.
    • supermanred, on 03/22/2008, -0/+1They make a good coffee. If you don't like a "bitter" coffee then you are best off ordering a lighter roast. And no, its not from chemicals. Google coffee and learn something.
  • TwoLOUD, on 03/21/2008, -1/+4Starbucks sucks (price wise), but yes they do need more wifi. They make enough...
    • Philbert, on 03/21/2008, -0/+2Granted I spend part of every day in one, but there are things I dislike about them. price I can't complain about, it's about the same as every other coffee shop chain. Actually not that different from many "mom and pop" coffee shops.
  • mal1964, on 03/21/2008, -3/+2Relax its still brewing.
  • spyd3rweb, on 03/21/2008, -1/+7What are they gonna raise the price to $6.00 for a coffee to pay for this 'free' wifi?
    • TheLastFreeMan, on 03/21/2008, -2/+1They could load every page with extra ads. Of course the same people smart enough to use adblock wouldn't pay for $6 coffee in the first place but I digress.
  • therealgeddylee, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1Dugg for the sweet metaphor in the title.
  • dwtd, on 03/21/2008, -0/+3Starbucks announced earlier this year that they'd be switching to AT&T this spring for wi-fi and giving customers 2 free hours. If you have AT&T DSL or U-Verse, you'll have unlimited use.

    http://www.retailsolutionsonline.com/content/news/ ...
  • Macam, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1I always assumed Starbucks' income from T-Mobile must've been rather sweet for them to have perpetuated such a bone-headed backwards move with T-Mobile long after after nearly every other coffee shop seems to have offered free WiFi. As an avid coffee drinker, I certainly have nothing against Starbucks (one of the few shops and/or chains to offer French Press coffee by the way), but their lack of free WiFi simply means I almost never go since work (and leisure) practically demands it. Their recent moves are a mild improvement to accommodate some limited use of free Wifi but it's not really enough for me to make the change. As one of the comments on the link suggests, I drive by plenty of Starbucks on the way to a coffee shop that offers the convenience -- literally, around 20 of them.
  • iNunchuk, on 03/21/2008, -0/+3We want more study space!
  • interrelate, on 03/21/2008, -1/+2Ingrates...
  • Asriel86, on 03/21/2008, -1/+4They've started switching from T-Mobile to AT&T WiFi, which is free if you have AT&T DSL at home (which I do). Even though their service is still T-Mobile right now, you can use your AT&T account to log in with a new "AT&T customers click here" link.

    When I saw that link and made sure it worked, I immediately called T-Mobile and had them cancel my Hotspot account. The woman was very nice and didn't try any retarded "retention" tricks on me, and she said that I'd had the account for 55 months. I remember signing up for it one day in high school when I skipped all my classes and spent the day at starbucks on my new laptop.

    The price was the same then as it is now. $30 a month for unlimited (with a minimum of 1 year). After five years, the price is exactly the same, while five years ago the price for our home DSL was about $80 per month versus less than $20 now. That they still charge the same insane rate is ridiculous to me.

    I've heard that, once they move completely to AT&T, they'll have some system where you get 2 free hours if you either buy a drink or have a starbucks cash card (which don't cost anything) and that the prices will be altogether lower than the $6 per hour/$10 per day/$30-40 per month plan T-Mobile practically robs people with.

    But I still paid it, because I like the ability to gtf out of my house and spend a few hours at Starbucks on the internet or whatever. I'm a writer and sometimes I just cannot get in the mood to write when I'm at home with TV and a refrigerator and videogames to distract me. I tried taking my laptop to the library once (free wifi there too, and they have some sort of "book rental" system that's like blockbuster... but for books...but for free) but it's too stuffy and maddeningly quiet. A nice, plush seat at a Starbucks with a $4 latte and steady flow of customers to people-watch, can be just the ticket to get the creative juices flowing.

    And when the other juices start flowing, their bathrooms are usually pretty clean.
  • Woknblues, on 03/21/2008, -1/+31. I would vote for a selection of un burnt coffee. Even the "mild" alternative is rarely that....
    2. I like the general atmosphere of Starbucks. Wouldn't change any of that. Self serve, pay, STFU, enjoy some jazz. That's a winner.
    3. Why the hell not just pump out free Wifi... Business broadband is what, $100-$200 a month give or take? How much do those bastards make off of a $4 glorified cup of coffee? Block torrents and pr0n (if possible, or cap each log in to some predefined amount), and just !#$% give it out already.
  • Shaman760, on 03/21/2008, -4/+1They are a corporate steamroller. McStarbucks should be their real name. Free WiFi? Bah!
    Wasn't it last month they had to close for 3 hours so that they could teach their employees how to make a proper cup of coffee?
    I've not had Charbucks for about 6 months and my conscience is clear. The local coffeehouse owned by the nice couple who take my suggestions seriously have been experiencing an upsurge in business. I don't think they will be selling out anytime soon. And that's fine with me because they know how to make a great cup of coffee, everytime.
  • MalumProhibitum, on 03/21/2008, -1/+1If there was free wifi and a more comfortable place to work, Id probably drop at least $100 a month at Starbucks, maybe even twice that. Unfortunately, the whole starbucks experience is set up to get you in and out. They dont WANT people hanging around working. Hard chairs, pay for wi-fi, etc. Compare to Panera Bread. I can work comfortably for 4-8 hours in a Panera, and spend $10 on dinner and a drink that I can make at home for a dollar, or I can pay that for wifi, and then spend another $8 on drinks and sit at a tiny table with hardass chairs. The choice is easy.
  • virtualmyles, on 03/21/2008, -2/+1If you create an account on their site, be sure to run a search for the word "midget".

    I wonder how long it's going to take for them to figure it out, and then take down that post?
  • virtualmyles, on 03/21/2008, -3/+1my latest post on the starbuck's website:

    Hey America-

    Do you have fat kids that need lots more energy and a better education?

    How about a game at your local STARBUCKS that implements physical agility, with mathematics, and engineering?

    Here's how it works....

    You get your average 6 year old 120lb kid, and tie him (or her- we can't be sexists now, can we?) to a rope by their feet, and have another half dozen kids pull him up using the concept of mechanical advantage and how to use those puleys in order to move or lift heavy objects with less force.

    Kids could also be exposed to some basic scientific principles at an early age as they would have to deal with figuring out the forces which are measured in units of pounds-force (lbf) or newtons (N).

    From there, these kids could simply dunk the fat hog-tied little brat in to a pool of coffee beans, and take an estimate on how long it'd take for him (or her- again with the sexism thing) to eat his way out of the vat.

    Since the little fat kid would be so AMPED on caffine from the beans, (also- most likely very awake after 172 hours of not sleeping as a result) these other children could work with medical staff to figure out the probability of the likelihood of sudden death from the fat kid's heart exploding.

    Man, that'd be so awesome.

    You could sell hot dogs with quadruple frappcinnos to the people that wanted to watch.

    Admission for the class themselves could be a nominal charge of $25, which then could go to the really skinny and mal-nurished kids in Africa. Along with some powdered milk to put on the coffee beans you paid next to nothing for in the first place- since that's not a part of their normal diet any way. Right?
    • supermanred, on 03/22/2008, -0/+1Start a blog or put up your own web page.

      Digg really needs to limit the ammount you can spew onto the screen.
  • Philbert, on 03/21/2008, -0/+1When they announced this new deal with AT&T I emailed them and complained. I said it was better, but still not good. Even pointing out that I could just as easily go to the Saxby's coffee shop chain around the corner and get free wi-fi. Funny thing is all of the employees and managers I've talked to agree that it should be free.
  • mcclan10, on 04/27/2008, -0/+0As a Barista at Starbucks I can confirm that very soon you will get free wi-fi at most locations. All you have to do is get a Starbuck's card and register it online and use it once a month. Your get free refills, no additional charge for soy, and the best 2 hours of consecutive internet a day.

    Obviously Starbuck's has been slow to adopt wi-fi, but its understandable as they want to do it in a matter where people don't come in get 1.77 cup of coffee and live in the place the whole day. I think personally offering 2 hours a day free is a great way to handle this customer demand.

    For those who go and work in starbuck's in your sweatpants for 7 hours straight and re-arrange all the furniture I don't mean to offend you. haha
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