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Consumer Behavior of Starbucks

Decent Essays

Draft #1

Section I

Starbucks

In 1971, three friends with a passion for coffee opened a gourmet shop – Starbucks was born. The coffee shop's name comes from Herman Melville's 19th century novel about the whaling industry, Moby Dick. The seafaring name seemed appropriate for the small shop, which imports the finest coffee. The cold weather and thirsty Seattle community seemed to be a perfect match for this endeavor. Starbucks caught on and, in less than a decade, became Washington's largest coffee roaster.
In 1982, Starbucks coffee changed forever. While traveling in Milan, Italy, head of marketing Howard Schultz was intrigued by the coffee shop atmosphere – patrons sitting, relaxing and chatting over café latte. Wanting to …show more content…

A major factor in this astounding figure is the self-concept that Americans need to uphold. Americans feel the need to portray themselves as being wealthier than they truly are. For this same reason, the automobile industry manufactures semi-luxury cars for a more affordable price. The vehicle appears much more luxurious on the outside than it truly is. By drinking a cup of Starbucks coffee, a middle-class American feels as though they are rubbing elbows with the truly wealthy of our society. Not everyone in the world enjoys a nice warm cup of coffee. Starbucks has taken the coffee drinking segment of consumers and further dissected it in order to provide a chilled form of the drink. This further extends their sales. The same parent that enters a Starbucks coffee shop in order to fulfill their need for a cup of coffee, buys their child a chilled, coffee-free frappachino. Starbucks then went another step further and made their stores a destination rather than a stop. Customers are invited into every location by the warming smell of fresh brewed coffee, light relaxing music and comfortable sitting areas. Making a customer comfortable enough to sit down and enjoy their coffee also expands the company's sales. The customer can now enjoy another of Starbucks offerings such as a piece of cake or a sandwich. Having customers stay in their store creates a "buzz" around the facility. When a store is full of happy people talking and enjoying

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