Movie, music, wine and beer all in a Starbucks!!

by Chee Leng
(Singapore)

Started just yesterday, one would be able to download ebooks, watch movies, listen to music and even access paid websites all within Starbucks stores...

Well, if this is good customer services,what about having all these with some beer and wine! Hmm...am I writing about Starbucks?

The fact is, beer and wine is only being tested in one of the its Seattle outlet to mitigate the slow afternoon and evening hours.

Starbucks needed to do something after a lousy 2008 and 2009, but by doing all these, personally I think it risk diluting its brands.

Sure, Macdonalds is doing it, offering many value added services to the customers and enjoying uplift in sales. Then again, it is not a coffee joint.

Starbucks positioning is a upscale coffee joint, by offering so many different elements, would it be diluting its brand and loses its positioning.

Until now, since Howard Schultz took over 3 years ago, everything seems to be picking up.

Perhaps this is what the customers is looking for these days, good value all bundled into one place, if otherwise, and Starbucks loses its positioning, it would take a couple of years to get it back!!