Jims ThirdSpace

Going simple to regain some customers

Starbucks is rolling out a new simple product at a reduced price to convince recession-shocked customers  to come back.  For about a buck you can get a cup of instant Joe at locations in Chicago and Seattle (part of an early rollout).  You can even get an “instant Starbucks experience” at home.  Take a look at this video:

Instant Java, instant community?  If they pull this off, watch for others to follow.

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Tags: community, instant coffee, java, starbucks

I drink coffee for the caffeine

I never could figure out decaf coffee. Whenever I’m at a friend’s house for dinner or a party or just hanging out and they say, “we only have decaf, I hope that’s OK”, I want to scream, NO, NO, it’s not OK, I drink coffee for the caffeine.   Arrgh!

Well my decaf friends, guess what? Don’t go to Starbucks in the afternoon anymore.

Starbucks will no longer have decaf waiting on you in the afternoons. AND, by not having decaf for you, they are saving $400 million dollars a year.

How does that sound for a caffeinated stimulus plan!

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Tags: caffine, coffee, starbucks

Only one Christmas…

“There has only been one Christmas…the rest are anniversaries.”  W.J. Cameron

How are you going to celebrate this anniversary?

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Tags: celebration, Christmas, starbucks

Go vote, get caffine

Starbucks is giving out free coffee today to everyone that votes.

Do your civic duty, get caffinated!

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Tags: coffee, starbucks, vote

Huge third space

Talk about a third space, if you haven’t poked around on Facebook, you’ve missed a virtual third space that is viral.  Day, night, fast paced, lazy, serious, random, off-the-wall, focused, catching up, venting, it’s all there.  It’s like being in a large room at a party, taking part in a conversation, over hearing three other conversations, looking at pictures someone has brought of family, or just walking through, it’s amazing.

Facebook is a sharing platform.  A way to keep up with friends, family and others in a busy world, but it’s missing something BIG. I can’t smell the coffee, or see the smiles, and hear, “that was sooo good”.

Off to Starbucks.

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Tags: coffee shop, facebook, instant community, random, starbucks

They’re still picking on my friend

Multiple airports, people in a hurry, unfamilar city, whenever I needed a caffine fix this past week I was always able to get one at my friend.  So today I’m ticked as I find that they’re still picking on my friend.  Recent information tells us the even marketing executives are falling out of love with Starbucks.  Five years ago 33% of markting executives said they loved Starbucks, today it’s down to 10%.  And the haters are on the increase.  People who hate Starbucks has grown from 5.3% five years ago to 6.5% now.

All I can say is, everyone one of my stops at my friend while on the road were great: great service, great products, and great people.

Keep your chin up friend, I’ve got your back.

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Tags: coffee shop, community, starbucks

It’s the first day of summer

No kidding, today was the first day of summer.  The calendar has finally caught up with the temperature and the humidity. In Florida, you now schedule your yard work early in the morning or late in the afternoon to be able to survive.  Getting wet from the summer showers is common, you have to get used to being wet. The beaches are loaded. I went to a nearby Starbucks today and it was different: very quite, very empty, very unusual, very non-community, everyone must have been building community at the beach.  Is there Wi-Fi at the beach?  We’re  having a blast building community at our Summer Vacation gig at church.  People are connecting with each other.  Lots of laughter.  Lots of great stories. Lots of excitment.  I taught “in big church” this past Sunday.  I challenged people to get involved at many different levels; there was a great response.  It looks like it’s going to be a very good summer.

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Tags: building community, starbucks, Summer Vacation, third space

A lot of people got the shakes yesterday afternoon

We found out what caused a lot of your friends to have the shakes last night.

Was it for the hype, or because they really are all about building community. What do you think?

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Tags: Great place, starbucks, third space