I Heart Starbucks (Persuasion and Consumption)

We all know that Starbucks is the world's favorite coffee company. But what is it about the caffeine supplier that makes millions of people return to their stores day after day? Surely persuasion has been involved to convince people to pay $4+ for a coffee.

I walked into the Starbucks closest to my apartment. The store smelled of freshly ground beans and sweet coffee goodness. Immediately it put me in the mood to indulge in a liquid treat.

As I walked up to the counter I passed a wall of coffee mugs, coffee makers, and whole bean coffees, each of which had the Starbucks logo on it. When i got to the counter there were samples of the new Gingerbread Latte paired with a Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin. I tried a sip of the Gingerbread Latte and was immediately surrounded with a gingery heaven- it was amazing. The Barista at the register greeted me with a smile and asked how my day was going. She then went on to explain that her store was selling VIA instant coffee that customers could purchase and then donate to the troops by placing it in a designated basket next to the register. With my consumer knowledge in-tact, i kindly declined her offer to allow me to buy an item to donate to the troops and I somehow resisted buying a Gingerbread Latte. At the register I noticed that they had an assortment of mints, gum, biscotti, and other random items. The thought of "having mints after drinking my coffee would be great! I hate after-coffee breath." Again, I resisted the temptations of clever product placement and continued to order my usual drink- A tall Americano with a pump of white chocolate mocha.

These are my observations from my visit and after doing a little bit of further research:

Starbucks has its own line of a variety of different coffee mugs, brewing equipment, whole bean coffees, and other random goodies. These items are typically placed strategically in the store so that customers either walk by them first before reaching the counter, see them while at the counter, or see them while waiting for their drink. Starbucks also has seasonal promotions that include different pastries and drinks. During my visit they were promoting Gingerbread Latte, Eggnog Latte, and Peppermint Mocha. The different promotions always go with the season. Customer counts for the stores increases during the winter holiday season. Perhaps it's the pretty red cups, the festive eggnog, or the cold weather that bring more people into the Starbucks stores.

Starbucks markets itself as being a "second place" environment where customers can come to sit and chat with friends and family, work on their laptops, or relax on the sofas with a good book. Starbucks also takes pride in their ability to provide legendary service to create a quality product that is always consistent. They strive to create extremely satisfied customers all of the time.

Things like my encounter with delicious samples make it obvious that Starbucks attempts to persuade us into trying something new and perhaps purchasing that item. Clever product placement makes it easy for us to grab other items to make impulse purchases when we are at the register. I believe that doing these things is a very goof tool for the company to make sales and it doesn't bother me that items are strategically put in front of me in order for me to think about purchasing them. I personally am a smart consumer and don't let the companies make choices for me. I believe it is our responsibility as consumers to all be like this and to all be aware of the marketing strategies geared toward us.