As far as the methodology I chose for my Starbucks research, I first thought I would gather the majority of my information from actual time spent in the Starbucks store I chose located on Royal Oaks Blvd in Franklin, Tennessee. I found that this wasn't the case. While I did visit multiple times, the bulk of information was from friends, classmates, emails, and postings on Facebook. I first visited the Starbucks located in the Franklin Target store on Columbia Avenue. Christie is a barista that I have ordered coffee from so many times. So I introduced myself and explained that I was a student at Belmont University and for my third year writing course, I had to do a discourse/study on a topic and I chose Starbucks. She was very willing to help me and when I asked “what makes so many people love Starbucks”. “What makes people come back time after time”. She explained, “it wasn’t just the basic principle behind Starbucks nor was it just the atmosphere, music, and people, but it was the full experience.” She went on to say, “that the way customers are greeted, they feel like the barista about to take their order wants to help them, wants them to love their drink and feel fulfilled and happy once they leave.” I think having a Starbucks in the Target stores are a fantastic idea! I personally think the good thing with having a Starbucks in the store, is that your drink is normally consistently made. It's not like ordering something at a privately owned store and not knowing how there coffee is brewed and hating something about it. Rafeek Ghattas was another barista I was able to work with in gathering information at the Royal Oaks location. This is the store that made me want to research Starbucks. I have used this Starbucks store for coffee for over three years. I first used it because it was convenient to my house and on my way to work. I found not only convenience but wonderful customer service and great coffee when I would go through the drive through or go inside the store. I started going so much that the Baristas recognized me and would always start a conversation. It made me feel like I was special and apart of their day. There was a girl that worked there and no longer does that took the time and helped me find my most favorite drinks. It was like she knew exactly what I was looking for.
Facebook was another method I used to gather information. I posted a question on my status that stated I was doing a research project on Starbucks. While I had one person state that they hated Starbucks, I think we made her anxious to try another Starbucks store and helped her with what to order and explained busier stores normally are better at service than some of the stores that might only get a morning and afternoon rush so the coffee has an older taste. Also stores that are really busy can lack an extraordinary cup of coffee because they are concerned with speed. My friend, Aimee Pruitt, stated that she likes Starbucks for a few reasons, “I love Starbucks....excellent customer service (the one on west end anyway) when I pull up in the mornings there is always a super bubbly person with a huge smile on their face at the window, excellent coffee (I only get 2 things from there, a Caramel Machiato with extra caramel and a blueberry muffin which is always fresh), they have never mixed up my order; I like the CEO, Howard Schultz who came from poverty and he got himself out of it and is now extremely successful, I like his ideas, values, and the fact that he is for the “American people” and sees what we see in the political field EXTREME GREED, shadiness, and he stopped all of his political funding...spurred by what he describes as a failure of leadership on the part of lawmakers, Schultz is mounting a one-man bull rush against a political culture that has "chosen to put partisan and ideological purity over the well being of the people.” What does that mean?
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