sapporoguy52 comments

On reading the article, I was surprised to learn the chain is “struggling”. I assumed they were still going gangbusters, given the stores on every corner are always packed. 

For me, they drifted from their initial intention – to reproduce a “European coffee experience” – ages ago, when they jammed in more seats and ruined the “linger over a cup of java” ambience that I’ve read imbued the earliest stores - and which could still be sensed faintly at the time they expanded into Japan in the early 1990s - and when they began attracting hordes with flavored drinks that include some coffee, all in the name of growth and profits. 

But now, because of the article, I’m stressed by having to cope with mixed feelings. To wit, I was thrilled – thrilled, I tell you – to read that some customers still “experience the magic” – thank dog Starbucks hasn’t lost its daily magic! – but distressed to read that, for some loyal customers, “the wait is too long or the handoff too hectic”. So sad to learn Starbucks coffee is not instantly ready the moment I pay in-store or make the 10-meter drive from the order mic up to the pickup window. I mean really, who should have to “wait” for anything now – it’s 2024, for cryin’ out loud! What do they expect me to do, stand around reading something on my smartphone until like, the cup is in my hand? And just when, exactly, did Starbucks begin hiring these slacker employees who can’t make a hot coffee-flavored drink in seconds? They’re acting as if they might not be employees valued by management, but mere put-upon, overworked and underpaid drones trapped in some sort of assembly line jobs. I mean, like, really! What’s next, are they gonna expect tips from us or something?! 

And don’t get me started on how a hectic handoff can really spoil my day – Ooooo, a hectic handoff makes me so angry that sipping through the plastic lid of my cup as I amble down the street is no longer the satisfying experience that was once was a highlight of my day. 

I sure hope this new dude can rekindle the Starbucks spirit so we can stop settling for corporate-chain-quality brews from Tully’s or Doutor or Pronto and get back to real European-style Starbucks “cuppas”.

While Japan's drop to fourth place is "news", no one can claim it's a surprise. While economic growth is propelled by both tangible and intangible factors, two sentences in this article highlight key factors negatively affecting Japan's economy:

"But Japan’s relative weakness also reflects a decline in its population and lagging productivity and competitiveness, economists say."

"At the same time, businesses have been invested heavily in faster growing economies overseas instead of in the aging and shrinking home market."

No "advanced country" has successfully reversed a declining birth rate to achieve population growth, and I'll wager Japan will be unable to do so as well. Japan's options are opening the door to immigration, or implementing measures to boost labor productivity - an indicator on which Japan lags far behind as well. Sadly, I don't think more cute but otherwise useless robots will do the trick.

As a final note, businesses would be more likely to invest in Japan if policies to boost population and per capita productivity resulted in rising consumption spending.

I'm not holding my breath...