Cingular cell phone service - Re: Nayas Admits Errors, Promises to Be Honest Going Forward, Switches to Verizon

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Re: Nayas Admits Errors, Promises to Be Honest Going Forward, Switches to Verizon

John Navas

2006-04-19, 5:48 pm

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <1145110435.859757.85950@t31g2000cwb.googlegroups.com> on 15 Apr 2006
07:13:55 -0700, "GomJabbar" <dkbatson@earthlink.net> wrote:

>It was brought up previously in this thread about coffee shops. Well
>unfortunately in my area, Starbucks just bought up the only other chain
>that had any presence. They're closing down many of the locations, and
>remodeling others to become Starbucks outlets. In the past, I haven't
>had anything in particular against Starbucks, but I do like choices.
>Also, several other mom and pop coffee shops have gone out of business
>the last several years. It's really a shame when a company gets big
>enough and greedy enough to knock out (read buy-out) their competitors.

That's the market at work. Good independents (like Pacific Bay Coffee here in
Walnut Creek) have prospered in the fact of competition from Starbucks. The
real problem is that most mom and pop coffee shops aren't terribly good.

>Like Philip J. Koenig alluded to, American's have adopted a herd
>mentality. They've become lemmings in many respects, seduced by the
>government, media, and big corporations.

I think that's wildly exaggerated. Most of the people I know make thoughtful
choices. They prefer places like Starbucks for reasons that are meaningful to
them, even though they're not meaningful to you.

>Americans are so much on the
>move, they go to what they know when away from their own neighborhood.
>Be it Starbucks, McDonalds, whatever. When on the road, it's easier to
>ask where a Starbucks is, one reason being, there is probably one
>nearby, rather than ask for some local coffee house which may be some
>distance away (and fewer people know of, for getting directions), with
>unknown quality (albeit probably better).

Actually quite likely to be worse (in their terms, if not yours), which is a
bit part of the reason that Starbucks has become so big. Many (most?) people
would rather have what they consider good consistency than a few highs and
many lows.

>BTW, I am a frequent cappuccino purchaser, and Starbucks is
>inconsistant in making a "dry" cappuccino. It all depends upon the
>barista you happen to get. It would be nice if I didn't have to drive
>clear across town to get a decent cappuccino at a non-Starbucks coffee
>house. That's becoming harder all the time. :=(

Presumably because there aren't enough people like you to make it a good
business proposition.

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