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coffeeman
Joined: 24 Nov 2005
Location: Korea
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 Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 6:51 pm Post subject: |
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I brew Starbucks at home and haven't even touched the "coffee mix" since. That *beep* is the worst! Who can drink that and think it's good?
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I've bought Starbucks beans twice in my life. It's a real luxury. Too expensive for beans that are very good, but not the best. I forget what it goes for in Korea - maybe about 12,000 won for a half pound. Instead of that, I would suggest Columbian beans sold under the Korean brand Rosebud at Home Plus. You get 1kg for 20,000 won and they'll grind them up in the store for you. Good tasting.
If you like western groceries, I hear that Dejon has a Costco. You just have to justify paying 25,000 won for a membership (actually it's 35,000 won but works out to 25,000 because they give you a voucher woth 10,000)
Anyway, I get a 3 pound can of their Columbian coffee for just 10,000 won. It's pretty good stuff.
I don't understand why some of the people in theis forum are sticking up for the coffee chains and western restaurants. They're a rip-off. They market these places as progressive or novel. Asian people have this mentality that "If it's cheap, it's not good" so that give the corporate thieves one more reason to jack up the prices. Go to Chinatown or Koreatown in your home country and you can still get a full meal for $5 or $6.
The reason for the good prices back home is interesting. The majority of the customers are Asian and will refuse to pay much more than what they'd pay for their own food at home. They won't pay it, so the restaurants must charge what the customers are willing to pay or go out of business. I would guess that their overhead is not that much cheaper because the employee salaries are higher.
In the end, prices are governed by what people are willing to pay - NOT THE LAND PRICE. If people were only willing to pay 2000 won for a cup of coffee, the coffee shops would move into less expensive areas - maybe basements of buildings or where the PC bangs are. They could decorate them and they'd still look nice.
Further proof that good coffee doesn't have to cost 4000 won is a Japanese coffee chain called Doutor. Their coffee is very fine (there's one location in Myeongdong) and in Japan sells for 230 yen (roughly 2100 won) a cup. They have street-level shops in all areas of Tokyo, which has the most expensive real estate in the world. The employee salaries are higher too, about $8 ~ $10 an hour. Despite higher land prices and salaries, Starbucks in Tokyo doesn't charge more than the ones in Seoul. The prices here should be lower than in Tokyo, but they're not. The big coffee chains are taking willing customers to the cleaners here. Some people just don't want to wise up to the fact. If you want to continue letting these coffee shops take advantage of you, keep drinking coffee there.
As the weather gets nicer, I am going to start taking thermoses of my own brewed coffee to the beautiful parks. |
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coffeeman
Joined: 24 Nov 2005
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 7:13 pm Post subject: |
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mindmetoo wrote
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| You're not the sharpest knife in the drawer huh? PC Bangs don't locate in high traffic, high profile, street level, corner locations. |
That's very kind of you to point that out. Thanks!  |
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itaewonguy
Joined: 25 Mar 2003
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| Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 8:20 pm Post subject: |
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| weatherman wrote: |
http://search.hankooki.com/times/times_view.php?term=starbucks++&path=hankooki3/times/lpage/biz/200504/kt2005042418102311890.htm&media=kt
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Early this year, the company also closed a branch near a movie theater inside COEX Mall in Samsung-dong.
Although the shop did well, ranking on the top ten list in terms of sales, the company said it had no choice but to shut down the shop as the rent was raised 300 percent.
The company filed a lawsuit to defend the shop, claiming that no city in the world would raise the rent 300 percent at once. |
Lovely. |
yep! welcome to korea!
they also closed the shop in Myung Dong too becuase the owner raised the price to something like 200million won a month!
you see greedy no talented, inherited fortune koreas will see a store doing well and want all the money! so starbucks had to move across the road. I mean the sad thing about korea is. their is no laws to protect renters. leases are only signed for 1 year! or 2! and in that time. so basically what happens is, if you turn that shop into a success the owner will raise your rent depending on much he thinks you are making! if you are not doing well in that location then he will kick you out, and get someone else in and keep doing that! rents in korea are crazy!!
bascially you work for the building owner! id be afraid to open a success business in korea! once MR KIM sees you making money! he will take it all away!! |
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Zenpickle
Joined: 06 Jan 2004
Location: Anyang -- Bisan
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| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 6:31 am Post subject: |
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This is the only Starbuck story I've been following lately. |
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Qinella
Joined: 25 Feb 2005
Location: the crib
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| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 7:21 am Post subject: |
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| coffeeman wrote: |
If you like western groceries, I hear that Dejon has a Costco. You just have to justify paying 25,000 won for a membership (actually it's 35,000 won but works out to 25,000 because they give you a voucher woth 10,000)
Anyway, I get a 3 pound can of their Columbian coffee for just 10,000 won. It's pretty good stuff. |
I had been resisting Costco until I had a dream one night about eating real cheese, and I finally caved. When I signed up, they gave me a voucher worth 35,000 won, same cost as membership. Woohoo! |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 8:25 am Post subject: |
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| No Starbucks for me. I roast my own beans. |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 9:08 am Post subject: Re: the Starbucks Story: "Pour Your Heart into It" |
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| Tiger Beer wrote: |
Reading the book now.. very good.
Strangely, I've never even ordered anything in Starbucks before.. but thinking of it now. |
Almost finished with the book.. still in great condition.. anyone want to buy it from me to read next? |
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hojucandy
Joined: 03 Feb 2003
Location: In a better place
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| Posted: Fri Feb 24, 2006 11:07 pm Post subject: |
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last thing i want right now is more books - am moving back to australia in 2 weeks...
i'm just wondering if the kid in your avatar survived his aborted dive... looks like he broke his neck!!
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desultude
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Location: Dangling my toes in the Persian Gulf
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| Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 4:03 am Post subject: |
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When and if you go to Southeast Asia, bring back kilos of coffee. Vietnamese is best, but Thai is great too, and I've heard good things about Lao coffee. The best, butter roasted "weasel" coffee in Vietnam goes for about $6 a kilo.
I try to bring home a six month supply. Damn, didn't get there this winter, and I'm about to run out. 
When you see what retail coffee costs where it grows, you can appreciate why Starbucks rules the road these days. They must have a glorious profit margin. |
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animalbirdfish
Joined: 04 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 5:45 am Post subject: |
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| canuckistan wrote: |
| They don't call coffee "liquid gold" for nothing. |
I thought oil was liquid gold. |
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ChimpumCallao
Joined: 17 May 2005
Location: your mom
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| Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 7:04 pm Post subject: |
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| animalbirdfish wrote: |
| canuckistan wrote: |
| They don't call coffee "liquid gold" for nothing. |
I thought oil was liquid gold. |
oil is actually 'black gold'...didnt you ever watch the Beverly Hillbilies? |
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