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ABC continued its west coast swing. Anchor Charles Gibson (subscription required), after two days in San Francisco, moved on to Seattle where he filed a glowing tribute to Starbucks, the gourmet coffee chain. He tapped into the wisdom of author Karen Blumenthal, whose book Grande Expectations examined the innovations that made Starbucks so successful. Conventional retailing wisdom said: do not clutter a market with too many franchise outlets; do not overcharge customers; use familiar names for products; move traffic rapidly through retail outlets; sit customers at square tables.
Gibson explained Starbucks' opposite thinking: no customer wants to walk far for coffee; spending extra on coffee is a way to give oneself a daily treat; if something seems like a novelty, we will feel like insiders learning a new vocabulary for it; hanging out at coffee shops contradicts a fast food atmosphere; an individual sitting alone at a round table seems less lonely. Starbucks call their stores "the third place" after home and office as a "gathering spot."
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