Rapid growth of Starbucks branches, 2,571
stores in 2007 alone, across the nation put
customer satisfaction on the backburner
• Regional executives were ill-equipped to
manage the proliferation of new stores and
communicate with the executive managers in
different time zones
• Misalignment of company goals and
consumer needs: the experience no longer felt
personal
• Failure to understand and ask what customers
wanted—didn’t take the customer into
account when designing stores and new drinks
• Loss of company direction which resulted in
previously loyal customers opting for
independent coffee shops who cared more
about the coffee they were serving
• On-the-go consumers don’t have time to wait
in long lines in the morning, they prefer to
have their drinks ready when they want them