David C Rambles

Kid-sized Latte

I’ve been reading news that Starbucks is actually considering targeting the kids market after executives noticed that there is an increasing trend of children accompanying their parents to Starbucks. Will this actually be a good move?

Personally, if Starbucks actually “kiddie-size” their offerings, they will only damage themselves in the long-run. No doubt that by opening up to a new demographic market, the top-line of the business will increase, but is it really worth the risk?

There are many factors to think about
* Will parents mind that children drinking caffinenated drinks at such a young age?
* Will this dilute the image of Starbucks? Who wants Ronald McBuckie roller-blading round the store offering a venti-sized Mocha Frappacino to 6 year old kids?
* Will regular adult customers be put off by the increasing amount of kids and noise?
* Will Starbucks lose its webworkers because of the same concern above?

There are so many factors to think about and personally, I think the cons outweigh the pros and I probably will not frequent Starbucks that often. (I already don’t for many other reasons …)