Starbucks Culture In North America

For my ethnography project, I decided to observe the Starbucks on Rockside Road in Independence, Ohio. My plan was to observe the subculture of Starbucks’ customers. A subculture is defined as a “structured social inequality or, more specifically, systematic inequalities between groups of people that arise as intended or unintended consequences of social processes and relationships.” My question was twofold. Does Starbucks appeal to certain social statuses? And if so, does Starbucks serve as another example of social inequality?

They do not support any religion at all they are known as an LGBTQ+ community coffee shop, there for lots of people do or don’t support them because of that.I know that my family and lots of my friends don’t go there and don’t support them because they are not a Christian company. They go against lots of religions and they also go for a lot of people. "In January of 2012, Starbucks was one of several companies that publicly supported Washington state’s same-sex marriage bill, CNN notes. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz then re-affirmed his company’s support for same-sex equality during the annual shareholders meeting in March of 2013." That Informason was found on (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/). The other part is that 5,10,15 cents goes to supporting gay marriages. Starbucks believes that Christianity is not a real thing. Starbucks does not want you to buy there product if you are agents gay marriages, they don’t like Christians buying their products.

I chose to do the Starbucks Ethnography over all of the other options because Starbucks currently plays a large role in the social behaviors of today’s society. It has grown significantly from when it was first founded and is currently dominating the coffee market worldwide. Starbucks has become a social and cultural phenomenon because, “...it is at once a globalized consumer institution and a local place in which the mundane daily activities of sipping coffee, writing in journals, and conversing with friends are practiced” (Dickinson 7). Since I am in the age group that Starbucks is particularly trendy with (young adults), I already have some expectations for what the results of the ethnography will be. I have also lived in Orange County for my entire life, so I had some context as to which race would be more prevalent to the Starbucks I had gone to. I wish to explore the symbolic anthropology, which, “...focuses on understanding cultures by discovering and analyzing the symbols that are most important to their members” (Nanda 35). Understanding the symbolism behind coffee and Starbucks is important since it has multiple meanings and has become deeply ingrained within our culture.

It is referred to as the “War on Christmas”. Americans divide themselves on how the Christmas holiday should be separated in public spaces, with some claiming that there are not enough references of Jesus, while others say they are too many. While the separation of church and state in the United States seems like a clear divide, there are many areas of overlap, such as traditional Christmas decorations on the grounds of government buildings or the use of Christmas carols at public schools. For instance, Kristi Keck wrote in the CNN.com news article “Heated debate again over 'War on Christmas' claims”, that “In California, Tea Party activist Merry Hyatt is trying to get support for a ballot initiative that would require that public schools give their students an opportunity to hear Christmas songs. (Parents could opt out for their children).” With stances such as these, it is hard to see a clear sign of religious persecution taking place. At public schools students are still able to practice their own personal faith, for instance they can pray individually or read their religious texts. However, public school cannot promote one particular faith, but this policy offers Christians protection from having an outside religion other than their own being taught to their

Many people might not have known that oppression is present in regard to religion. There have been many times over the past decades were overt forms of oppression have been present when a dominant religious group takes over a subordinated group. In a reading this week, Christian Privilege is talked about. This type of privilege surprised me because I did not even know it existed. The reading talked about how dominant religious would punish individuals who went against their religion and tried to force others out so they would be on top. It is absurd to me that individuals would go to such great lengths to make sure that people were following their religion and not another. A topic that really enforced this type of oppression is the marginalization of the Catholic religion. I have never noticed that unless you are in a public school, one never has off for holidays unless it is a Catholic holiday. It is preposterous that some students need to be excused from school just to celebrate any over their religious holidays. I could not believe that so much of our school system is centered on a Christian denomination. This reading really helped open my eyes to the oppression that many religions have to face (Blumenfeld, 2010).

Different local reactions of new coming Starbucks from Shanghai and Bloomington reveal contradicting cultural understanding.

Starbucks mission is to "inspire and nurture the human spirit-- one person, one cup, and one neighbourhood at a time.”

Starbucks customers are diverse, well educated, young business people looking for a quick and easy way to grab coffee on their way to work. Starbucks values a strong relationship with their customers so they are

Starbucks advertises two essential mission statements. First and foremost, it strives to “establish [ourselves] as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while [we] grow(s).” (Starbucks) Reflective of its mission, Starbucks bases its strategic campaign and communications on six indispensable philosophies; structuring a pleasant work environment in which employees are treated with “respect and dignity,” incorporating diversity in all business aspects, purchasing, roasting and delivering fresh coffee, retaining satisfied customers, giving back to the community and environment, and developing

Even so, just two weeks earlier Howard Schultz announced that the company will be expanding internationally. The plan is to open more than 1500 stores in Germany, France, and Britain over a 3-year span (Forbes, 2008). It is estimated that this expansion will boost revenue by more than 20 percent (MSN Money, 2008). In spite of Starbucks’ struggle among its love-hate relationship between customers and protesters, one thing that Starbucks

Four million people worldwide make their daily stop at Starbucks in the desperate need for a coffee fix, just don’t forget to ask them to hold the side of exploitation, modern slavery and deforestation.

Starbucks is acclaimed for its superior value proposition in the early 1990’s by creating an experience around the consumption of coffee, a ‘third place’. The brand is positioned to offer the highest quality coffee, close customer intimacy, and warm atmosphere or ambience.

I can always look forward to starting my day off, with a steaming cup of coffee, I love that even if it 's a cold, dark, and gloomy day outside, a big cup of coffee can get me through the day. I could go on and on about my appreciation and fondness over the drink itself, but I won’t. However, I would like to share with you a remarkable phenomenon that I’ve come to notice, it is other people sharing this experience, this love for coffee, and they do it all across the globe in shops known as “cafes,” or “coffee shops.” And this is exactly what Howard Schultz (The CEO

Millions of people all around the world wake up and drink a cup of coffee every morning before they go to work. One of the most popular places for coffee drinkers to attend is Starbucks. The company started in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market, which was opened in

Starbucks used many tactics to reduce its distance from foreign markets. Firstly, Starbucks conducted extensive research in each country. They used focus groups, and quantitative analysis, to evaluate local cultural sensitivities and preferences. But it also used specific local adaptations. For