Publisher's Weekly Review
After five years of on-site investigation, including Starbucks locations across the country and around the world, author and history professor Simon (Boardwalk Dreams: Atlantic City and the Fate of Urban America) has produced a less-than-earth-shaking examination of the coffee chain's influence on America (and its American influence abroad). Simon's hodgepodge of observations are heavy on the obvious ("Lots of people, I learned from my many hours of observation, used Starbucks as a second place, as a work space and meeting room"), and light on revealing details or investigation ("[A]fter making its five-cent donation to the world's water-deprived" per bottle of their Ethos water, "the company still gets an extra twenty to fifty cents. of profit"). Those who frequent Starbucks will enjoy Simon's range of topics, from business matters to the music played to the (very American) concept of "self-gifting." Though Simon's knowledge of the brand is obvious, his insight is sparse and his in-person observations lack color (though Starbucks deserves some of the blame for that). (Nov.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
Choice Review
In Everything but the Coffee, Simon (Temple Univ.) focuses on gaining an understanding of the world-famous Starbucks, specifically examining how its psychological, political, and emotional power over consumers has precipitated both its success and its subsequent downfall. Simon explores Starbucks' cultural significance, positing that while Starbucks initially fulfilled desires for identity and culture, over time values changed. Consumers now seek "utility, a place to sit, or just the quickest caffeine fix." The brand is evolving as consumers increasingly value the local, sustainable, and inexpensive. In the first section of the book, Simon attributes Starbucks' growth to the ever-expanding meanings of buying in America, its influence on emotions, and the daily life of a rapacious consumer society. The following sections explore how Starbucks' appeal is not focused solely on its products, but has migrated into new media, marketing films, books, and music. Simon concludes that the brand has now established a sense of "ordinariness," with the company's lack of ethics contributing to diminished market share. The book offers a modern twist on marketing, most appropriate for professionals and researchers or as a supplementary text for graduate students. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate through professional collections. S. D. Clark St. John's University (NY)
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