Quote:
Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard
Starbucks doesn't need the sort of business that Tim Horton's gets. The markup that they have on their drinks is greater than that of Tim Horton's and there is usually a line of people at many locations. In fact I think that Starbucks would crumble if they ever did have the lineups that Tims has, due to the fact that drinks need to be made to order often times and the time required is greater than pressing a button and having sugar and cream come out of a machine. If they did have the long lineups it would quickly turn into a situation in which people would be waiting for 10-15 minutes for a cup of coffee and the number of customers would dwindle as a result. I am sure that someone has put together a study of the optimal line length for different coffee shops...
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The bolded part in your post very aptly describes virtually every Starbucks location in every major US city. I travel to conferences once or twice each year in the States. There are always a few Starbucks at the downtown convention centres, and the lines are persistent and unceasing. It is not at all unusual to wait for 25–30 minutes to place and receive your order, regardless of the time of day.