Starbucks Coffee

This sounds great, I hope we can make GOOD use of these ;)

Interesting!

I would LOVE great conversation and dialogue on MSI. All of the idea partners need to find Cindy. She has great coversations, dialogue and funny! Matt would be 2nd on this.

Come on Starbucks - this is a pathetic attempt to make this great idea happen. I mean, paper sheets of ideas? What is this, 1950? You'll have to do better than this if you want to truly start conversation in your stores. What happened to using the wifi and new media aspects of this idea in a hi-tech way? Low-tech indeed.

Not impressed - get with the 21st century Starbucks

this is still no kind of innovation - this is a cheap gimmick that shows that Starbucks is not serious about this great idea that I and others love so much. Even book clubs are more innovative than this

you said you were listening to the best ideas we had - I guess not

LMAO MATT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bad idea! There's nothing innovative in here. These Good Sheets idea has been used for ages everywhere and nobody takes the time to read the comments. It's disappointing as I was looking forward to enjoying the Alcove with Mark Molaro show that had been suggested originally.

listen - I don't know if the sheets are good or bad, but they seem to be a pretty lame attempt to address Connie's great original idea. Where's the involvement of The Alcove show? This is so disappointing and disrespectful to all the people who voted and commented on the idea - they didn't want sheets of paper they wanted conversational leadership.

TO EVERYONE:

This whole thing was my original idea and while I was very excited and hopeful to see the response of fellow customers to my suggestion, this is an underwhelming response and I feel the spirit of my original idea has been ignored.

The idea has been launched with some pieces of paper that have conversation suggestions on them? Starbucks is a global company that has backed Hollywood films and world-renowned musicians. Surely it can do better than this - what about using wifi to launch conversational programs like the one I suggested?

Hopefully this is just the beginning of Starbucks' response to my idea - I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now, but I and many others will be watching because I thought the whole point of this website was to have truly innovative ideas.

Thanks

Connie

So I wanted to report back on the debut of GOOD sheets in my store today.

About 5 minutes after I assembled the stand and put them in front of my register, a customer says ...

"So if Starbucks is all about reducing carbon emissions, tell me why you guys have a line of 14 cars at your drive-thru window right now?"

To which I responded, "thats a pretty spot-on observation. The way I see it, we are the only drive-thru within a 10 mile radius. We are also near Almaden, which is a huge community of Silicon Valley families, so we often get mothers with small children who like the convenience of not having to take their children out of their car seats."

The customer responds with "Makes sense, but then you shouldn't be putting these packets out and pretending that Starbucks cares about the environment."

I respond with "Keep in mind though that these publications aren't produced by Starbucks. They are an independent publisher, but we wanted to distribute them to create great conversations, like the one we are having now, within our stores."

So I guess they really are GOOD.

Well that's another problem with these sheets that they are a huge environmental problem, regardless of who prints them.

New media doesn't have the same problem, and thus should be the driving focus of this idea.

BTW, it's great to hear from Connie - and I couldn't agree more that this idea not enough

paper sheets? Ha ha!

How laaaaaaaaaaame is this?

SO lame - this is patronizing to think we're all this stupid

Well forgive our cynicism but....

If this isn't the complete answer to Great Conversations from Sbux, then what is? How 'bout some specifics beyond paper sheets?

If you appreciate the comments then do more with this idea, powers that be, OK?

Hi,

I have just seen this new page of comments and I just wanted to stepn in and share my opinion. Sorry to say this, but I don't think these GOOD sheets is a smart idea. It's boring, time-consuming for you and us customers, and not sexy. I mean, your design is great but GOOD sheets??? No, but no thanks!!! And I don't agree with you sbx-MATT, format and presentation are super important just like ideas! Please, listen to Connimx and the original idea! Thanks!

Glad to see there is more to this idea than the paper sheets at least - let us determine the topics of conversation, and also let us be able to tune into online conversational shows that will encourage our own conversations

good sheets sounds old to me. I saw people mentioned an online content for conversations. Sounds awesome to me. The asset to such a system is that people could even dowload these "conversations" on their ipod and take them anywhere they want to. Thus, the Starbucks community would no longer be reduced within the stores but would contaminate the rest of our daily places.

man the only thing those sheets are good for is tp!

LOL! :)

Is this all about acting like teachers and giving each other some talk subjects??? Good sheets sucks! If that's what will get for "Great conversations", I'm out of here!

we're all adults here (at least over 18 as the sign in says) and so we don't need to be told what to talk about. We'd like the choice to participate, but on our terms, and to have some options to choose from if we'd merely like to watch conversations

I have just checked out that show "the alcove" that people are talking about, was quite curious about it. I'm surprised by the quality of the topics (AIDS research, global warming, health, literature, politics and many more questions) - in my opinion, this show would give some credibility to that project of "Great conversations" and avoid any detractors of Starbucks to criticize. So....go for it, I'm in! :=D

I love the DOOG sheet. I think it is very educational and can bring great discussion topics to the table.

the sheets suck, and we need to have something central to tune into or people won't follow

Even if I don't believe in Global Warming as being man-made (YAH!) and yet maybe I do, I still think that these GOOD sheets are VERY VERY bad for our environment ( especially in Alaska!). Other thousands of trees cut for this unproductive idea? Don't do that! Thanks.

I picked up a Good sheet in the Starbucks on Connecticut Avenue in Northwest Washington D.C. The design is amazing. I couldnt disagree more with Sara's comment above. This type of non-biased educational information is scarce in today's media glut and will have tremendous positive impact. Thank you Starbucks for supporting this.

When I first heard about these good sheets, I was kinda skeptical. I saw the one on carbon offsets this weekend, though, and I was pretty impressed. Nice design. Clear articulation of kinda complicated issue. I actually sat in my local spot and learned something. That's the point, right? Now, it didn't cause me to strike up a conversation with my neighbor, but that's asking a lot. One step at a time...  

Hi-   I come into Starbuck’s (NASDAQ symbol SBUX) daily to conduct commerce.  I don’t appreciate the left-leaning guilt-trip GOOD pamphlets on Global Warming while I sit there enjoying my wonderful artificially-heated steaming cup of Americano, and while relaxing in your lovely environmentally controlled stores (of bright lights, wood, chrome, aluminum, high-carbon stainless steel, tile, glass, and assorted polymers).  Even if said literature happens to be printed on recycled paper and justified with carbon offsets (LOL).  I am thankful that I have a Capitalistic, market-driven job that enables me to own a car and buy the necessary extra gasoline to drive several miles out of my way each day, just to spend discretionary income at Starbuck's. I hope you do too.   Thx.        

I came across these sheets this weekend, and I think it's a great start. For sure there's much more that can be done to get conversations going, but concise, well constructed breakdowns of a key issue is a nice idea.  It's nice to take a step back from all the 'latest breaking news' and get some perspective through real facts.

I'd love to see this expanded tho - from good sheets on issues to real in-store discussions - e.g. 'thursday nights are discussion night at Starbucks'.  If carbon emissions are the week's topic, invite a couple of scientists, a couple of politicians, someone from the local council etc. That's how you really make the stores start to hum.  

I was a little skeptical when i read about these in the NY Times, but I actually   thought it was really cool when I saw one (btw, still hard to find around here in LA.) Quick read, and I like that it's something to take away because I don't usually stay at Starbucks, and I can talk about it later with my friends.  No, it's not singlehandedly solving global issues, but it is a step in the right direction.    

So I just found out about this web site and wanted to say I think the Good Sheet is cool!! I can't say I need Starbucks to "create a conversation" for me, but I liked reading this bite sized snack while waiting on my frap. Can you ask the editors to do one on light bulbs? I am totally confused by that debate. Those new bulbs are so ugly, they give off ugly light, and I hear that their lifetime carbon footprint/energy use is actually HIGHER than regular bulbs! Yet some lobby got these ridiculous things into our lives. Maybe a future Good Sheet at Starbucks could shed some light! No pun intended. Ok maybe a little pun.

still wanna see more than just sheets of paper - got anything more?

Like happycamper, I was skeptical about the GOOD sheets. But the first one was well done. It was a cool thing to read while I was waiting. I don't know if it will stimulate any conversation.

well there have been some nice and not so nice comments about these GOOD sheets, I LOVE THEM! I have read the two that have come out so far, and talked about them with pretty much all the friends I have talked to since! I thought they were short and sweet, made me smile and made me think. Keep up the GOOD work!

If these Good sheets are so good, where is issue #2? There are still large piles of them in my regular store. Obviously not going far!

Fantastic idea to create Starbucks as THE destination for conscious conversations.  The time is definitely NOW!!!

I'm hearing that many stores are just letting the paper "GOODs" pile up in the backroom.  And as many people are pointing out -it's a waste of paper.

May I suggest short form videos that would cover not only important issues of the day, but also ways we can improve and grow as caring, conscious human beings.  Especially if the economy really tanks, Starbucks could be the go-to place for personal growth and community building.

These videos can be played on your wi-fi page, with closed caption on your in-store monitors and even passed virally around the web with your logo.

Terry D., have you considered Inner Espresso?

Why have the Good Sheets disappeared?????

Bring back these Good Sheets - make them Extra Bold -