Starbucks cup
The year is 2015. You’re sitting on your couch, about to watch tonight’s episode of Grumpy Cat Takes Manhattan (a TV show I’m predicting will exist in 2015), when suddenly, you have a craving for a Starbucks beverage. You pick up your iPhone 7 and use your Starbucks app to place an order for the drink you want. In a matter of minutes, the beverage has been delivered to your door, and you didn’t have to move a muscle.
This future could be a reality if Starbucks goes through with its latest endeavor to start a delivery service in the latter half of 2015. On Thursday, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz mentioned his plans, which involve delivering drinks and food to customers’ homes and workplaces, according to TIME Magazine.
“Imagine the ability to create a standing order of Starbucks delivered hot or iced to your desk daily,” Schultz said, the Associated Press reported.
The delivery service would start in major cities and then expand, depending on its success. Many people have speculated about the profitability of a coffee delivery service, and for good reason.
For one thing, the cost of Starbucks drinks delivered to your door is bound to be pricey. Although it’s obvious Americans are willing to pay ridiculous amounts of money for coffee, the delivery fee might stymie that willingness. Not only that, but the appeal of a Starbucks beverage is the personalization factor. When you buy from the store itself, it isn’t uncommon for the barista to mess up part of your order. With a delivery service, it’s likely the chance of getting an incorrectly made coffee order would be even higher.
It’s also confusing that Starbucks plans to start offering this service in cities, where there’s already a Starbucks shop on every corner. Why would people pay extra to have coffee delivered to their doors when they can walk around the block and buy it straight from the source?
It’s unclear whether the format of the Starbucks delivery service (or its existence) is set in stone, but the mere mention of it leads me to think about the future. Maybe one day we will live in a world where any fast food or beverage chain will deliver right to your door — a future that probably also will involve a lot more people investing in gym memberships.
