Starbucks Did What?

I can tell you right now, as I sit here writing this, I have a hot cup of coffee sitting next to me.  Coffee, for me and many other people, isn't just a drink, it's a way of life, a lifestyle if you will.  Now personally, I can tell you, I will forever and always drink my coffee black.  Unless of course, I'm going into a coffee shop where you can bet I will become that "basic white girl" who orders the sweetest thing on the menu because, let's be real, you're not paying $5 for the same thing you drink at home.

Now when one goes to a coffee shop, and I'm not talking about the cute little shops you find downtown where you can sit with your mug and stare out the window.  I'm talking your basic Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or Caribou Coffee.  These places live to give the public what they want, and now they can give even more options.  Now, these coffee shops can gloat about having dairy-free drinks, vegan-friendly options, and the perfect blend of whatever you want.

The word on the street is Starbucks is trying to increase their sustainability by decreasing their carbon footprint.  And just how exactly are they going to do this?  Well, it's a funny thing but Starbucks wants to fully eliminate the use of dairy milk in their menu.  I'm sorry but when did dairy milk create such a huge carbon footprint in this world?

Now before everyone goes crazy and this turns into a rage on the dairy industry, I just want to point out a few facts.

• Dairy milk will forever and always be a healthier and more nutritious option to milk substitutes such as almond, soy, and coconut juices.  It doesn't matter how much you modify and process these juices, they cannot beat what dairy milk already has naturally.  
• Second, dairy milk, being naturally made and not needing a factory for it to be made, cannot produce that much a carbon footprint.  Why?  We live in a country that produces dairy milk all over for the industry.  And everyday we are improving this industry to make it as efficient as we can.
• Third, with dairy milk being produced nationwide, you are able to find it in any state, without having to go too far.  But Starbucks, your drinks aren't just made with milk.  What about the coffee beans you have to import?  What about the dragon fruit which we all well know doesn't grow in this area?  What about the labels and packaging you use on everything?  Your point is invalid.  Milk isn't the problem here.
• Fourth, for anyone who currently uses dairy milk in their drinks, they're not just going to willingly switch to a substitute nut juice.  I've tried all of those drinks people dare to call "milk" and let me tell you, they taste nothing like it.  
• Fifth, this economy and country was built on agriculture.  For you to think you can take that away from us, you are gullible and naive.  This country was built on a foundation of hard work, labor, and tillage of the soil and for those who know this, and hold it close to their hearts, there is no way they will ever turn their backs on such a great industry.

So again Starbucks, I'm just going to ask how you think eliminating dairy milk from the equation is going to help with your sustainability?

But really, what will happen with customers if Starbucks goes through with this idea, and does, in fact, get rid of dairy milk on their menu.  Will customers be influenced to leave and take their business elsewhere?  Will they not care and just adjust to buying something else?  And really, even I wonder, myself, what would I do if Starbucks decided dairy milk just wasn't the way?

How we can determine this can be done a numerous number of ways, but sometimes the best thing to look at is the Consumer Decision-Making Process versus the Internal Psychological Process.  When I first learned about these in class, I was slightly intrigued and slightly annoyed.  Don't get me wrong, I love marketing but I hate psychology, so when my professor started using psychology in his presentation, I was like "hold up.  What are we talking about?"  And this got me thinking.

Consumers are used to buying what they do based off of some original principle.  Often, it is not even their own opinions that influence them but rather what the vast majority of people around them think.  This was truly a remarkable thing to watch and observe.  And the more I learned about these two processes, the more I began to understand these processes.

Let's look at how these two processes are playing out in the Starbucks instance.

1. In the real world, a consumer is faced with a problem and they initially recognize that it is a problem.  See, but internally, the consumer always has a motivation to go along with their problem.  It's like saying there's no pizza in the fridge while internally you are hungry, so therefore you want pizza, thus creating a problem in the first place.  Similarly, with Starbucks' attempt to eliminate dairy milk, this is the physical problem.  But now, consumers are faced with the internal reasoning as to why this is even a problem for them.  And for some, it might not be.
2. With the problem named, now consumers are searching for information on the problem.  Anything to help them make a decision on it.  And already, so many people have both backfired on Starbucks' decision, as well as been in favor of it.  The use of the Internet can make anyone feel intelligent and be able to search whatever information they want within a few seconds.  On the flip side of this, consumers also have a specific perception on the world.  Myself, coming from an agriculture background, automatically had the perception that Starbucks just isn't handling their sustainability the right way, but this is how I view the world, as a constantly changing society with the need for agriculture to always be in it.
3. Next, we move on to alternative evaluation where a consumer begins to compare different brands.  In this particular case, one would compare dairy milk to its substitutes to try to determine which is better or worse in this scenario.  But with this comes our internal attitudes we have of specific things.  I will always be strong willed against nut juices because they are not natural and they are not true milk.  That is my attitude on the subject and nothing anyone will say can change that.
4. Purchase decision can play a big role in what we buy.  We are loyal to a specific brand such as Coca-Cola fans knowing they will never buy Pepsi because they are loyal to their brand.  Similarly, if someone is partial to dairy milk, they will not stray from it.  This, in turn, brings us into the integration process which then gives us rules we've already made in our minds.  We do quick evaluations and mental shortcuts in our brains to determine whether or not we are going to buy a product.  It's as simple as seeing a deformed can of beans and grabbing the one behind it because that one looks normal.  This is our human nature to want the thing that fits our internal beliefs and desires.
5. The final stage in this process is the post purchase evaluation.  And it's as simple as "am I content with what I bought?"  If not, why?  If I were to order a soy latte, I would know for a fact I would not be happy with the final purchase because it is not what I would have originally wanted.  I would've have wanted dairy milk instead.  This, then leads us to the behavioral learning theory where we develop our opinions based on how we react with the end product.

You see, marketing to the consumers requires internal thought processes which you can only imagine.  They change for every person and are different for everyone.  Starbucks, you may be okay if you go through with your sustainability plan to eliminate dairy milk but you may also not be okay.  Every consumer is different.  And every thought process is one in itself.  

Starbucks, you give us options and choices for a reason.  You want to please the largest amount of consumers as possible.  Don't take away our options to "attempt" to make yourself look better to the competition.  We, as consumers need to make these decisions on our own, and when we don't have the power to do that, that is when we lose interest in the things we used to enjoy the most.

I was never a huge Starbucks fan, but that was because I preferred Dunkin Donuts.  I had a brand loyalty already to Dunkin Donuts, but occasionally, I would splurge on a Starbucks drink.  After this announcement, my attitude has been changed and I do not care for the company.  It's my choice.  This is my decision.  But the consumer needs to remember they ALWAYS have a choice.