The blog of the day is — Starbucks! 
Particularly — VIA 
but… FLAVORED! :0 
VIA is a fairly recent commodity of the Starbucks Corporation. I currently work for Starbucks as a Shift Supervisor and absolutely love my job. Would you like to try a sample of our newest promotional product? VIA! Its main purpose was to increase consumerism of “coffee on the go” people. Those of us who don’t have time to pull into our favorite Starbucks and say hello to the Barista at the counter who always makes our drink, now can enjoy a delicious cup of piping hot Starbucks coffee ANYWHERE. After introducing Decaf Italian Roast VIA in approximately February of this year,
Howard Schultz ( the founder of Starbucks Coffee) I presume was sitting in his office one afternoon with perhaps his mocha and said aloud “hey… instant mocha anyone?” The BRAND NEW Starbucks commodity will be coming soon to a cup near you. Its promotional title handed to every Barista of every Starbucks is “Flavoured VIA”… Have you ever wished you could have a mocha flavoured VIA? Or what if your favourite drink is a Cinnamon Dolce Latte, a Vanilla Latte, or a Caramel Latte? Starbucks is now introducing flavoured VIA just for you. I am not surprised that the company is trying to tend to the fast paced office world of instant coffee. Attempting to outsell and tap into Nestlé’s market perhaps? And intriguing the starving student who can’t afford a $4.25 Cinnamon Dolce Latte? (like myself) However it is not the commodity itself that I am surprised at, it is the marketing strategy that has been introduced and implemented by the Baristas of Starbucks. I have worked for Starbucks for almost 2 years and this is the first time that I have EVER been briefed on a marketing strategy that I am to employ in my day to day. We have quotas to meet, active sampling to do, sayings to say and techniques to master. Have you ever been asked by a barista, when ordering your latte, “Here would you like to try some VIA? It’s our Instant coffee comparable to the real thing!”? Well now not only are we asked to ask the public we are now asked to think of innovating ideas to sell new Starbucks VIA. WE ARE THE MARKETING TEAM OF STARBUCKS me and my coworkers… How does Starbucks figure out its marketing scheme? It asks the Baristas. Come down to our level Mr. Schultz and see how we roll 😉
Although I know the inevitable “promo time” of customer service and all the wonders that come with it my main quarrel is that if I’m doing the marketing teams job why am I not paid $65,000/year (give or take) but only a sad and unfortunate $9.00 an hour.
But here I am the forefront of Starbucks on the battle ground and this is how I look when I sell VIA
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