Do you like drinking coffee? If you like, which coffee shop would you choose: Starbucks or Tim Hortons?

Since Starbucks and Tim Hortons are both popular in Canada, how can customers make their decisions? What are the similarities and differences between these two coffee shops?

Using P.o.P and P.o.D can help answer these questions.

Points of Parity (P.o.P):

1. All provide tasty coffee.
2. All offer good services (friendly, and polite employees)
3. Easy to find ( these two coffee shops are mostly located in shopping malls or some main streets)

Points of Difference (P.o.D):

1. Product differences: Starbucks provides customers Frappuccino, latte, and mocha with various flavors. The flavors change regularly based on seasonal changes or festivals. Compared to Starbucks and the other coffee shops like Blenz or McCafe, Tim Hortons is much more  Canadian. This is because it provides special Ice-Cappuccino and other beverages. Despite these, it also provides TimBits, Donuts with Maple syrup and other delicious snacks that can satisfy most Canadians’ taste.
2. Unique buying experiences: When people make an order in Starbucks, they will have their names written on the cups. However, other coffee shops in the whole industry don’t do this since they focus on providing efficient services to customers.

In all, I think it is hard to say whether people will choose Starbucks or Tim Hortons. Some people especially students may choose Tim Hortons because it provides more choices and they are quite cheap. Furthermore, students don’t need to spend too much time queuing up and waiting for their coffee. However, for me, I will choose Starbucks. The changing flavors and putting customers’ names on cups are Starbucks’ marketing strategies to keep and attract more customers. Although Starbucks maybe more expensive, I really enjoy the higher quality coffee and services provided by Starbucks.