Starbucks

great friendly staff. one of my favorite places to take a timeout with a good book and a venti chai…

I think I’ve been to all the Starbucks locations on the north side of the Yellowhead in Edmonton now. I held off reviewing this location beside the Indigo at North Town Mall because I was interested in seeing the result of my parking ticket, courtesy of Diamond Parking.
I called Diamond Parking and they got rid of the ticket, saying it was a one-​time thing and next time they’d need documentation. Moral of the story? Always save your receipts.
I’m still not impressed that they have a two hour limit on parking here. There are a lot of good stores at North Town Mall, so it’s not smart to limit customers like that. How many would be as persistent as me in getting rid of the ticket? I will continue to watch out for the parking Nazis.
This location is not bad for work, albeit a touch small, limiting your choice of seating. It’s nice that it’s close to Indigo. I wasn’t so impressed with the messy tables and the barista relaxing on the easy chair. I hope that’s an aberration.
Busyness — Wasn’t that busy when I got in here, but it is steady.
Noisiness — Not particularly noisy, but it must be jazz day. I hate jazz. The refrigerators seem kind of loud here too. Anyone ever thought of inventing mufflers for refrigeration equipment?
Ambience — I like this cozy Starbucks. It’s not that big, and it’s set aside from the Indigo book store next door. It’s got comfortable seating tucked away in one corner too. It’s nice that the Indigo is right next door. If you’re sitting down working and maybe that reference material isn’t available online, it could be right next door. :)
Power — Seems to be available for all the tables, except for the larger set of tables in the middle of the room.
Free wifi — It’s available and free. It works fairly well, but I had a problem where it kicked me off. It took a few minutes to get back on. Just a glitch, I’m assuming.
Staff — A complaint had to happen sooner or later. I walked in and of the four available tables, two had several cups and garbage on them and the two larger tables had crumbs strewn across it. The clerk was sitting in one of the easy chairs and asked me if I wanted anything. Not a good impression.
Seating — There are only 14 seats in this Starbucks. It’s nice that the tables are square. It makes it easier to work at unlike those damn round café tables. There are four comfortable armchairs surrounding a coffee table.
Security — There’s a lot of traffic in the area and I’m looking out at the Northgate Transit Centre. Lock up your laptop if nature calls or take it with you.