Starbucks

I am a fan of Starbucks. It is my «go-​to» coffee shop. However, this is by far my least favourite location that I will always avoid. The shop is always mobbed with the queue right up to the door, and there are never any tables to sit at due to the fact there are always selfish students or business folk taking up a full table with their laptop — that look like they haven’t moved from that spot within a week and a half. The customer service is mediocre — every time I have gone in, there is a female barista who I always recognise, that looks at me like the plague. They act too fast and rushed, and don’t even bother to give you a smile or actually make eye contact with you. The baristas behind the machine always look stressed and your drink ends up getting mixed up in the queue, which means people before you in the line will usually get their drink first. This just results in everyone standing about looking puzzled, because they don’t know where their drink is.

Last time i visited here the place was filthy. There was rubbish all over the floor. Every table had dirty cups at it. The milk/​sugar station was rancid. Similar story in the toilets i felt like i was visiting the toilet of a nightclub after a busy night. You get the picture. I had ordered to sit in before i actually realised this. It actually put me off finishing my very expensive coffee, so i left it half finished. You cant let standards slip because you are trading off the name. Especially at those prices. You are supposed to know what you are getting with Starbucks, it should be fool proof for them to get it right. I will stick to independent coffee shops in future, they wouldn’t dare give this type of service, their shop would be empty.

Truly dire at this branch. Ordered 2 drinks and got one right away but waited 15−20mins for second which is unacceptable. Watched the 2 Baristas chatting rather than working while a third wandered behind till area looking lost. Queue for drinks waiting was almost out the door! Badly managed and coffee was weak and bitter and over priced. Back to Costa for me.

I’ll admit it –I don’t get Starbucks. At all. I remember when Starbucks launched in Australia, people just didn’t care as Australia already had decent coffee, and actually the chain has actually done pretty poorly over there.
Anyway, I’m also not much of a hot drink drinker so that probably doesn’t help. I don’t think I’ve ever had a coffee at Starbucks, I have had lots of tea though. I popped into this Starbucks on a Friday morning — it was packed and there was at least 10 people in the queue in front of me. I wanted to grab a cookie as a present for a friend and so I waited while the line very slowly edged forward. There was one person taking orders and one person making coffee which I thought was pretty poor for such a busy time of day and the wait seemed like about 10 minutes.
Service was fine, I mean I don’t really expect much and the guy was friendly enough. I know that Starbucks is great for those who like a dependable chain that’s consistent but I really don’t see the appeal of visiting a super busy coffee shop when there is now so many indie coffee shops in Glasgow.
I’ve gone with two stars though, as this Starbucks doesn’t have codes on the toilets so you can pop in to use the loo without even having to buy anything, which is handy around this part of Buchanan St.

I have to admit, I love starbucks and not just for their coffee. Cakes aren’t half bad either!
The atmosphere is amazing, not so noisy. Just somewhere you can go for a catch up with friends.
Definitely recommend to all!

Although this is a slightly different Starbucks to the norm in that it is housed in a (fantastic) bookshop and fitted around a huge balcony in the middle overlooking the ground floor, it sadly doesn’t live up to the hype for me.
Its charm is also its downfall. Because of its wonderful surroundings and relaxed atmosphere it is always, always busy. There is no such thing as peak times here — it is always a peak time. And, more often than not, when somewhere is constantly busy then something is going to have to give.
Although the staff are lovely and work very hard it would be impossible for them to keep up with the demand and provide the same excellent service as smaller, quieter Starbucks can.
If you’re prepared to wait in a queue that goes out the door, take whatever is left from the cake selection and don’t particularly care for any special attention then, yes, it is worth it when you are sitting nuzzling your warm flavoured latte watching the world go by below you. But I would recommend wandering just a few minutes up Buchanan Street to a quieter Starbucks and nab a window seat — almost the same experience only a lot less queuing.

Despite being a faceless and completely standardised brand, there are still good and bad Starbucks outlets. This is one of my favourites.
Due to having a balcony which overlooks the main floor of the bustling Borders, this one is top drawer for people watching, and unlike some other Starbucks the staff actually collect empty mugs, plates etc from the tables. Thumbs up.

This is my fave Starbucks… nestled snuggly on the first floor of Borders on Buchanan St, Glasgow;
Staff are excellent — friendly, pleasant, helpful & engaging.
Ambience is fab… ideal if you like to watch people mill about… but just as good if you want some time out on your own.
Its where I go at lunchtimes… fab
PLEASE NOTE: Due to Borders closing… this Starbucks is alas no more. Gone but not forgotten!

There are actually 3 starbucks very close to each other which in theory would mean this would be less busy but nope they are all really busy. One word of advice do not go here on a busy day such as a Saturday as there in no way you will actually manage to get a seat. Quite small compared to some other branches i have been in and believe me i have been in loads. Has all the usual starbucks stuff such as comfy chairs etc and since it is small it has a nice cosy feel to it. Prices are the same as any other starbucks. The staff are nice. Its nice being able to look at a book whilst drinking hot chocolate.

This is a handy Starbucks for when you are in the centre of town and need a wee break from your shopping. It is situated one floor up in Borders Bookshop, and you can sit either looking down at the floor below or one one of the usual Starbucks comfy sofa type chairs. It can get really busy at peak times and the till can be queued up and quite slow, so not somewhere to go in a rush for coffee. I hate it when people use it to sit in all afternoon and you cant get a seat together — I understand people want to come out and relax, but please dont take the mickey. Some folk look like they are there for the day with their laptops, newspapers etc. Nice place to go at quieter times — dont go Saturday afternoon!

The majority of the customers take magazines from the store and read them here. Good if you’re one of those customers. Not much different to other Starbucks besides from that.
Beware of the queue!

A nice small coffee house right on Buchanan Street. A perfect place to take a break from the shops or go for lunch. The coffee is very good but I prefer the hot chocolate as it keeps you warm. There are also sofas as well as tables and chairs which are much more comfortable.