Service @ Starbucks Singapore

In class today, we had a discussion about Starbucks and that reminded me that it has been ages since I stepped into a Starbucks store for some sit-down coffee with a book to read! These days, I would rather pay a bit more and go to TCC or Coffee Club for some coffee and a quieter ambience if I want to sit down with my book.

I have to say that my service encounters with the local Starbucks haven’t been anything special and  interactions with the staff typically ended the moment I picked up your drink and got a seat. Perhaps it was because I wasn’t quite a regular at any particular store? I know of a friend who enjoyed her Starbucks at a particular outet (story here).  However, how about us non-regulars?

Has Starbucks really lost its ‘third-home’ image in our minds?