Is Starbucks Listening To Its Customers or Just Its Sales Numbers?
(Photo by Demi DeHerrera on Unsplash)
I've never been a diehard Starbucks fan. I don't have a gold-tier loyalty card, I'm not excited about pumpkin spice anything, and to be honest, I've always thought their coffee tastes a little burnt. It might be convenient, but it's never felt worth the price, especially when I can make better coffee at home.
I was a little surprised on September 25, 2025, when I received an email from Starbucks outlining several significant changes: store closures, layoffs, and a new turnaround plan. Wait, is the mega-coffee chain having financial problems?
Starbies' Financial Woes
It turns out things haven't exactly been going great for Starbucks lately. They've seen six straight quarters of declining same-store sales in the U.S. Rising prices, growing competition, and more customers rethinking whether they want to spend $7 on a cup of coffee have all taken their toll. On top of that, employee unrest has been escalating. Union negotiations have stalled, baristas have walked out in protest, and there were some pretty visible strikes during the 2024 holiday season. All signs pointed to something needing to change.
September 2025 Changes
In response, Starbucks rolled out what they're calling the "Back to Starbucks" plan. According to the company, the idea is to refocus on the customer experience and return to what made people love the brand in the first place.
The plan included:
- Remodeling over 1,000 stores to feel warmer and more inviting. This is a complete shift from their recent trend toward small, mobile pickup-focused locations.
- Investing in technology to speed up orders and improve drink consistency.
- Closing around 1% of North American stores. That might sound small, but with their footprint, it adds up to several hundred locations.
- Laying off around 900 non-retail employees, plus an unspecified number of baristas. The company tried to reassign baristas from closing stores to nearby ones, but not everyone could be placed or was willing to move.
- Increasing barista hours during peak times to reduce wait times and improve service.
Are They Listening to Customers or Just the Numbers?
Starbucks says this is all about delivering "world-class service" and returning to what works. The real question is: Will what worked in the past work in 2025? Starbucks used to be a place where you'd meet a friend, sip a custom-made latte, and maybe get a little reading or work done in a cozy corner. I recall back in 2007, during my "mom of tiny humans" stage of life, when human contact outside the house was rare, a visit to Starbucks with a friend was considered a real treat. We'd walk in to find it packed, with long lines and every seat full of people chatting and hanging out. But that didn't stop us. We'd get our frappuccinos and find a spot on the patio to gossip.
Those days are long gone.
Today's customers are more price-conscious, more skeptical, and honestly, a little tired of corporate overreach. Many people are paying attention to issues such as union-busting, skyrocketing CEO pay, and how companies treat their frontline workers. Starbucks isn't exempt from that scrutiny. So when their response to lagging sales includes closing stores overnight, including the flagship Seattle Reserve Roastery, and laying off employees, it leaves a bad taste, no matter how you brew it.
Will These Changes Bring People Like Me Back?
Honestly? Probably not.
Most of these "Back to Starbucks" changes focus on aesthetics, operations, and speed, but none of that addresses the main reason I stopped going in the first place. I never left because the store looked like a sterile fast-food joint with three tables and two outlets, or because it took a few minutes to make my vanilla latte. I didn't even care if the drive-thru line wrapped around the building during morning rush.
What pushed me away was the price.
When I'm out running errands and need a caffeine fix, I'm looking for something that tastes good and doesn't cost more than a fast-food lunch. Faster service and nicer lighting won't change the fact that a basic cup of coffee at Starbucks still costs more than it feels like it should. For people like me, the casual, not-loyalty-tier customers, price matters more than ambiance or order speed.
What Would I Suggest as a BA?
Let's pretend Starbucks asked me for my opinion as a business analyst on this turnaround project. I'd start with a simple (but often skipped) question: What do customers actually want, and not just what the company assumes they want? Sure, investing in store redesigns and faster tech sounds good on paper. However, if customers are walking away due to price fatigue, poor customer service, or the way employees are being treated, no amount of cozy lighting or AI-driven espresso timing will fix that.
I'd recommend that Starbucks dig deeper into customer sentiment. That means going beyond surface-level surveys and focusing on real behavior patterns and feedback loops. Why are occasional customers (like me) choosing other options? What are regulars grumbling about when they think no one's listening?
I'd also push for a closer look at their value proposition. Currently, Starbucks is stuck in a peculiar middle ground between premium coffee shops and fast food chains. If they want to win people back, they need to determine which identity actually matters to their customers and then commit to it.
And finally, I'd suggest a serious focus on employee engagement. That doesn't mean more posters in the breakroom. It means a real, ongoing effort to listen to baristas, support their careers, and treat them as the frontline ambassadors they are. Cutting hours and laying people off won't create the kind of environment that keeps customers coming back. At the end of the day, no app or ambiance upgrade can replace the feeling of being taken care of by someone who actually enjoys their job.
Final Thoughts
From where I sit, this new plan is mostly about operational tweaks and design upgrades and not about rethinking the actual value Starbucks offers to everyday people. If you're already a loyal fan, you may notice shorter wait times or a cozier atmosphere. However, if you're a casual coffee drinker like me looking for a bit of caffeine during your afternoon slump, I'm not sure this is the thing that will get you into your nearest Starbucks location.
I'll keep an eye on it. Who knows - maybe they'll surprise me. For now, I'll stick with my home brew. It's faster, cheaper, and never tastes burnt.
Sources referenced in the creation of this post include: