In Class: Public Space

Starbucks truly is an urban territory; there is no stereotypical Starbucks customer.  Before analyzing this public space I expected Starbucks' targeted audience to be a mature, professional, coffee drinking, type of person, but in reality Starbucks caters to people of all ages and socioeconomic classes.
There isn't really a "typical" day at Starbucks either.  I mean there is a regular group of business professionals grabbing their early morning java or late night study groups cramming in the evening, but the people traffic in Starbucks is far away from monotonous. After going to the Hedgestone Starbucks Coffee Company many times, it has become almost entirely clear that Starbucks is appealing to almost everyone.

In Class: Experience with in Class Workshops

My experience with in class workshops has been mostly positive.  I like the idea of getting feedback on my work and hearing what other people say about my writing.  I think constructive criticism is awesome and I think good writers need to be open to other people's ideas.  However, I  hate getting feedback from people who don't know what they are talking about. I like to take other people's perspectives into mind, but I don't always go with everyone's advice if they are not credible.  For example, if Amanda had a suggestion to make about my paper I would gladly welcome the feedback, but if my little brother had some writing tips I would probably just ignore them.

In Class: new observation ideas

The question "what sorts of people work at Starbucks" was raised in my classmates feedback.  I find this question hard to answer because Starbucks baristas tend to be a very eclectic bunch.  If i had to generalize however, I would say that baristas are generally young, wearing black or white, and familiar with their product. The Starbucks Coffee Co. has some unique terminology, and knowing and understanding this lingo is key to working in that environment.  Customer service is key in customer satisfaction; I believe having good customer relations is making an appeal not only to ethos, but to logos and pathos as well.

In Class: observation

After spending some time at Starbucks it has become apparent to me that Starbucks is an accurate representation of out consumer culture.  Everything at Starbucks is aimed on gaining customers, making money, and expanding their customer basis.  Things like the "what's happening in your community" board, or the comfy chairs make hanging out at Starbucks appealing to the public, but what keeps customers coming? Is it the actual coffee, or the environment?  I still don't know the answer to this question, but most likely it is a mix of both.  Starbucks has loyal customers, but would they still make drinking Starbucks Coffee a habit if the environment was different?  It seems like Starbucks puts forth a lot of effort to make each branch a hip location to hang out in; as a result people feel comfortable, and are more likely to see the value in the products they sell.  For example, Starbucks sells the albums they play in the store.  They sell the drinks they advertise at the store.  Everything at Starbucks is an advertisement.  I am even an advertisement as I sit there and drink a cup of coffee...

unit one: ethos, pathos, logos

Startbucks Coffee company is definitely making an ethical argument.  Upon entering there is much evidence that starbucks is giving back to the global community.  There are buletine boards with "community news", ways to give back, and events happening in the neighborhood.  On a global scale, Starbucks advertises "free trade" coffee and that they are "going green" through their attempts to recycle.  Whether you see the economic irony of free trade, or believe that Starbucks is going to great lengths to help others, it is apparent that Starbucks is making an ethical argument.


Starbucks obviously makes many attempts to appeal to one's pathos;  great smelling drinks, warm paint tones, and trendy chill indie music are all evidence of Starbuck's attempt to appeal to one's emotion.  Starbucks offers the option of customizing one's drink, making everyone get the impression that Starbucks cares for you on an individual level.  Also, comfortable chairs, a coffeehouse environment, and the smell of coffee are all comforting to Starbucks' customers.  Starbucks goes the extra mile to make their customers feel at home.


Starbucks makes a logical appeal whether the customers realize it or not.  Most customers are either students, business professionals, or the general public.  Starbucks is logical in that it appeals to the general public.  After spending some time at Starbucks, I noticed that there are many people who come to Starbucks without even ordering anything.  This sounds peculiar, but it is true, Starbucks definitely makes an appeal to logos in that they are able to target such a large audience and get them to come in on such a regular basis.  

In Class: logos artifact

I brought in my calculator because I believe it makes a logical argument.  I associate logos with direct facts, statistics, and numbers.  If something is definite, it appeals to logos because it represents logic and a definite value.  While ethos represents credibility, and can often be bases on one' point of view, logos is definite.  Logos is right or wrong, just like with any math problem.  One's observations, written data, or anything that definite is not only powerful in an argument, but very credible in the sense that is is a fact.  Logos is for the most part, non-negotiable.

Unit I Proposal

For my Public Space Analysis  I am choosing the Starbucks at Hulen & Ledgestone, a place that is very familiar to me.   Starbucks is a place that I not only go to on an almost daily basis, but a place that caters to many different types of people.  Some go to Starbucks to relax and chat with friends over a cup of java, while Starbucks also caters to students busy cramming for tests.  This space is appealing to me personally because drinking coffee and studying are both important parts of my daily routine.  I chose this space because as a consumer, Starbucks appeals to me on many levels; obviously I love coffee but the music, culture, and global perspective of starbucks are also appealing to me. 

I anticipate experiencing something unexpected.  Starbucks is a public place and anyone is allowed to come in.  Not just "anyone" comes to Starbucks though; I hope to see people who aren't just coming in to grab their daily cup of java.  I hope to see something that you wouldn't expect to see at your average starbucks.

I believe I am definitely part of Starbucks' targeted audience;  If I am not, then Starbucks is really good at targeting the general public because I am a regular supporter of the company.  In reality though, Starbucks is targeting the general public.  Even people who are too young to appreciate coffee, or people who don't like caffeine have many options at Starbucks.  Besides, going to Starbucks isn't even all about consuming coffee or ordering anything from the menu.  Some people have meetings at Starbucks or even use Starbucks as a place to work on group projects. 

I am biased about Starbucks Coffee Company because I am already a habitual coffee drinker, however coming into the space with a different purpose besides studying and getting a caffeine boost can completely change the experience.  I plan on doing this assignment with an objective perspective because I want to overcome the temptation of conforming to the Starbucks Coffee culture.