Remember the days when your opinion and a quarter could actually buy you a cup of coffee?  I still hold out hope that those days may return even though I don’t drink much coffee anymore.  Apparently Starbucks, whose stock has dropped 40 percent in the last 12 months, is worried that a lot of other people aren’t drinking as much coffee as they used to either.

A current story in Reuters proclaims Starbucks is in a “tailspin” and quotes Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz that there was no “silver bullet” for fixing Starbucks, but clearly they are trying to find one.  Apparently changes include new coffee machines, a new coffee blend and frequent customer reward programs.

So, take your core product and change it.  Does anybody remember the lesson that Coke learned when they changed their recipe?  That’s why we have Coke Classic today. 

While the economy is certainly a factor affecting impulse buying by occassional coffee drinkers,  I would suggest that Starbucks, whose product admittedly is an “affordable luxury,” is at risk of losing their most loyal fans.  I have to assume that using new machines and a new coffee blend is meant to change the taste of the product.  Undoubtedly, some people will like it and some people will not, but I don’t understand why they would want to gamble with their core loyal customers.

Imagine if McDonald’s, soon to be a major competitor in the expresso drink market, changed the Big Mac – used a different bun, changed the special sauce.  I buy a Big Mac with an expectation of quality and taste, that’s the brand I expect.  If I want something different, I can go to Burger King.  Likewise, I don’t see any research from Starbucks that their customers are going somewhere else, consumers are not dissatisfied with the product, they are just not spending as much on luxury items.

I can’t help but think this is a major blunder on Starbucks part.  Basic marketing tells you to go back to your strength.  Reinventing yourself is an act of desperation.