Good news for people who like coffee, but aren’t fans of people, as Starbucks plans on launching “pick up only” locations in the United States.
Similar spots are already open in China, but will soon be coming to US cities.
Via Bloomberg:
The Manhattan store, which is still in development, will build off of the chain’s success with its Starbucks Now concept in China that lets customers order in on mobile phones and collect their items in a specialty “express” shop without the wait. Starbucks could eventually roll out similar pick-up locations in other cities including Boston, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles, Johnson said. They aren’t intended to replace the existing cafes, which give consumers a “third place” to relax that’s away from home and work.
“What we’re using Starbucks Now for, and what will be Starbucks pick-up stores in the U.S., is to blend them in where we have dense urban areas where we have a lot of Starbucks third-place cafes,” Johnson said in an interview at Bloomberg’s Chicago bureau. “Think of it as a Starbucks pick-up.”
And the idea of being able to quickly pick up your coffee without first having to make your way through a dining area full of people slowly sipping their drink while “working” on their laptops seems like it could be a wise move.
Guess we will soon find out.
