It is official. Starbucks has made it to Jordan. Here is the Jordan Times story. From what I read, Jordanians seem excited about the opening. They should be! Starbucks has great coffee.
However, Starbucks arrival was greeted with some controversy. According to the JT, the Higher Committee for Protecting the Nation and Anti-Normalisation — comprised of professional associations and political activists — issued a call to the government Monday to revoke Starbucks license because of vocal support of Israel by company chairman, Howard Schultz.
Starbucks management response:
“We are not here to comment on Howard Schultz as an individual, those are his personal circumstances. As a corporation we are a nonpolitical organisation and what is unanimous for both Starbucks and Howard Schultz is that any form of violence in the world is upsetting, particularly when there may be a personal connection to the region."
Controversy or not, they have good coffee.
Ok truce;-)
But they are evil…okay i give up.
Linda 7abeebti;-) I’am a person who hardly yells;-) Really, when I get mad, I get depressed;-) but rarely do I yell;-) or I’m becoming this way as I get older.
Anyway, most of the coffee shops mentioned in your link are Sheesha (argeeleh, hubbly bubbly) shops that are usually attended by single men! The other few places, like Moka, Cafe Paris, charge more than Starbucks and their coffee is not that good! Trust me, been there done that.
And these places don’t have a real coffee place atmosphere, where one can read a book, or browse the internet while sipping on cafe latte. They have a totally different atmosphere (mostly an elitist, posh one)
Starbucks provides an atmosphere that many of these highly expensive very few places fail to offer;-)
Natasha,
Why are you yelling at me? (This is being asked in a weeping sad voice 🙁
I do not know what is so great about Starbucks coffee anyway. But, I went ahead and typed Coffee shops in Jordan in google and this was one of the first entries i got (visit the website at the end). seems to me there are many individually owned coffee shops in Amman. Come on Natasha, trying doing it. it is hard to stop drinking starbucks, but you can do it. it was a challenege for me but i did it. now my new challenge: stop watching tv.
http://www.ammantoday.com/english/cafe.html
Well Linda, I see your point but I’m not sure if you know that in Jordan, independent coffee houses are almost non-existent. Besides serving Turkish coffee (which is an acquired taste), there are very few places that actually serve good filtered coffee. There is really no choice.
So introducing Jordanians with a good product (which is Starbucks in this case) is always welcomed.
What you mentioned about Starbucks corporation can be applied on almost all the major corporations as they actually rule the world. we are the consumers whether we like it or not!
P.S. Boycott now as soon as you can before they take over your countires like they have taken over America.
Okay, I have been holding my tongue for too long in regards to everyone’s excitement for Starbucks and the fact that they are popping up like mushrooms in the Middle East. Why are you guys so excited about this? Are you guys even aware about some of the terrible things Starbucks contributes to the destruction of civilized societies?
I used to be a Starbucks addict, but once I saw the light and uncovered the truth about this terrible organization, I now boycott Starbucks. Here are some of the reasons why:
-You pay $3 or more for a cup of coffee that only cost Starbucks about seven to twelve cents to make.
-Their corporate monopolies destroy the individually owned coffee shops that make our communities unique. For example, in the city I live in, there are about five or six Starbucks. It is very hard to find another coffeehouse. Soon, in the Middle East, all those great little coffee shops that are so unique and are owned by small business people will go out of business due to the fact that a Starbucks came into town.
-Starbucks gets their coffee beans from countries like Guatemala and Indonesia where environmental regulations are not enforced (hope you like your coffee with an spoon pesticides) and the workers are exploited in the fields (children work the fields as well, a.k.a. child slave labor).
-And last but not lest, those poor Baristas of theirs are not receiving fair treatment. Any time one of their workers try to unionize, they are faced with intimidation from management. Just recently, the National Labor Relations Board charged Starbucks for multiple violations for discriminating against union employees.
So if you guys get what I am saying, do something noble. Stand up against an evil corporate giant and boycott them.
My name is Luai and I am a Starbucks addict.
I am very excited to finally have SB reach Jordan, but will probably only get to visit it once every few years. I am curious to know what the prices of the drinks are there. I could see paying $3.95 for a Caffe Latte a little out of most Jordanians reach. But then again, with all the Hummers and BMW 745s in Amman, maybe not.
I Commented on Zaid’s blog:
Thank you! Finally someone not eager to become a slave to consumerism.
Signed: Bill Gates’s concubine.
Starbucks In Jordan.
It should close as should McDonalds, Burger King and all those places that represent the essence of capitalism.
I used to go to Starbucks when I went to UAE but I later realized how wrong I was.
I just needed to get this out of my system.