# Memo Review - The Commodization of the Starbucks Experience November 13, 2026 Memo Review Author Meera Vijay, MPP 1 - [ Blog ](/news-categories/blog) **Memo Review author Meera Vijay, MPP1, (Exp. graduation date 2027)** *“We achieved fresh roasted bagged coffee, but at what cost? The loss of aroma—perhaps the most powerful non-verbal signal we had in our stores; the loss of our people scooping fresh coffee from the bins and grinding it fresh in front of the customer, and once again stripping the store of tradition and our heritage?”* Back in 2007, Starbucks Chairman and Former CEO Howard Schultz realized that the brand no longer carried the warmth of a neighborhood coffee shop. He wrote this memo to Jim Donald, who served as CEO at the time, as a call to revive the true “Starbucks experience” or the passionate aficionados who geek out over French presses, blends and the smells of roasting coffee beans. Schultz described a classic consequence of successful franchises - once the stores start multiplying and processes get standardized, the customer experience loses intimacy. *“Push for innovation and do the things necessary to once again differentiate Starbucks from all others. We source and buy the highest quality coffee. We have built the most trusted brand in coffee in the world, and we have an enormous responsibility to both the people who have come before us and the 150,000 partners and their families who are relying on our stewardship*.” Shultz uses tone well in this memo. His gentle critique is sprinkled throughout, highlighting the collective responsibility to induce personality into the chain and out perform their competitors. It brilliantly motivates and builds on the classic narrative of the corporate American family by rephrasing a commercial shift into a moral obligation to serve. By doing this he gives Starbucks employees something to care about and take pride in beyond profits. *“Then we moved to store design. Clearly, we have had to streamline store design to gain efficiencies of scale and to make sure we had the ROI on sales to investment ratios that would satisfy the financial side of our business. However, one of the results has been stores that no longer have the soul of the past and reflect a chain of stores vs. the warm feeling of a neighbourhood store. Some people even call our stores sterile, cookie cutter, no longer reflecting the passion our partners feel about our coffee. In fact, I am not sure people today even know we are roasting coffee. You certainly can’t get the message from being in our stores.”* Shultz doesn’t lead with his bottom line and instead shares his points across the memo. He dances between validating Donald for his profit maximizing choices and expressing disappointment that the craft of coffee brewing gets lost as a result. Without explicitly saying so, he hints at the fix: Bring back the soul! He adopts the tone of a warm demander, and it works well and serves the purpose of this memo. He doesn't use any numbers, metrics, or data to support his reasoning. This addresses his credibility as a leader and really anchors on his knowledge and conviction in the story of the brand and his persistent will to translate that for his customers. Perhaps it's what led him to regain his role as CEO in 2008. Despite his leadership, Starbucks ultimately would remain the same. Walking into a Starbucks now feels about as special as walking into a bank. But that's separate from the success of the memo itself, which is cohesive, clear in its point, and, most importantly, reaches the audience that it intends to. This is a good example of how great memos do not guarantee great outcomes but can show good use of character and voice. **Memo Source** See also:- [ Memo Review ](/category/memo-review) - [ Business/ Technology ](/memo-topics/business-technology) - [ Cohesion ](/style/cohesion) - [ Credible ](/style/credible) - [ Tone ](/style/tone) - [ Credible ](/topics/credible) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)