Odds & ends

Queuing up
The people in China have DEFINITELY changed (at least those in Beijing and other big cities). When I was first here 22 years ago I remembered that organized queues didn't exist, and that the generally mentality was "push or be pushed". From personal experiences of riding the bus with my Great Aunt & Uncle - I still vividly remember hot summer days on a crammed bus was at least a foot shorter than everyone else...(with no air conditioning), and trying to look up the entire ride to get some room to breath.

Less pushing and crowding does wonders for one's own sanity...Now, people wait in lines - which is fantastic - but there's still more progress to be made. Por ejemplo, people love to stand on the left side of escalators, and stand directly in front of the subway doors on the platform (even though there are explicit markings & arrows of where to stand), rush to get into the subway cars even when they are jam packed with a huge crowd of people getting off. True, you could make the argument that these behavioral quirks are no different than in the US when a driver cuts in front of you in the leftmost lane...only to drive 7o MPH...but here, these are the norms - not the exceptions!

Of course, there is still the rare situation where you MUST push - such as on the subway when both direction cars arrive at the same time at a transfer station. Mind your wallet/cell phone/iPod/purse & get your elbows ready. :)

Netflix...don't even think about it(?)
Back in the States, Netflix is probably the best convenience to come along since pizza delivery! What does an average movie cost from Netflix...about $8.99 for a basic 2 movie/month subscription?...with average costs falling depending on how frequently you return movies in a given month...

Um, yeah...better keep that business model out of China - where you can own 13 new DVD's for the same price as a one month membership to Netflix. If you can deal with a couple of typos on the packaging, and perhaps an origination other than English (I've seen Ratatouille here, and the copy had all the signs & menus in Russian; and another movie where we couldn't get rid of the Russian subtles)...who needs Netflix in China?

Actually, on a more serious note...such a company should probably abandon its traditional distribution system (home delivery) altogether and focus on content delivery/"on-demand" - something it is still toying around with in the U.S. With 5,000 some-odd titles available for online viewing, that hardly scratches the surface. China has over 162 million internet users, 2nd only to the United States in total # of users (at 210 million)...it will also be the largest market for broadband subscribers in 2007. Main questions/issues are: 1) Where do most people access the internet? (work vs. home)... 2) How would you collect payment? (Even Chinese online travel sites don't accept credit card payment - it's C.O.D.!!)

[For those of you who know me well (and those who hardly know me), the following section may come as no surprise...]

Lucifer likes lattes...
In Beijing, one can hardly go a few blocks without seeing a Starbucks...and it drives me nuts!! I foresee this fast-food chain becoming solely responsible for eventually breaking China's millennia-long pastime - tea. Wait, did I just say fast-food chain? Hmmm...maybe that's a bit harsh, but Starbucks is definitely a QSR (quick-service restaurant) so its not too far out of the question. First it offers breakfast sandwiches...what next, "Would you like some StarFries with that?" or "Would you like to make that a Starry Meal?"Ah, let the tirade begin...

Do you think that most people drink Starbucks because of:

1. Image?...the perceived image of being seen sipping from a white cup with a green logo on the side of it? Well, how prestigious will it still be if this establishment, born out of Pike Place Market, has aspirations to someday have more locations than McDonalds (currently with 30,000+ worldwide)?
• Did you know that there is (or soon to be WAS) a Starbucks inside the Forbidden City? That's disgusting. [Hey, why don't they just stick one in the Potala Palace in Tibet, or in the middle of Valley Forge National Park, or aboard the USS Constitution?]
  
2. Taste? DYK that Consumer Reports rated Starbucks coffee behind that of McDonalds in 2007? Mmmmm...yummy, nothing better than sippin' on some burnt coffee beans! (I've been complaining about its over-roasted burnt beans for years!)
3. CSR? Ah, for all you corporate social responsibility (CSR) fanatics you better sit down for this one...

• According to its website, Starbucks has given $12 million to youth related causes over the last 10 years...that would be $1.2 million/year...and for 2007, total revenues = $7.7869 billion - so that only equals 0.015% of revenues. Thank you for your generosity :(
  
• Fair Trade only constitutes about 5% of all Starbucks coffee. Hmmmm, is fair trade a genuine effort for the company or more of marketing move? The counter argument could be made that there isn't enough fair trade coffee in the world to meet 100% of Starbucks demand - but if this Goliath wanted it...more farmers would turn out to supply it.
  
• Heck, if Wal-Mart is successful in selling 100 million energy-saving bulbs this year, 1 for each of its customers, than Starbucks should be able to throw its weight around given its market dominance.

So...the next time you queue up at Starbucks for a fresh cup of burnt beanz - don't be pushy!...just think about whether you should have gotten that shot of wake-up juice at the Golden Arches.

(And if you're curious about what I brew at home...I order Deans Beans online, which is 100% fair trade & organic. + costs about $7.50/lb.)