Pros
The free coffee is good, a 30% employee discount, and the ability to work with people who are passionate about the product. The opportunity to peak behind the curtain of a multi-national corporation with such a strong brand name is also a plus.
Cons
The best way to describe Starbucks is like a teenager trying to figure itself out. For an extraordinary period of time, the company was making money hand over fist regardless of the product or the service. The relentless pursuit of expansion and profit caused a loss of focus on people, processes and infrastructure that has brought the company to the state that it is in today. Now that the money is not flowing so freely, the mistakes and missteps of the past are hitting home hard with the company unprepared and scrambling to correct years of miscalculations. Part of the problem is that a lot of the individuals in leadership positions today have remained in play over this period of explosive growth. They have failed to evolved with, and get ahead of, the current business realities and have not been able or willing to drive a culture of operational discipline and strategic thinking that is critical during good times and bad. With that, an outsider will have a monumental task to try and reverse course and effect change productively. The expression of an opposing point of view is rarely met with open arms no matter how respectfully and logically it is made and the disconnect between the field operations and headquarters compounds the problem dramatically. The culture of leadership at Starbucks is of a passive-aggressive nature which is a difficult environment to operate in and to professionally advance with any sense of career progression or track. If you're looking for a mature and disciplined operation, Starbucks may not be your best bet.
