2026-11-04
Global Product Ranking #42 The Starbucks Store: How a $0.40 Cup of Coffee Built 40,000 Stores by Selling 'The Third Place'
【The 100 Greatest Products · #42】Measured purely by roast science or price, Starbucks is neither the world's finest specialty coffee nor the cheapest. Yet the retail store concept Howard Schultz forged in 1987—'The Starbucks Store' (88 OVR)—conquered 40,000 corners worldwide and amassed nearly $2 billion in interest-free customer float. Why? Because it never sold coffee beans; it sold 'The Third Place' between home and work.
