Scooting across the U.S.A.

by Natalie M.

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Have you ever been tired walking up and down streets everyday? Or ever wanted a way to travel without a car? Well, a start-up that originated in Los Angeles, called Bird, created a scooter transportation system.

After paying a dollar for the ride, every minute the scooter charges 15 cents. The scooters have an app so people can track where a specific scooter is and find it. Once someone has finished a ride, they can just leave the scooter at their destination so someone else can pick it up and scoot along their way.

This way of commuting is very popular at UCLA, after the advent of Bird there last month. These scooters follow similar laws as public bikers. Bird has moved south to San Diego, north to San Francisco, and even all the way up to Washington D.C. and east to Tennessee.

CEO, Travis VanderZanden, was inspired to “Save our sidewalks.” VanderZanden sent a letter to four other public vehicle sharing companies explaining that instead of throwing old broken bikes on to sidewalks, they could be reused by other people. He mentioned that some cities in China believed that sharing could prevent cluttered sidewalks.

Companies without exact parking zones include bike sharing. The bikes are parked in certain zones, like bike racks or sidewalks. The public vehicles have apps on your phone so people can be able to ride it.

Another one of his goals was to be more eco friendly, so the world doesn’t produce as much carbon emissions as it does currently and traffic is reduced.

VanderZanden and the other dockless companies take careful consideration that the streets aren’t to be filled with bikes and scooters either, because people have been complaining that the scooters clutter up the sidewalks. Thus, if the same vehicle is ridden roughly three times a day, they won’t add any more of them into the district.

VanderZanden claimed that he and the four companies all committed to giving $1 of each vehicles’ revenue a day into helping build bike lanes, ensuring safety, and sharing roads.

With complaints in mind of cluttered streets, there are still positive results, such as it is an inexpensive way of transportation that is still fast. So, will you be riding and supporting this business, or go against it?

See photo from “Electric scooters might revolutionize urban transport — if it wasn’t for stupid humans” Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/04/19/electric-scooters-might-revolutionize-urban-transport-if-it-wasnt-for-stupid-humans/?utm_term=.a32bec035e83    

Sources: Bird.co, Washington Post, Reuters

Peet’s Coffee: Coffee, for those who enjoy

quality and find it a necessity

By Souf R

   

What makes Peet’s Coffee different from other coffee shops? How does Peet’s Coffee compare to other popular and growing coffee shops, like Starbucks? They both sell coffee, but what makes Peet’s Coffee different from Starbucks?

One thing many people don’t understand, is that Peet’s Coffee isn’t underrated by everyone, it depends strictly on the perspective. For instance, an adult would most likely enjoy a drink from Peet’s Coffee more than a drink from Starbucks, because Peet’s Coffee is considered to be more focused on the quality of their coffee.

According to Quora.com, “Peet’s Coffee stores sell beans from open containers rather than in sealed bags, making the Peet’s stores smell more strongly of coffee.” Even this can make a difference of how an adult views the store, especially if they really value the coffee, rather than the milk.

Adding on to that, Starbucks is known to be more focused on the milk, rather than the coffee. Most children and teenagers enjoy this and do not have any issues with milk but, adults who need their coffee as a necessity will find this fact extremely important.

The focus on coffee in Peet’s Coffee makes it more satisfying to adults rather than children.

“I think, in general, children and teenagers see a drink from Peet’s as a treat, so they are very excited each time they get a drink from us. Whereas, adults order drinks from Peet’s more as a necessity/habit. So, adults might be satisfied, but probably not as satisfied as children and teenagers, because they need the drink just to function,” states Whitney J, a barista who works at Peet’s Coffee. She was also a former classroom aid at Blach Intermediate School.

Peet’s Coffee reminds a customer of rustic country side (according to Langston J.). This proves to show that Peet’s is able to grasp that warm and welcoming feeling along with amazing coffee and customer service.

“I think it is less hectic [in Peet’s] and people are not in a rush and are enjoying their drinks more. In Starbucks, everything is associated with being fast,” says Michael R, an adult who drinks coffee daily.  

Somehow, Peet’s Coffee is able to carefully keep the warm and comforting environments of their shops. But, Starbucks on the other hand shows a more hip and modern vibe, according to Thewildcattribune.com.

Above being all about the coffee, they care about their customers. “We have very high standards for customer service–we get randomly surveyed often to make sure we are meeting our customer satisfaction goals. So, each customer is receiving very good customer service. We also get a lot of regular loyal customers visiting our store,” Whitney J. states.

Peet’s Coffee goes out of their way to make sure customers to have a wonderful experience at their coffee shops.

“And if a customer is friendly, I am more willing to go out of my way to make sure they have a great experience at Peet’s,” says Whitney J. Another example of their customer service quality, is a story Whitney J. generously shared with me.

“Fortunately, most of my customers are very friendly. I did have one very challenging customer. She wanted me to give her samples of several drinks before she decided on her final drink. I am happy to do a little sampling, if there is time, ” Whitney J. explains.

“However, there was a long line and the customer was the opposite of friendly. She complained about several of the samples I gave her, the quality etc. etc. Basically, nothing I did made her happy,” she concluded.

From this, it is visible that Whitney J. tried her best to accommodate a difficult customer, reinforcing an outstanding customer service.

Another reason why Peet’s Coffee differs from other coffee shops, is because their customer service is impeccable. With the routine checks and the way that they try exceptionally hard to make sure you have the best experience, makes them stand out.

Peet’s Coffee is a warm and welcoming shop that is different from other coffee shops because of its vital qualities of keeping a calm and rustic vibe, and having a better customer service than what we are used to seeing in other coffee chains. So, give Peet’s Coffee a try before deciding which coffee shop to stick to for your daily coffee.