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Which coffee shop chain? Snobbery in an age of austerity Which coffee shop chain? Snobbery in an age of austerity
(2 months later)
In an age of diminished expectations, even snobbery has to downshift. Which?'s recent ranking of several high street coffee chains has allowed the consumer to pride themselves on patronising Caffè Nero, secure in the knowledge that their choice has received the seal of expert approval.In an age of diminished expectations, even snobbery has to downshift. Which?'s recent ranking of several high street coffee chains has allowed the consumer to pride themselves on patronising Caffè Nero, secure in the knowledge that their choice has received the seal of expert approval.
We are frequently told that old models of social differentiation in Britain have altered out of all recognition, necessitating the use of such delicate and dubious instruments as this year's Great British Class Survey to more accurately determine where each of us stands on a supposed spectrum between the elite and the precariat. As part of this process, matters of consumption and lifestyle choice – be they about coffee, craft beer or gourmet burgers – are frequently made to carry greater weight than occupation or earnings as a measure of what used to be called class. There is something both puzzling and bathetic in the idea of high street coffee as an inconsequential item by which we are to be offered the opportunity to consider ourselves superior.We are frequently told that old models of social differentiation in Britain have altered out of all recognition, necessitating the use of such delicate and dubious instruments as this year's Great British Class Survey to more accurately determine where each of us stands on a supposed spectrum between the elite and the precariat. As part of this process, matters of consumption and lifestyle choice – be they about coffee, craft beer or gourmet burgers – are frequently made to carry greater weight than occupation or earnings as a measure of what used to be called class. There is something both puzzling and bathetic in the idea of high street coffee as an inconsequential item by which we are to be offered the opportunity to consider ourselves superior.
The cachet attached to coffee in this country has undergone several shifts. London's first coffee house was opened in 1652, and by 1675 England had more than 3,000. A potted history of the coffee shop could take in its condemnation by Charles II as a venue "where the disaffected met" to engage in religious and political deliberations, its 18th-century peak as a centre of business deals, gossip, enlightened discussion and the brewing of radical debate, and its 19th-century decline as Londoners turned from coffee to tea and more aristocratic clientele moved from coffee-shops to gentlemen's clubs. Later, the postwar proliferation of independent coffee bars provided a cheap and welcoming environment for a diverse clientele.The cachet attached to coffee in this country has undergone several shifts. London's first coffee house was opened in 1652, and by 1675 England had more than 3,000. A potted history of the coffee shop could take in its condemnation by Charles II as a venue "where the disaffected met" to engage in religious and political deliberations, its 18th-century peak as a centre of business deals, gossip, enlightened discussion and the brewing of radical debate, and its 19th-century decline as Londoners turned from coffee to tea and more aristocratic clientele moved from coffee-shops to gentlemen's clubs. Later, the postwar proliferation of independent coffee bars provided a cheap and welcoming environment for a diverse clientele.
In contrast to this lively earlier history, the high street coffee shops that have sprung up more recently, in the wake of the 90s Friends-fuelled boom in complex-sounding coffees as an aspirational US import, have tended to be bland, branded and banal. Is the Which? taste test merely a bid to drive customers back to an ailing British high street, on which these coffee chains are expected to have deposited over 6,000 outlets by 2015, by reinterpreting the latter as objects of aspirational desire?In contrast to this lively earlier history, the high street coffee shops that have sprung up more recently, in the wake of the 90s Friends-fuelled boom in complex-sounding coffees as an aspirational US import, have tended to be bland, branded and banal. Is the Which? taste test merely a bid to drive customers back to an ailing British high street, on which these coffee chains are expected to have deposited over 6,000 outlets by 2015, by reinterpreting the latter as objects of aspirational desire?
Following the money seems to shed most light on the matter. High street coffee chains were notably in the news back in February, when almost 2,000 souls applied for eight barista positions at a Nottingham branch of Costa Coffee. Any whimsical speculation that this incident might signify some sudden surge in the prestige, security, glamour or remuneration of minimum-wage retail work was less plausible than the simple explanation, as offered by Costa's area manager Sahm Ramparia, that "it just shows how hard times are these days".Following the money seems to shed most light on the matter. High street coffee chains were notably in the news back in February, when almost 2,000 souls applied for eight barista positions at a Nottingham branch of Costa Coffee. Any whimsical speculation that this incident might signify some sudden surge in the prestige, security, glamour or remuneration of minimum-wage retail work was less plausible than the simple explanation, as offered by Costa's area manager Sahm Ramparia, that "it just shows how hard times are these days".
As the gulf between the super-rich and the rest continues to widen under austerity, and we are encouraged to reconcile ourselves to tightened belts and lowered standards, what might previously have been regarded as small and affordable treats – a cup of coffee on the way to work, for instance – seem out of reach for an increasing number. In this context, Which?'s attempt to differentiate between the quality of such a generally accessible and bog-standard comestible as high street coffee perhaps reinforces this downgrading of what we are meant to regard as extravagance and indulgence. The ability to choose a higher-rated high street coffee chain may be about to be co-opted into the narcissism of small lifestyle differences and offered as one of the few remaining options for those craving the illusion of being higher up the food chain than they are.As the gulf between the super-rich and the rest continues to widen under austerity, and we are encouraged to reconcile ourselves to tightened belts and lowered standards, what might previously have been regarded as small and affordable treats – a cup of coffee on the way to work, for instance – seem out of reach for an increasing number. In this context, Which?'s attempt to differentiate between the quality of such a generally accessible and bog-standard comestible as high street coffee perhaps reinforces this downgrading of what we are meant to regard as extravagance and indulgence. The ability to choose a higher-rated high street coffee chain may be about to be co-opted into the narcissism of small lifestyle differences and offered as one of the few remaining options for those craving the illusion of being higher up the food chain than they are.
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