Why the hatred for Starbucks?

After writing my long pro-minimum wage Anti-Galt-ite screed below, I think maybe it's time to piss off some people on my "side", especially the coffee purists. There is simply no good basis for all the Starbucks-hatred people exhibit. It's a socially-responsible company that probably does a lot better by its employers than many of the hipper, smaller, independent coffee stores. Yes, it is humungous and homogenous -- but that's one of the things that I find encouraging about it. Companies like Starbucks and Costco and Ikea are demonstrating an alternative paradigm to success that involves treating staff decently and delivering a superior product as opposed to the Wal-mart paradigm. Jean quotes the best bits and sums up this Economist article quite well.

(Despite my approval for Starbucks as a company, I personally stay the hell away from any place that charges me $4 for coffee. I'm more of a tea person. Personally, I think it is quite mad that people pay $4 for lattes when a quarter pound of the finest Lapsang Souchong tea (marketed as 'Hu Kwa' by Mark T Wendell) costs barely twice that. And for something truly out of this world, get yourself some Taiwanese Oolong.)