- Thread starter GringoCArlos
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And now... a HardRock Cafe????
You beat me to it, M.A.R.
While I don't live there, I know there's a segment of the population that reads a lot, judging by the popularity of the recently-concluded book fair.
-The Kid
Not an avid reader (too many pages/hard words), but do enjoy a caramel light frappuccino
While I don't live there, I know there's a segment of the population that reads a lot, judging by the popularity of the recently-concluded book fair.
-The Kid
Not an avid reader (too many pages/hard words), but do enjoy a caramel light frappuccino
M.A.R. said:Maybe this is the solution to that problem. They'll start reading by accident, they'll stumble on to an interesting book on their way to the coffee counter
I think that you are into something. I can see the big picture. Reading by accident could be the solution to one of the mayor problem in this country "Lock of education"
M.A.R. said:Maybe this is the solution to that problem. They'll start reading by accident, they'll stumble on to an interesting book on their way to the coffee counter
I wish it were that easy. Although I have to say that the school where I teach now is very different in that respect. The middle school and high school kids love to read.
When I was growing up my parents always had a book in their hand...on the night table...in the bathroom...whatever...but they were always reading. It rubs off on kids that books are not kryptonite.
I think half the knowledge I have in my head came from reading on my own. Once you get bit by the bug you're hooked. There are few things that compare to a good book.
Scandall
something_of_the_night said:
Kid u should try reading u might like it
.IN SANTIAGO: When I was there 2 years ago I went into the Nacional supermarket or superstore cause they have a second floor with everything u need, plus they had books. But again prices were just like in the US, so is either the rice and beans or the books.
Yes Scandall you kind of lose yourself for a while when ur reading a good book.
kpaide1 not too long ago I heard that they were implementing a reading campaign, mandatory daily reading for all the students, I was very glad about that.
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M.A.R. said:
That's the Cuesta bookstore next to the Nacional at the corner of Abe. Lincoln and 27 de Febrero. It's a pretty good store.
Books are actually more expensive here than in the US.
Scandall
The only difference will be the new sign saying "Hard Rock Cafe", everything else will remain the same.joel pacheco said:
They are not going to modify the building's facade they are occupying.
They are not going to do anything other than create a place on the western side of the Parque Colon where anyone can go, eat some food, indulge in a nice ambiance, so on and so forth.
Hard Rock Cafe in Santo Domingo will either be successful or a failure and only one group of people will be able to decide that, THE CUSTOMERS.
As with all businesses, whatever people want stays and whatever people don't want disapears.
Whether such want is indunced by popularity, advertisements, familiarity, whatever, it's a want that people develop and in a capitalistic society wants are fulfilled by market forces.
Besides, it's not as if the multinational businesses force people to buy their products. In the end, the people themselves decide whether to visit such places, whether they will spend money, and whether the business survives or fails.
While a commercial or advertisement may suggest people all the reasons of the world to visit such place, the person makes the final decision by his/her actions.
It's like those people who drive SUV and now are blaming the SUV manufacturers for excess CO2 in the atmosphere causing global warming. These people somehow forget to mention that they were the one's who signed on the dotted line where they agreed to purchase such vehicle.
If people were brainwashed into buying something, ok I understand. But, people are not brainwashed. People are given suggestions by advertisement and the people either accepts them or not.
But the power always remains in the customer.
If you don't like Hard Rock Cafe in colonial Santo Domingo, don't go there.
It's as simple as that!
-NALs
Yes, Starbucks has a chance of working in the DR. Even better is monopolizing Starbucks within the DR. In other words, buy the rights to be the sole franchiser of Starbucks within the DR, you can make LOADS of money this way.M.A.R. said:
Where does a Starbucks has a chance in the DR? The following places. These places I picked randomly based solely on the types of people who traffic these areas, people who are very likely to visit a Starbucks. In short, upper class and middle class Dominicans and foreign tourists.
Obviously, a real analysis should be done to make a proper decision of where a Starbucks will suceed in the DR, but these places might be good bets.
Santo Domingo:
Calle El Conde (tourist and well off Dominicans)
Acropolis (well off Dominicans)
Malecon Center (tourist from the Hilton, well off residents from the towers and other areas - if sign is visible from the street could attract guests from other hotels in the area as well)
Spring Center (it's in the middle of Arroyo Hondo, nuff said)
Santiago:
Avenida Salvador Sadhala (especially near Los Jardines neighborhood or the Pucamaima campus)
Puerto Plata:
Playa Dorada Plaza (the tourists)
San Francisco de Macoris:
Anywhere around the Parque Central (SFM has a sizable middle class, an influx of remittances, and a number of well heeled Dominicans)
San Pedro de Macoris:
Guavaberry Country Club area (tourists and upper income Dominicans)
UCE campus (might work, not too sure)
La Romana:
Casa de Campo Marina (well heeled people from all sorts of places pass through there, in addition to hundreds of cruiseship passengers)
Punta Cana:
Cap Cana Marina (once it's built, it will probably be an advantageous place for a Starbucks)
Other places which might support a Starbucks:
Las Americas International Airport
Cibao International Airport
POP International
Punta Cana International
La Romana International
- All the airports daily see thousands of people with dollars, euros, and loads of pesos passing through. They also are seated to wait for their flight, which if the aromas of the coffee could be channeled to the waiting areas could promise some nice sales activity. They also are places where lots of little kids wait with their parents, the presence of sweets, muffins, etc will certainly help with sales, especially if they are placed at the eye level of a typical 3 to 6 year old. Little kids are great for business. Also, the airports see a good number of foreigners who may be familiar with Starbucks and what it offers, thus the possibility they choose to buy a starbucks before or after a flight is good for business too.
Since labor costs in the DR are low, additional services such as delivery to domicile or delivery to hotel room (very good idea) could help increase sales as well.
Starbucks has great potential in the DR, particularly when its regarding the tourist crowd.
If I'm correct, at least 16 Starbucks can succeed in the DR. If one person buys the right to all franchises within the DR, 16 Starbucks can fill your wallet rather nicely - if it all goes well of course!
Usually I don't go around making public what could become a very profitable business venture, but here is this rare one....
-NALs
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Well, there is a sort of wannabe Starbucks already in existence, so NALs is right. It's called Caribbean Coffee and has branches/franchises in Diamond Mall, Plaza Andalucia and Bella Vista Mall. It is popular with the crowd NALs envisages as potential Starbucks customers. If someone were to start a Starbucks the 'cachet' of the international brand name would proably displace the home-grown version. As something_of_the_night said, they're even impressed by the immensely tacky Friday's and managed to elevate it into an elite hangout...
As for the Hard Rock Cafe, my initial reaction was 'is that really still going?' In London, even all the Eurobrats had outgrown it by the early 90s. I suppose like the tobacco companies, they have to move on to more gullible markets.
As for the Hard Rock Cafe, my initial reaction was 'is that really still going?' In London, even all the Eurobrats had outgrown it by the early 90s. I suppose like the tobacco companies, they have to move on to more gullible markets.
I read all of your posts in this thread, here?s my opinion about it :
-Yes, dominicans are trendy, and they?ll go for anything that?s fashionable.
-No, dominicans don?t read AT ALL, and I am afraid it is almost about 98% of them that never read a whole book. It can be explained by the lack of cheap book, and lack of bookstore. Then, where there os ZERO demand, there?s ZERO supply.
-And about Radio Shack, I went to the one in Santiago a couple of times, to check prices, and everything costs 5 times more than other computer/electronica stores...
my 2 centavos...
-Yes, dominicans are trendy, and they?ll go for anything that?s fashionable.
-No, dominicans don?t read AT ALL, and I am afraid it is almost about 98% of them that never read a whole book. It can be explained by the lack of cheap book, and lack of bookstore. Then, where there os ZERO demand, there?s ZERO supply.
-And about Radio Shack, I went to the one in Santiago a couple of times, to check prices, and everything costs 5 times more than other computer/electronica stores...
my 2 centavos...
NALS, This sounds like something a spokesman for WAL-MART would say.NALs said:
As far as "Hard Rock Cafe"being the only change to the Colonial Zone, think again. Once one of these chain resturants move in, the rest usually follow. I've never seen a town in America that only had one of these theme resturants.
What's next, a "Hooters" resturant in the National Pantheon?
I don't know if the DR has functioning zoning boards or Historic preservation clubs, but it should. Why place a something like the "Hard Rock Cafe" next to one of the oldest catherdrals in the western hemisphere?
If you're worried about tourism dollars, consider what will happen if the historic districts in the DR all start to resemble Myrtle Beach, South Carolina? You'll drive away a lot of tourists. What kind of new tourists will be attracted?
Think of the Dominican republic's cultural hertiage. Think of this island's unique history. I don't want to see the Dominican Republic lose the best facets of its charater and gain some of the worst facets of American pop culture.
Places like WAL- MART and Tesco flood their stores with cheap products from China, and put local factories and and small business owners out of work. I've listened to reports on the BBC and hear Britons complain that places like Tesco had ruined the old downtown market areas, book stores, butcher shops, grocery stores, all bankrupted. Even in the United States people recognize the damage that has been done by WAL MART.
Today it's just the Hard Rock Cafe, what will follow tomorrow?
Even a small scratch on the arm can lead to an infection that will kill the patient.
El Tigre, no offense, but you and your friends must be in the 2 or 3% of Dominicans who read...
Just the fact that you follow actively this english speaking board shows your level of education.
By no means am I trying to be condescendent, it is just my observation...
Just the fact that you follow actively this english speaking board shows your level of education.
By no means am I trying to be condescendent, it is just my observation...
pkaide, your challenge to El Tigre is just plain rude. Although I agree with you that reading is not part of the general culture, it is going to far to say that there are no Dominicans who read, and that one who claims he does is not telling the truth.
Chirimoya said:
Thank you Chiri.
Well I guess my family is special, because many of us read regurlarly and one of my cousins who I think didn't obtain a high school diploma and lives in the campo, reads whenever he can afford books. I'm always discussing books with my relatives here where I live and whenever possible I give books as gifts. WEll my mom read tahe bible everyday and her religious magazines.
I've been to book fairs in the DR, it seemed to me that there is great interest in reading. He dicho
Now that this thread is about reading and books, I'll jump back in.
Reading, or lack of it, in the DR is not a "cultural" thing. It's a "money" thing. For those of you who don't live in the DR, or never leave an AI when you're here, there are no public libraries. None I think, except the National Library in Santo Domingo, in the middle of a better-off sector (Gazcue). (and a few libraries in the universities).
They recently held the book fair, and dominicans from every corner of the country came to Gazcue to go look at books. Not many were able to buy them, but they were very interested and the feria had a huge attendance.
The government, or some do-gooder NGO has set up about 3 or 4 mobile libraries in truck trailers, and you know what? I usually see at least 2 of them just parked, most of the time. Where? Next to the friggin library in Gazcue.
A money thing? I think twice before shopping in Amazon. I received my first order in at least 8 months. 6 books, about $100 from Amazon. And ANOTHER RD$1800 for CPS to bring them here from Miami. You do the math. There aren't that many dominicans who would consider laying out $5000 for 6 books, no matter how interested in reading they are. That's about 2 or 3 weeks pay for an average Dominican.
In case there is another Andrew Carnegie in this reading audience, do the DR a favor, and set up a small public lending library stocked with books, in every dominican city with a population over 50,000. Then wait and see just how many books stay on the shelves because "dominicans don't read".
Reading, or lack of it, in the DR is not a "cultural" thing. It's a "money" thing. For those of you who don't live in the DR, or never leave an AI when you're here, there are no public libraries. None I think, except the National Library in Santo Domingo, in the middle of a better-off sector (Gazcue). (and a few libraries in the universities).
They recently held the book fair, and dominicans from every corner of the country came to Gazcue to go look at books. Not many were able to buy them, but they were very interested and the feria had a huge attendance.
The government, or some do-gooder NGO has set up about 3 or 4 mobile libraries in truck trailers, and you know what? I usually see at least 2 of them just parked, most of the time. Where? Next to the friggin library in Gazcue.
A money thing? I think twice before shopping in Amazon. I received my first order in at least 8 months. 6 books, about $100 from Amazon. And ANOTHER RD$1800 for CPS to bring them here from Miami. You do the math. There aren't that many dominicans who would consider laying out $5000 for 6 books, no matter how interested in reading they are. That's about 2 or 3 weeks pay for an average Dominican.
In case there is another Andrew Carnegie in this reading audience, do the DR a favor, and set up a small public lending library stocked with books, in every dominican city with a population over 50,000. Then wait and see just how many books stay on the shelves because "dominicans don't read".
yes, there ARE libraries!
I personally know of one out in the tiny community of Guananico. There is a small public library, stocked with a pretty good assortment of books, and on many occasions i saw a few people sitting at tables reading or researching. I found out about it when I asked a young girl where there might be a "biblioteca". I stopped in, and found more than 20 books on Taino's. I was surprised and excited that I could find such a thing way out in the campo. I was told that most towns with a large school would have a government sponsered biblioteca. There is one in Puerto Plata as well, but I cannot describe where it is...maybe one of our dr1'ers in POP can help out with that.
I personally know of one out in the tiny community of Guananico. There is a small public library, stocked with a pretty good assortment of books, and on many occasions i saw a few people sitting at tables reading or researching. I found out about it when I asked a young girl where there might be a "biblioteca". I stopped in, and found more than 20 books on Taino's. I was surprised and excited that I could find such a thing way out in the campo. I was told that most towns with a large school would have a government sponsered biblioteca. There is one in Puerto Plata as well, but I cannot describe where it is...maybe one of our dr1'ers in POP can help out with that.
GringoCArlos said:
I can take easier that it is a "cultural" thing instead of a money thing. Have you ever wonder why most Dominicans have money to party almost everyday and to buy expensive fashionable clothes. Please, do not get me wrong; I do not want to tell people how to spend their money. But if you have money to party and for drinking beers, please save some for books.