What should I do about Starbucks nominations?
MamaLlama619-PGO
Posts: 20 ✭✭
I've had several Starbucks nominations come through. They're stand alone Starbucks, should already be waypoints but it seems new Starbucks locations were never added. We have a new Starbucks in our town that also isn't a waypoint. Should I be approving the ones that come through or reject as chain? I didn't submit our own new one, hoping some new sync of sponsored locations would eventually go through.
Tagged:
Comments
1* reject - chain restaurant.
It depends on the town. Casey mentioned this as an example of why generic business was no longer a rejection reason in a thread when the new criteria was introduced.
If the town/village is small and doesn't have a range of coffee shops, a Starbucks may well be a good place to socialise in that town. However, in most larger towns, a Starbucks would be less important and would likely score quite low.
Almost always a 1* rejection. As @FrealafGB-PGO mentioned, there's an exception if the Starbucks is effectively the main town hangout or something to that effect, but the submitter needs to make a really good case for it being the exception.
Ok, I agree regarding the chain, I'd 1* a Starbucks too based on it being a chain. But I'm asking something different: in the US, they're sponsored so shouldn't all Starbucks be waypoints, new ones too? Or did their sponsorship end? If not, it would stand to reason they SHOULD be a waypoint; if that's true, and Niantic isn't adding them, wouldn't reviewers then be able to?
Or was the terms of the sponsorship that only ones in existence at the time would be added?
No, they only paid for a certain number of Starbucks to be stops. Paid / sponsored stops overide any criteria. We have to use the guidelines, Niantic don't. Review any new Wayfarere submitted subs as you would any other sub.
No, Niantic is responsible for any sponsored stops, not wayfarer reviewers. If you see any in Wayfarer that are claiming to add a sponsored stop, reject it.
Starbucks are only points in pogo they are not in Ingress and never have been. The only way for players to get a waypoint at a chain business is to submit something eligible nearby.
In game points (especially old) are not to be used for eligibility examples.
Hi folks,
Wanted to provide some clarity here. If you come across a nomination that you suspect is connected with a Niantic partnership, you should address it the same way that you would any other nomination. We have a dedicated team internally to manage the relationship with these partners and oversee the addition of their locations to the map.
When it comes to Starbucks (or similar locations), you should consider the community as best you can. If it is one of the only places for people to gather in the town, then it would meet the criteria, otherwise probably not.
Hope that helps!
It really is frustrating to say you’re adding clarity but in fact just muddying the waters even more.
If you have a partnership with a large coffee chain and want to make some of their outlets a POI then please do this internally and make it obvious in games that it’s essentially a paid placement.
For the rest of us who do thousands of reviews each day between us, this sort of post will create a deluge of chain cafes and restaurants that are on every street corner. People will argue “this is a local Starbucks which my friends go to” when there’s another 10 Starbucks within half a mile.
The way in which you’re leaving huge chains open to interpretation (and abuse) is unacceptable.
That doesn’t help. We know that you love your local Starbucks and it was/is a place where you’d take any visitors but this as @dd1989-ING says is just going to cause additional issues with people nominating their local Costa/Tesco Cafe and other chains citing back to this post/comment.
This is still really unclear as this:
For reviewers, keep in mind that even a generic business in a small town can be an important part of the local community.
(from https://wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/criteria#guidelines)
directly contradicts this:
Should I consider proximity to nearby Wayspots or Wayspot density when analyzing a nomination?
No. As long as the nomination is not a duplicate of an existing Wayspot, it is eligible to become a Wayspot. Each Niantic app has its own proximity rules to determine whether it will be included in the app.
(from https://wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/help#wayspot-review-faq)
So do we now consider wayspot density when it comes to chain locations? In cases of contradiction like this which is the higher reference source? Frequently asked questions answered by Niantic or criteria guidelines posted by Niantic?
Funny thing is, Starbucks will not go into a town where it will be the only place for people to gather. So this this is a completely moot point because it will never be true.
"If you come across a nomination that you suspect is connected with a Niantic partnership, you should address it the same way that you would any other nomination. "
lets focus on this part, i like it. Now it doesnt make sense when some reviewers say "uh this isnt eligible because niantic deal with diretcly"
About the rest, well, i never witness a small town with ONLY ONE cafe/bar/restaurant/snack-bar/pub and that is from a chain-restaurant.
I only know with at least one private-own-non-chain bar/restaurant/etc and for those places, i give around 4*.
i dont see the contradiction. The first part talk about the type of "environment", rural or urban. An ugly, simple, kind-looking-generic cafe in rural area may be the hotspot of the area.
The second part talks about POI density, just because an area has gazillion POIs that doesnt devalue the POI that it is being submitted.
Idk whats hard to understand about this. If starbucks is literally the only coffee spot/restaurant in your town it would be eligible as a local hotspot. If there are multiple coffee shops restaurants in town then it is not eligible as a hotspot anymore. Could be the same with basically any restaurant if its the only thing in town
All of the Starbucks nominations I've reviewed say something along the lines of "This is a Starbucks, so it should be a stop like all the other Starbucks."
I have yet to review a nomination where the submitter has given any kind of support for eligibility.
@Purptacular-PGO
I have reviewed thousands of nominations. During that time, I have seen several nominations for Starbucks at different locations in the USA. No nomination has gone so far as to attempt to copy the official sponsored Starbucks Wayspots. However, I have had some come close. I have yet to receive any that state what you typed before me. I have not had any in some time. I still review.
I specifically contacted Starbucks once & they acted as if all of their locations were supposed to be sponsored. I always wished the sponsored locations could be added to the games somehow. They would have to be proven. From what I understand though Starbucks only paid for a certain number of POI so this is the issue. I enjoyed reading this @MamaLlama619-PGO. Thank you for your question
@NianticCasey-ING
Chain banks, chain funeral halls, convenience store chains, chain supermarkets, etc.
I'm sick of it
Please tell me the meaning of a chain store
Why is only one store approved because there are multiple stores in the same industry in the town?
香川県高松市のスターバックスがポケストップに
これダメだとおもうのですが
どうなんでしょ
高松市には何件もスターバックスあるし
I nominated this hand painted mural at a Starbucks in September, 2022. The nomination was approved. However, the nomination was for the hand painted artwork that's a permanent fixture of the establishment. I clearly stated I was not nominating the generic business in the supplemental info. The permanent art itself is eligible as it's unique and not going anywhere. If I see a cool mural, I'll nominate it like this one.
The art is fine to be nominated. Unlike the actual Starbucks turned into Pokestop in the previous comment of yours.
Do you mean the post I quoted? That'd be blasphemy to nominate a Starbucks because all the older sponsored ones are stops. I give those 1* as well.
Starbucks in Japan has stores with distinctive designs that take into consideration the scenery.
Even if it is a Starbucks, there should be no problem if it is "a unique store with only one store in the country".
For example, a store in a renovated old Western-style building in Sannomiya, Kobe is equivalent to this.
Since the ban on general business has been lifted on Wayspot, more and more explorers are posting without fully understanding it.
I think that stores without originality should be rejected as "general chain stores".