May 21 2008
Starbucks…who’s the victim?!!?
Anyone who knows me knows that I have a Starbucks cup in my hand for the most of the day. I am currently in Cincinnati and the first site I visit is a Starbucks. Of course, I think this is guided by fate…in the middle of OHIO (somewhere around Columbus) I take a random exit to take a break from driving and get gas…and there it was…a Starbucks in the middle of farm county Ohio.
Did I start out as a coffee junkie? Nope! My parents grew up during the first instant & automatic drip coffee pot era. It was not uncommon that their parents drank coffee all day, because it was so easy to make. I did not grow up with coffee drinking parents, so I never looked for it.
I didn’t start drinking Coffee until my 5th year of teaching…prior to this I survived on heavy doses of Mountain Dew. I had a close friend that escaped from school each day to grab a Starbucks during our planning time. I of course went…but didn’t like coffee, so I got Hot Chocolate. Who would have ever thought as Hot Chocolate as a transition to coffee??? Well it began with Mochas…to triple ventes…to quad ventes…more caffeine the better.
Why did I decided to blog about Starbucks and coffee, as I drink one? I was reminded of a friend who twittered the other day about how he loved a good cup of coffee. Well I began to wonder if I really liked coffee or victim of consumerism. This also reminds me of a conversation I had with a high school-er about how he described Starbucks as “being the Microsoft of coffee”…Wow he hit a nerve, I am a APPLE Guy.
I defended Starbucks and argued that Starbucks did not come into towns like a WAL-Mart and force smaller companies to close…Starbucks created the market for coffee (made it okay to spend $5 for a cup of joe) and if anything the company has promoted the growth of coffee shops around the country. Case in point…New Wilmington, PA…the small college town that I went to college in…a town surrounded by PA Amish. Not much business is done in the small downtown…Except a Coffee House that thrives even if College is not in session.
Could this happen without the Microsoft of Coffee?
I am not the only one who addicted to Starbucks…check out this website with very familiar Starbucks images. [http://www.sirensongdc.com/news/]
What Planet are you from?
One response so far
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I love this Starbucks pic. In fact, I live in a colonial city in Mexico .. and we now have 2 really nice BIG Stabucks ..one is a 5 minute walk from my house … I am in heaven!