From June 25, 2008 (I went to Belize in January 2008). So Long Starbucks: May Your Greed Plummet With the Crashing Economy Ive had a philosophical struggle with my loyalty to your overpriced low quality coffee been beverages. I can only blame myself for being foolish enough to become a regular at your manufactured outlets. Today I am proud to be officially over Starbucks, and will never set foot in one of your depressing stores again. Ive had over a four year love affair with Starbucks. As pathetic as it is, in 2004 I began my daily indulgence in iced white chocolate mochas. I wasnt totally dependent on Starbucks to fulfill this extravagance, but after a few months I decided that their syrup and product was superior to all the rest. I was stopping at Starbucks every morning to get a venti iced white chocolate Mocha…The price was somewhere over the $4 range and I accepted it. I reasoned that this daily expenditure was both a mental and physical need, because I worked so hard between two jobs. In 2006, I began going to school fulltime and maintained a rigorous work schedule; and the daily indulgence remained. It was around this time that I decided to cut down my daily calorie intake by sizing it down to a grande, but keeping the same caffeine level by opting for an extra shot. I was also ordering that stupid white chocolate syrup off of eBay, since it wasnt sold in stores; and I deemed it as being the contributing factor in my preference for Starbucks. My infrequent store visits during this time caused me not to notice the price difference when I began relying on the stores again. I began making my own drinks sporadically, and was soon dependent on the stores toward the end of 2006. My drink was now a grande iced white chocolate mocha with and extra shot of espresso (In the beginning I had to also specify 2%, but eventually Starbucks caught on to consumer demand and got rid of that whole milk). Needless to say, I ordered that drink religiously 5 days a week and at least one (if not two) of the weekend days. It didnt matter what store I went to, in every store in every state each barista went ahead and charged me $4.77. I was obviously a regular at the store by my work, and I didnt even have to sputter out my drink order. I dont want to get into the hypocrisy or shame I felt from my compulsive consumption of a rip-off product from a company whose ideologies I despise; but it was a battle that ebbed and flowed within me. In January 2008 there were three variables that finally tainted my daily intake. First, the floundering economy caused me to begin tightening my money belt strings. Second, I stumbled across and read the book Starbucked by Taylor Clark. And lastly, I went to Belize and really enjoyed their fresh and strong coffee beans. I finally had the right combination of a financial need, factual information, and a delicious alternative to sever, or at least cut down, my ties with Starbucks. So what happened? I still occasionally went to Starubucks. In fact, I would say I was there 3 to 4 times week up until May (thats when school ended). Ordering the same drink and paying the same price. In the beginning of June I started riding my bike to work and walking the dog every morning. This had two impacts that also contributed to cutting off the umbilical cord. Number one, my bike route introduced me to a wonderful ma and pa coffee house. Number two; I would have my coffee during the walk with my dog since its tough to transport it on the 3 mile bicycle commute. My visits to Starbucks became even more infrequent, and were down to maybe once or twice a month (if that). It was wonderful. Every now and then I would still go to the green mecca and cherish my once beloved grande iced white chocolate mocha (with an extra shot of espresso). Today as I went in there I ordered a grande iced white chocolate mocha I watched the register indicate extra shot- 50 cents, and as I handed my check card to cashier I had a sudden question. How much is a venti? I asked him, and he rang it up $4.20. For those of you that dont know, a venti has three shots of espresso, same as my type of grande when I order an extra shot. My face turned white and my stomach dropped to the ground as I began thinking about the hundreds of grande iced white chocolates I had ordered with extra shots of espresso at the price of $4.77!!!! MY god, Im an IDIOT!! I asked the cashier So if I would have said a venti blah, blah, blah in a grande cup I would have saved 57 CENTS!! And do you know what this prick had the nerve to say with both a smile and a chuckle ha, you probably could have saved a lot of money that way! Fuc# you Starbucks!!!! I will withhold any tirades towards the baristas because I have a suspicion that this practice was either ignored or encouraged by the company since not a single barista in the numerous stores Ive visited (and some frequented) ever told me about this price difference. They cant all be as idiotic as me. It is hard for me to believe that not one of them was able to pick up on this 57 cent rip off while ringing up hundreds of drinks on a daily basis. I must admit a slight grudge toward my most frequented store, but its warranted since it is where I spent most of money and had this wonderful encounter with the barista this morning. So fuc# you Starbucks, you owe me A LOT of money!!! Hope you sink with the struggling economy you overgrown greedy shady coffee chain!
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 16:22:48 +0000
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