The Madness of the Starbucks Brand

I was nearly T-boned this morning by some idiot racing out of a Starbucks drive-thru. (Disclosure: By “idiot,” I mean someone who might have a tendency to drive like me when in a hurry!)

Once I had finished exclaiming “Golly gosh, that was a particularly close call,” I got thinking about the power of the Starbucks brand. Quite likely, my near acquaintance (let’s call him Harry) left home this morning straight into rush-hour traffic. In an agitated effort to make progress, Harry switches lanes continuously, honks at the lady in front who is putting on her make-up in traffic and flicks the bird at the driver who has the audacity to stop for a yellow light. A yellow light!

Harry then cuts in front of a car in the inside lane, brakes aggressively (no turn signal) and drives into his local Starbucks drive-thru where there are (count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7) SEVEN Starbucks junkies in front of him!

What’s going to happen now? Will Harry have a heart attack? Obviously not, because in a few minutes Harry will nearly T-bone me as he continues his rush to work (in 8 minutes to be precise, because the person in car number 3 has ordered a Grande Non-Fat Decaf Frappuccino With Extra Whipped Cream And Chocolate Sauce in a Venti cup, but gets it in a Grande cup, thus causing a spat with the hassled barista.)

Quite likely, on the rest of his rush to work, while sipping his Starbucks, Harry continued to honk his horn at all those slow coach drivers delaying his journey.

Never in his wildest dreams will it occur to him that he might not have to drive so aggressively if he didn't take 8-10 minutes out of his morning to buy a cup of coffee. But of course it is more than a cup of coffee. It is Starbucks, surely one of the most emotionally addictive brands in the world.