STARBUCKS ??

"Brewed for those who love coffee"

In the last edition of this newsletter I discussed the stereotypical gym buff who shakes their fist at the local Planet Fitness, claiming that it isn't a real gym. Today, I am here to say that I am a hypocrite. When I drive by a Starbucks, I become the fist shaker. "It's not a real coffee shop if they sell frappuccinos!" I am a coffee snob. I prefer to go to the local spots, I'll always order it straight black, and I will absolutely be curious about its country of origin. I will admit, however, that I am a hypocrite here as well. I am nearly positive that I spent more time and money at Starbucks than any Oklahoma City coffee shop last year. How can this be? Simple. Starbucks is bigger than my convictions.

Last summer I took my wife downtown to watch a baseball game. We decided that because it's minor league, we could probably get away with buying a ticket the old-fashion way, by walking up to a clerk in the ticket booth and buying them there on the spot. We got a pair of tickets but instead of being handed a stub, we were told that we'd get a text with a link to take us to our tickets. No problem. A man at the neighboring booth didn't have it so easy. He explained that he uses a flip phone and that he wouldn't be able to access tickets that way. His friend offered up his phone number to the clerk so they could pull up their tickets but the man wasn't done discussing the issue. "You don't have any paper tickets? What would you do if my friend didn't have a smart phone?" The clerk shrugged. Honestly, it's a fair line of questioning but my initial reaction was more along the lines of, "dude, get with the times." It doesn't matter that the man had convictions about sticking with a flip phone. Smart phones are bigger than his conviction.

If it was only a matter of coffee, I would not go to Starbucks. Most of their drinks are 1,500 calorie sugar bombs and their Pike Place black coffee is somehow the worst thing on the menu. The fact of the matter is, Starbucks isn't brewed for those who love coffee, it's about everything else. In one of my favorite articles, Brentin Mock discusses the rise of coffee house culture in American cities, citing everything from laptop popularity to Ross, Joey, and all the other Friends. A coffee house is a place of belonging. It's convenient to meet up with friends or chat with the baristas, connect to some reliable internet, and relax in the cozy atmosphere. It's a place full of life and social connectivity. Starbucks in particular, with its enumerating locations offers a third, dependable "core place" on par with the home or office. I've been to Starbucks to study for tests with classmates, to catch up with old friends, and I've even used their space to sign on to Zoom for a therapy session. Starbucks has become as integral to my life as a smart phone. Somehow, I came to depend on it for far more than a cup of coffee, and as you can probably imagine, when I go to Starbucks to meet with someone, I won't be so proud as to not get something. They've got me hook, line, and sinker. Without them, I'd be shrugging just the same as the ticket clerk.

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The views expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer

This newsletter comes out on opposite weeks of the Just Ideas podcast so, while there won't be a newsletter next Thursday, there will be a brand new episode available!

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