The Starbucks Syndrome - Page 2

Then we have the ultimate group, the “Ventis”. These brave warriors swear by the brand, like the three 50-year-olds I saw dancing at a Floyd cover concert (that’s a separate discussion) They own paraphernalia of all sorts, from mugs to the grinder, have visited the first Starbucks store in Seattle like it was a holy shrine, have a Starbucks Duetto credit card, and think they belong to an entitled club when they buy free coffee using Starbucks points (only to later realize the APR rates on those cards are twice as high as the rest of the cards and that they could have bought four additional drinks if they had just paid with cash; American dream?) They also have a flavor combination list, their drinks have more than three requirements (skim milk, extra hot, vanilla flavored…) and they would prefer to study, hold business meetings, lunches, dates, and even some weddings at their local Starbucks rather than any other place that might be more appropriate. They know that Tuesdays offer a wonderful free download of “1” song ( that no one has heard of) on Itunes; heck, they even buy water there. Now that’s the group I bank on to get to that magic number.

The problem with this final group (like any other fan club) is that they graduate in search of more authentic coffee places, either because they have to wait in line while the Talls and the Grandes figure out what they want ( they should have a separate line for frequent drinkers), or they go all crazy in the head (maybe from all the caffeine they’ve been drinking) and join the Anti-Corporate America club and start hating anything that’s “Too Big” (Microsoft anyone?)

Supernovas do tend to burn out, but the big question here is, do they burn out after 20,000, or before they get there?

That’s what I’d like to know.

P.S. Isn't that a lot of drinks to consume over a lifetime? Is anyone keeping count of how many café drinks a normal coffee drinker (No Venti/Grande) has over a lifetime? I’d like to read an article about that someday.

Article Author: arunash

an opinion on most things human, some supernatural, and anything political. i read, process and spew the residue in my writings, so sometimes i end up being mildly offensive to the right...and the left. Hey life aint fair, why should I be?..:)

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