Well, hell, now I gotta start going to Starbucks

[Waluigi]

It's unsurprising that they support same-sex marriage, since they seem to be a bastion of the sort of bleeding heart liberalism that's ruining our country, defiling our marriages, putting us into crushing debt, raping our hitlers, and otherwise taking shits on virgin Marys and sacred cows. 'murica!

[livius drusus]

[Thanks] for the raping our Hitlers.

[Dingfod]

Originally Posted by ZEZOZE

the little guys are just selling you coffee.

Java Dave's in my town was blatant in it's conservative political bent, between t-shirts that say "Choose Life", the conservative magazines and newspapers on the coffee tables and brochures at the checkstands and the constant drone of Fox News on the tvs, it's pretty obvious that "Dave" is selling something more than just coffee. I said "was" because they've gone out of business recently. There was never anyone in there, even though it looked a comfy place to sit a spell and use their free WiFi. It seems, that even here in Ultra-Red Oklahoma, the average double machochino chocolatte kopi luwak drinker didn't care for "Dave" and his POV.

[Waluigi]

Originally Posted by livius drusus

[Thanks] for the raping our Hitlers.

Every now and then I get inspired.

[curses]

I'm drinking a tall cafe mocha from Starbucks so I'm getting a kick out of this thrad.

Sadly all the small coffee shops around me have gone away thanks to starbucks. That makes me sad. The Starbucks we frequent has hired some awesome people so at least there's that. The coffee's worse but the conversations are better. Plus they've got Rice Crispy treats.

[Kyuss Apollo]

If you like black dark-roasted coffee then Starbucks coffee is neither expensive or shite. I practically lived at the one nearest my home while writing then post-defense editing of my MA thesis; decent dark roast coffee (WAY better than DD), free WiFi, free refills, free coffee every 15 coffees if you register and use a Starbucks card. They definitely don't discriminate -- one employee is a pre-op ts. There is a better coffee shop in Prov. -- huge variety of sustainable beans, roasting in-house -- that I was writing at before, but last year they started limiting seat time and shutting off the WiFi on weekends to prevent people from sitting there and working. Starbucks couldn't care less if I walk in at 6 AM and stay until they lock up 16 hours later, and the employees all took the time to get to know me, the running joke being that I worked there more than they did. Starbucks totally gets my vote.

[ZEZOZE]

Originally Posted by Dingfod

Java Dave's in my town was blatant in it's conservative political bent, between t-shirts that say "Choose Life", the conservative magazines and newspapers on the coffee tables and brochures at the checkstands and the constant drone of Fox News on the tvs, it's pretty obvious that "Dave" is selling something more than just coffee. I said "was" because they've gone out of business recently. There was never anyone in there, even though it looked a comfy place to sit a spell and use their free WiFi. It seems, that even here in Ultra-Red Oklahoma, the average double machochino chocolatte kopi luwak drinker didn't care for "Dave" and his POV.

well dave seems like a douche. i wouldn't go there for much the same reason i don't go to starbucks...well...mostly it's because i don't drink coffee, but i think i'd feel like an outsider in either place.

america is a crazy place.

[LadyShea]

When we were in the UK, we couldn't get coffee for shit in most towns, and our B&Bs had like instant. Yes yes tea...LIKE THAT IS THE SAME...not.

Anyway we saw a Starbucks somewhere in Scotland and were all "Thank gawd!". They served our coffee in real ceramic yo, and it was appointed like a pub with a nice big booth. We stayed there people watching for like 2 hours and drank real coffe out of real mugs and it was grand.

[lisarea]

Originally Posted by Kyuss Apollo

If you like black dark-roasted coffee then Starbucks coffee is neither expensive or shite.

I do like dark roasted coffee, but Starbucks at least used to be burned all to hell. Maybe they've improved since I gave up on them, though.

[Ari]

I've noticed some people are sensitive to that burnt taste. I have some friends who complain about the Starbucks burnt and yet make (and drink) pretty bad coffee themselves. So it's not just some sort of snob thing, well for them...

[lisarea]

Yeah, the only thing I can think of to explain it is that it's some specific taste receptor that you either have or don't. It was nothing even remotely subtle for me, where you'd need to have a refined palate to notice it. It was overwhelming.

I'll happily cop to being a snob about stuff when I actually am being a snob, but that was not a snob thing. I really wanted to like it.

[wei yau]

I quite like Starbucks coffee and I do prefer the dark roast (though not black). It's better than average, as far as I'm concerned.

I find the whole "HAW HAW, Starbucks has special language for their drinks and stuff!" to be kinda weird. I mean, I get it, I've been going to Starbucks for years and still don't know much beyond how to order the size of the drink and the number of shots.

I mean, I suppose the espresso drinks are pricey (though to be fair, their pricey everywhere). But, I don't think their prices for brewed coffee to be exorbitant.

[Ymir's blood]

[QUOTE=wei yau;1110508I find the whole "HAW HAW, Starbucks has special language for their drinks and stuff!" to be kinda weird.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, but it's not like most food chains, convenience stores or other corporate franchises do that all the time, right? You wouldn't go to a BK and order a 'whopper' or something.

[viscousmemories]

I used to hang around in cafes and drink vanilla lattes when I was in my early 20's; I also worked as a barista in a few places. I still can't tell good coffee from crap though, so when offered the choice between Starbucks and generic coffee (as in the cafe at my work) I always go for the less expensive generic coffee.

[Demimonde]

Yay for Starbucks! I love it when corporations support their workers. In any and all ways. This issue is so big that every little bit helps, especially when from a massive employer like Starbucks.

I am a huge coffee culture junkie. I met my husband at a coffee house. Best day of my life. That place was a Nexus of creative individuals who have gone on to do great things. One was named songwriter of our city. Another has become a fantastic local musician even though I knew him when he was a fresh faced 17 year-old high school student at open mic. (Open in another tab and you will get many minutes of awesome music.)

The best was a girl who saved me from being drugged, kidnapped, and most likely raped, though she hardly knew me. Seriously, she ran out and stopped the guy who was carrying me out of a bar next door, past the bouncer that knew me, past the cops. She knew something was wrong, because she knew who I hung out with and knew this guy was a stranger, and stopped that shit. Even though she was only 19 herself. Even though she had to physically step between the fucker that was trying to carry me off and his truck. Best line ever, she asked him to tell her my name and he could totally drive off. He couldn't. He folded and put me into her arms. My fucking super hero and guardian angel.

She went on to become a founder of a local company that imports and dubs anime. I gifted her with a compact mirror, inscribed so that she always remembers how awesome she is when she looks into it. Fuck, at her age I can't say I would have had the fortitude to do what she did.. She now does That Anime Show, which if you would support, I would appreciate. It is seriously awesome if you are interested in that kind of thing.

But seriously, I love coffee culture. I will never forget when I met Contra. I had taken myself to a dinner and a movie, as I did when I was a young single woman. After seeing Death To Smootchy I wasn't ready to go home. I stopped by a local coffee house to sit and read a Tom Harris book I had just picked up. I sat there for a few minutes on the patio after buying my coffee. Everyone outside was staring at me. I was checking for boogers and TP on my shoe when finally a guy walked up to me. He was all, "Where do you think you are? Starbucks!?" I blanched.

Turns out this coffee house was like Cheers without the booze. Everyone knew everyone. He led me around from table to table and introduced me to some of the best friends I have ever made. He was NOT Contra BTW. He was Contra's roommate though. He was sweet on me for a while until he realized I was more into his roommate than I was in him. That happened when I told him. Well. Also after he lied about being ten years younger than he was and was all I am so sorry. Then I dated a young guy who was an asshole and a fucking lucky charms leprechaun. THEN I found Contra.

I digress and am getting rambly. Sorry.

Anywho, coffee stores are awesome. Ours finally closed, due to mismanagement when the state closed them down for mismanagement. Literally. They shut the store down and took the insides for back taxes. Now, that doesn't happen at Starbucks.

I frequented may SB's for years after that. Then things changed when I had a friend who worked there. I will say that SB has been riding on their Forbes list from the nineties as one of the Best Companies to Work for. Everyone knows that. They have fallen a bit from their hippy, crunchy roots though.

I had a friend lead a local strike on our neighborhood SB. She was dating an anarchist and all fired up. She created a local union for baristas. It did not go far:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UPHwwRB_V0

Local media just focused on H1N1. That is about as far as it got. I mean, SB has been constantly in the top 100. But they have gone up and down in terms of their placement. Ranked 73 now compared to OTHER corporate entities is not much. Seriously, you have to look at practices in 1995 vs. today. Slowly they have chipped away at their employees' rights while resting on their laurels of being known as an ethical company. That is pretty shitty.

OMG hey! Long post! Which has a bunch of intimate stuff! Yay!

(I suck at endings.)

[Janet]

I am not a coffee snob but I can say that while I've had some pretty crap mochas at a variety of coffee shops, I have never had a bad one at a Starbucks, even their franchises within stores and the like. I have also never had anyone there so much as blink when I said small, medium or large instead of their names for things. They also let me get hot caramel apple cider even when it's not on the menu and their mini cherry pies are pretty awesome. Oh, and my sister likes the Starbucks hot cocoa mix she bought at Costco so much that she's even preferring it over her pricey, imported drinking chocolate.

However, I made a point of never setting foot in one during my recent trip to the UK because they have been avoiding their taxes over there. They agreed to pay back taxes when enough customers got pissed, though. I think that's pretty awesome and I cannot possibly imagine Americans boycotting a business for not paying taxes. Pity, that.