A Sweet Cup of Addiction

The scent of coffee permeates the rectangular room, enticing costumers to buy their daily fix. The menu hangs proudly over the kitchen, classily displaying every drink available; their sizes, calorie content, and special seasonal items. There are tables and chairs, all strategically placed to give the shop a comfy feel. The warm color schemes –forest green and burgundy, beige and yellow, brown and black – exude the coziness and feeling of home. Shelves upon shelves are stacked with merchandise such as coffee beans and espresso mugs and coffee cups and coffee makers and coffee grinders and coffee presses and tea. Next to the cash registers are cases overflowing with pastries, sandwiches, bottled drinks, and fruit salads. People habitually enter and exit their local Starbucks to grab a quick snack or delectable drink.

Starbucks is a haven for many, offering a peaceful place to work, write, or simply chat with a friend. The soft hum of chatter can be heard at its busiest moments; or during less crowded times in the shop, employees can be heard conversing. The convenience of free Wi-Fi attracts many costumers, prompting them to bring their laptop to work in a change of setting.

Almost every average American has ventured into a Starbucks at one point in their life. Americans spend a large amount of money on their coffee craving: Starbucks makes around 700 million dollars per year. Many regular Starbucks costumers purchase a cup of Java a day to maintain their addiction; others only buy a Starbucks coffee as a treat. Lattes, Mochas, Espressos – these drinks are the regular fix of many Starbucks costumers. Specialty coffee drinks can be a large contributor to a person’s calorie intake per day. Depending on the drink purchased, calorie content can be sky high. Although Starbucks now posts the calorie count on their menu, many consumers choose to ignore it; sugary drinks ingested daily can lead to obesity.

While in Starbucks at one of its busiest moments, it’s astonishing to see the amount of people lined up in the tiny room. The line curves around like a snake, full of impatient costumers waiting for their daily ritual. On occasion, one will see a frazzled business man, checking his watch every minute, anxious to get his precious cup of coffee and be on with his day. He’ll tap his impatient foot, wondering whether he will have enough time to make it to work. He considers leaving to be safe, but resists, knowing he can’t survive without feeding his caffeine addiction. Many adults cannot live without a cup of coffee in the morning: it wakes them up and prepares them for their day. Without it they are guaranteed migraines and withdrawals. It’s a never-ending vicious cycle of addiction, with no one willing to deprive themselves of their wake-up call.

The need to purchase an expensive cup of coffee from Starbucks every day is a puzzling necessity. Why do so many Americans purchase their coffee from Starbucks instead of simply brewing it at home, or purchasing cheaper alternatives? Stores such as McDonald’s and Dunkin’ Donuts offer much better coffee deals; at McDonald’s any size cup of coffee is only a dollar. Some Americans may not be willing to waste the time and energy to make their own cup of coffee, or aren’t willing to take a reusable thermos to work. It may be a matter of superiority, they must have the best of everything; or maybe, they haven’t given cheaper alternatives a chance due to thoughts that nothing could ever compare to their precious Starbucks.

Starbucks inflates everything; their food selection is undersized and overpriced. A packaged sandwich can cost up to six dollars; fruit salad and bottled drinks are equally as expensive. In a way this is trivial: anyone planning to eat a meal could simply walk across the shopping center’s parking lot to G&G, and buy a tastier and cheaper sandwich. But instead, some choose to feed the company’s greed and purchase the overpriced food. This is a matter of convenience; they are already there, so why not purchase a meal to go along with their drink? This seems perfectly reasonable to not have to walk a few feet farther.

From inside a Starbucks, it seems like a warm and cozy place, to purchase delicious drinks, pastries, and sandwiches. From outside a Starbucks, it appears to be drastically overpriced and quite frankly, overrated. Why spend hard earned money on gourmet coffee when one could simply brew it at home, or purchase a cheaper cup at places like McDonalds? The frivolous drinks seem like empty calories, adding to the high obesity rate in America, the branded merchandise seems unnecessary and uninviting, and the free Wi-Fi seems like a bribe to buy and support Starbucks merchandise. I personally enjoy a Starbucks on occasion, but when the addiction to this franchise makes trips to the shops a daily necessity, things have gotten out of hand. Too much of something good like Starbucks can lead to bad things such as addiction, weight gain, and uncontrollable spending; Americans must take a step back to review if their daily trips to Starbucks are as harmless as they seem.

--Rachel