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1. No starbucks does not recycle or compost anything--at least at the store-level.
2. Yes they still offer health insurance to parttime employees although you do have to meet a certain number of hours.
3. Try and make friends with your barista. It's amazing how much crap they get and if you go in there enough (and buy something cheap to make up for it) and get to know them, chances are they'll forget to charge you for stuff, etc after awhile.
I have no qualms with Starbucks. There are several on every block here it seems in PNW! And being frugal, may have a small latte once weekly. However, in my little village south of Portland, there is a lovely Coffee Cottage. Coffee is delivered with a friendly smile and in slow-paced milieu, and is very delicious! Same price for great friendly service and charming ambience.
I have no qualms with Starbucks. There are several on every block here it seems in PNW! And being frugal, may have a small latte once weekly. However, in my little village south of Portland, there is a lovely Coffee Cottage. Coffee is delivered with a friendly smile and in slow-paced milieu, and is very delicious! Same price for great friendly service and charming ambience.
Nothing against Starbucks, but IMO it is better to support the mom and pop coffee shops.
Nothing against Starbucks, but IMO it is better to support the mom and pop coffee shops.
Yes, I generally go to several here in Portland Metro area. A very nice little shop in SE on SE26th and Clinton St. Also a cute little place on Hawthorne St. Better service, and with a smile.
I worked at Starbuck's for a little while, earning extra Christmas money for the kids, and I know the markup... and just knowing that makes it hard for me to spend money at places like that.
It's just coffee. Tea. Boil some water, brew it yourself, and invite your friends over for a game of Clue or something. And to me it's also not just about money wasted, but about all the trash, too. When I worked at Starbucks, they didn't recycle or compost anything. Hopefully they do now... and all those disposable cups and java jackets and straws and sugar packets and paper napkins and... just trash. It's just one little piece of this disposable culture we live in, and it makes me sad.
And not all the coffee served at Starbuck's is triple-cert. A lot of the coffee people are drinking - and that's a lot of coffee, actually - are contributing to clearcutting of wilderness areas and loss of habitat for wild animals. It must be "shade-grown". You also want to look for coffee that is certified fair trade... so that you aren't supporting slavery or unethical business practices. And the milk, unless it's organic... it'll have GMO growth hormones in it. Gross.
Ummm.... you might want to discuss giving coffee to your three-year old with your family doctor. Unless you were joking?
Around here they will let you have a big bag of used coffee grounds for your compost heap. We've gotten a few bags of it occasionally.
During the last elections they had free coffee if you came in the door and told them you'd voted. I think that was the last time I've been in Starbucks. We would perhaps go there more often, it does have wi-fi and a place to sit, however the closest one is about forty miles away and by the time we get to town there are too many things to get done than just sitting at a coffee shop.
Most people don't sit there and dig around on the wifi, or include free concerts in the park as part of their coffee or compare it to alcohol. They get their coffee, go to work, and go silently insane at their desks. If you just look at the coffee itself then it's about 8x what I pay for beans and the maker at Costco.
I work from home and getting away from my desk and making the trip to Starbucks is part of my break. I get to enjoy the sunshine and the warmth and my liquid lunch - a latte. I don't make coffee at home anymore. I drink one latte. Sometimes I'll have one every day. Sometimes I skip a day or two or three if I'm really busy. I spend $3.77 with my registered card (which means syrups are free). I often get SB gift cards for birthday, Mother's Day, Christmas, etc. I don't eat breakfast and my "liquid lunch" is $3.77. I rarely buy clothes or shoes. I use double coupons at the grocery store because it would just be stupid not to. You could count the number of alcoholic drinks I drink in a year on one hand. So my only "luxury" is Starbucks. For under $20 a week I have Starbucks most days and it's really the only thing I splurge on, and I don't feel guilty at all. I guess I could buy a 30 pack of beer and have four or five beers a day, but I'd rather have one latte five days a week.
Starbucks is one of my favorite places for all the same reasons as everyone else. But, I was spending wa-a-a-y too much at Starbucks, sometimes twice a day. So, I did the next best thing...bought a DeLonghi cappucino + coffeemaker. The lattes and coffee I get from this machine are very good...close to Starbucks quality. I do use mostly Starbucks coffee beans, and grind them at home. The maker was a little costly, but it has more than paid for itself in the past month. Now that I have the maker at home, I go to Starbucks only occasionally, like when I meet someone for coffee. So this is my frugal Starbucks story.
Mine (well ours) is similar. We were spending way too much. We bought a little espresso / cappucino maker at goodwill for $5 and my partner has learned to make capps and lattes that are BETTER than Starbucks! It has lasted a couple years now... and here, the GW stores have 15 day guarantees on anything electronic.
We go in from time to time to the one near our school and when we go there to study (we are both students), we will buy a drink, because it's worth it for the peace and quiet.. I can NOT study at home when the kids are up. We know most of the employees there and yes, they often give us freebies. They also give me a LOT of coffee grounds for my garden. We don't spend there like we used to though, nowhere near it.
I am reading a book "Starbucked" and it is truly fascinating the way this company was created etc. I have always been a true SB fan and if you are a true coffee addict, you will know that coffee is not just water and beans. I rarely drink any other coffee than SB. Mom and Pop shops included, because i have tried their coffee and it is not has strong or good enough for me. I am frugal, but when it comes to Coffee there is no way. There is nothing worse than a cheap cup of coffee or a cheap glass of wine. These two things are non-negotiable in life!!
If I didn't notice how many posts the OP's put up I'd swear he's an agent for Starbucks. The post reads like a commercial. Not that I disagree, I'm just sayin.
I chose Starbucks only because they are all over the place and I seem to get at least one (usually a few) gift cards for them, so they are the ones I end up using the most. But really, any coffee shop is the same idea. A week ago I was in Manhattan and my friend was going to be very late meeting me, so I had about 2 hours to kill. I found a non-chain coffee/pastry shop with nice oversized comfy chairs and reading materials and killed a good hour there for $2.20 (included is a 50 cent refill).
I also chose Starbucks because the name is widely recognized and brings to mind a "fancy" coffee shop (like Kleenex is with tissues). Also, unlike one-of-a-kind coffee shops, Starbucks is all over and easily found and recognized wherever one might travel. I have had better coffee than Starbucks at some one-of-a-kind shops, but Starbucks is also very good, to me.
So, sorry to give anyone the wrong impression; it doesn't have to be the actual Starbucks, but any place like it. And no, I don't work for them and never have, lol.
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