Starbucks to raise drink prices, but why do we care?

Why, when I turn on the news, do I have to hear about Starbucks raising prices? I don't care if Starbucks raises prices on their drinks, I stopped buying coffee there when it was 75% more expensive than the little shop in the same parking lot.

The media is treating this as if its likened to the rising prices of crude oil. We don't understand what determines the price, but we're all affected because we just can't possibly stop buying Mocha Mint Chip Frappacinos. Maybe we can't all drill for oil in our backyards but I'm pretty sure most of us can still brew a freaking pot of coffee. For those of you who shudder at the thought of yet another price increase, take heart, I have a message of hope and encouragement for you.

Friends have told me that they've tried other coffee shops but the quality and taste of the drink differed greatly from day to day. No consistency. Also, that Starbucks might not be the best, but each drink is always just as good as the last one. I am fortunate enough to have the kind of mom and pop coffee stand that knows both my own and my wife's names and always knows our regular drink and how to make it. However, when I was a Starbucks regular, I tried to order a drink at a stand in a book store where they sold Starbucks coffee, but weren't an official Starbucks. I ordered it ristretto and the chick just stared at me like I was some obnoxious coffee Nazi. Turns out that isn't a term all barristas know.

When you Starbucks regulars get the prices turned on you, you're screwed only because you're afraid of the bad experience you might have if you leave the unfamiliar. Is that any way to live life? You could live your entire life always settling for how things are and never trying to change because of that fear deep inside your heart that something might not be as good next time as it was before. Settling for good in life is robbing yourself of things that could be great.

And that is what Starbucks isn't.



Suggested Reading: The Gospel According to Starbucks: Living with a Grande Passion