In Defense of Starbucks

A recent post on Gawker got a whole thread started on the merits and demerits of Starbucks. I can't address all the points, but let's talk about cost.

A Tall cup of coffee (which, contrary to popular belief, is not the smallest size you can order) is about $1.91 in Manhattan.

A comparable size cup at a deli will set you back $1.25. Yes, you can still find a dollar cup in the city, but it will taste like crap.

I used to do deli coffee all the time. When I first moved to the city, it felt more authentic. Starbucks seem obnoxiously overpriced and factory-like, and, like so many, I just wanted a cup of coffee, no fancy drinks.

That said, when I started working at Penn Station, Starbucks ended up being right in my flight path. I bought flavored coffee. I got their rewards card so the flavoring is no extra change. More than any other place, Starbucks is consistent. They're not perfect, but no matter what day I go in, or which store I go to, their coffee tastes like what I expect.

Now, let's do the math:

In three weeks I could spend $28.65 at Starbucks, or $18.50 at a local place. So, I'm spending about $10 more per period.

But what's this? Thanks to their rewards system, every three weeks I get a free drink of my choice - any size, any drink. Let's value that at $5 (sometimes more). Basically, every three weeks I treat myself to a tasty dessert beverage simply for buying something every workday that I would buy anyway.

So now, rounding, I'm spending $5 more per period, or about $.33 per drink, than a regular cup of joe. It's worthwhile to me to pay that premium for coffee I like, that is consistently good, and at a store (one in particular) where I like the employees. AND I get a tasty drink every three weeks.

I have nothing against other coffee places. I like Starbucks. That does not make me a snob. They have a good system in place and I like their coffee. If you don't like their coffee, don't buy it. But whoever you are, don't be a hater.

Grifting Starbucks

So here is the deal. Starbucks is offering a couple of different promotions right now. One, they've dropped the price of their default blend (Pike Place Roast) by fifty cents. Two, they're offering a coffee of the week promotion that culminates in the award of a free bag of coffee. It's this latter promotion I'm interested in.

Starbucks is promoting a different Bold blend every week. If you buy a bold coffee, you get a little "passport" featuring eight coffees, one for each week for eight weeks. When you buy a bold coffee in a given week, you get a little stamp to add to your passport (shades of "collect them all"). At the end of the eight weeks, you can present your passport to a Starbucks to receive, gratis, one bag of your choice of bold coffees.

Thing is, you only get one stamp a week. Once your Yukon blend is stamped, you're done till the next week.

Here is where I come in. I like Starbucks. I like their bold coffees. Every morning, I buy a tall toffee nut bold coffee to start my day. Most days, the clerks don't even bother asking what I want. I am that predictable.

I also work in Penn Plaza, and there are easily half a dozen Starbucks within walking distance of work. I don't have to go far out of my way to visit a different every morning of the week. So, I'm basically planning to tote around five passports, order the same coffee I would normally order, and collect five pounds of coffee (MSRP ~$50) in two months.

It's free, because I'm not doing anything more than I would normally do, except visit other stores. Well, maybe not totally free. I didn't figure this out until halfway through the first week, so I had to buy two coffees I otherwise would not have bought (even the Short, which is smaller than the Tall, counts). So I'm out $3.52 that I would otherwise not have spent.

So we'll see how it goes. I have to say, I'm not a fan of the Yukon blend, but I do like the Italian Roast and the Cafe Verona blends. I am looking forward to the Gold Coast blend; I like the art.