Is Starbucks the new cigarette?

coffeelady_colorAhhhhh, the splendor of fall:  cooler mornings, falling leaves, football, pumpkin spiced lattes, salted caramel mochas, spiced chai… Wait, what?  Now we’re marking seasonal milestones by the change in Starbucks drink flavors?  (In my best Charlie Brown voice), “Good grief -- we’ve officially become a Starbucks society.”

Well it’s no wonder.  After all, we spend so much time there.   For me, Starbucks is like my second office, especially when I travel.  I have meetings there, I plug in there, I unwind there.   Wireless, caffeinated bliss.

In fact, when I’m not there, I kind of wish I were there or I find myself wanting something from there.  Something in a tall, warm, cozy cardboard cup of comfort!  It’s almost as if I’m … addicted.   Which got me thinking:  Could Starbucks be the millennial form of smoking?  Let’s see:

  • We crave it.
  • It feels good just to hold it.
  • We usually leave the office to have it; some of us even “sneak” it.
  • We’re grumpy when we don’t have it.
  • We’re pretty sure it’s bad for us.
  • What used to be filtered, menthol, slim is now decaf, skinny, no whip.
  • It’s about a $5-a-day habit.

So there you go.  Starbucks is the new cigarette.  The good news: there’s no second-hand mocha.  What a relief.

Consider Boom for a project this fall and coffee is on us!

Coffee, Starbucks, Susan Sikora, UncategorizedJoni Winkler