Take Me To the Cleaners To Get Some Coffee

Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Starbucks (if that is your real name!) for taking me to the cleaners this holiday season. I thought the point here was “good will toward man”? Evidently, I don’t fall into that category because you keep charging me more for my coffee. I’m not trying to be difficult here either. I don’t order a triple-soy-no foam-four Splenda-double cup-half decaf-could you put a birthday candle in it for me – moca-chi-ino. If you wanted a few extra cents for doing all that work, sure no problem. But what I’m talking about here is nothing more than a few shots of flavor.

Specifically I’m expressing my outrage over your holiday seasonal lattes. On a recent trip to one of your establishments I saw a sign promoting your limited time flavors of the season, Peppermint Mocha, Gingerbread, and Eggnog. Oh boy am I excited! I love this time of year...my favorite flavors come out everywhere; from pies to coffee. Put me down for one of those Gingerbread Lattes, but only a tall since I don’t want to have to run and find a Men’s room four times in the next five minutes.

“That’ll be $3.75 cents sir.”

Wha...wha...what? Are you serious?

How can a tall, seasonal-flavored latte cost more than one in the middle of the summer? According to your menu, a regular tall latte will run me $2.75. Add to that another $0.40 for a flavor shot and you end up with a $3.15 drink, composed of espresso, steamed milk, and a pump or two of flavored syrup. That’s still way too expensive but I won’t get into the world of overpriced gourmet coffee (although I could get roughly the same thing at 7-11 for $2 less!).

Yet, you are charging me an extra $0.60 for the honor of having a bit of holiday fun. I don’t get it? Does Dunkin Donuts charge me $0.20 more to have a Pumpkin Donut? Does the guy at the farmers market charge me more for a peach in the middle of the summer? No...no they don’t, because it’s the season for such things. In fact, I’d probably be OK paying a few cents more to have a peppermint latte in the middle of July. That just makes sense.

So keep your grubby hands out of my wallet. If I have to go to Starbucks then I’m going to keep to the “regular” flavors and save my holiday merry making for places that don’t charge extra for a little cheer.

Peace out!