I love Starbucks.

There. I said it. Okay, so it wasn't really a secret but I felt the need to stand up and announce my affinity for big business. ONE big business- I promise you won't hear me singing the praises of Wally World any time soon.

I love Starbucks coffee and their stores. I just do. I like the flavor of the coffee and you all know I love a Venti Peppermint Mocha with whip more than sex... (and if you thought I was going to say shoes, you should be smacked!) I love the way the store smells. I like that I can go in a Starbucks in LA, NYC, Chicago, or Dublin and my favourite drink will taste the same. I like the atmosphere, the friendly and knowledgeable employees, the pairings, the music and their products. I just do.

I have a problem when everyone gets bent out of shape over Starbucks and gets pissy that they forced small mom and pop coffee shops to close. You know what? That's the world of business, right? And through my research (see, we can sometimes learn something here at "Shoes/purses"; it's not always pink cosmos and men) I've found that Starbucks popularized the coffee house again and mom and pop shops popped up afterward and couldn't compete. In rare situations was the small owned coffee shop there first- they often came in later and tried to compete and then lost. It's unfortunate, but I hate the blame always gets placed on Starbucks.

I'm also sick of people complaining about the cost of a Starbucks beverage. Attention all whiners- don't fucking drink there coffee if you don't like the price! No one is holding a gun to anyone's head and forcing folks into a Starbucks chain, at least not that I've ever seen. There are plenty of places around to still get a cup of coffee under a dollar- take your cheap ass over there, is what I want to scream from the roof tops.

It really galls me when people tell me I should drink mochas from McDonalds- that I wouldn't know the difference between MickyDs coffee and Starbucks. Hello- duh- yes I would. And actually, I really love McDonald's regular premium roast black coffee and drink it often, but when it comes to speciality drinks, I just prefer the taste of my Starbucks.

When I lived in the Wild West I was a three hour drive to the nearest Starbucks and I missed if, craved it and just flat was bitchy about not having it. But I did survive. Now that I'm back in Civilization, I adore the 20 minute drive to Starbucks so I can treat myself. I don't go often but I go when I can afford it. And I don't care if people hate Starbucks or don't like it- that's fine. But I don't ridicule people who drink other coffee or make their own (my darling Redneck Nerdboy is a coffee lover but Starbucks isn't his favorite but he and I don't get in pissing matches over our java disagreements!) so I wish the Anti- Starbuck-ers would get off my back and shut their mouths.

I love Starbucks so much that I also indulged in January and got the gold star card so I get a discount (10%) each time I go there. And if I buy a bag of beans I get a free drink of my choice- I'll get a freebie on my birthday. Oh, and yeah, the $25 I paid for the card has already paid for it's self.

So, now that I have that off my chest, maybe I should go get my daily dose of caffeine to settle me down?

Coffee anyone?
Mags