Addicted to Starbucks

Every day in my office building, there is a long line of people patiently waiting for their daily fix of Starbucks. America is addicted to Starbucks. There is no doubt about that. I’m (J) not quite addicted, but I do enjoy Starbuck’s basic cup of coffee maybe twice a week.

I was discussing the prevalence of Starbuck’s with a friend the other day. I took the position that Starbuck’s is good in many ways because it’s a place where people get together and talk, which is something that is lacking in America but par-for-the-course in other countries. Everyone I know meets at Starbucks for coffee, much like people in Paris meet at the local cafe. Nobody I know likes the fact that it’s the same corporation owning all of it.