Author Topic: Yet another Starbucks story…  (Read 14137 times)

EngGirl

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Yet another Starbucks story…
« on: March 11, 2013, 12:53:25 PM »
My husband just got a new job located in a large financial tower. In the lobby area there are two Starbucks – you can literally see one from the other one. On his first day at work, he learned that his office provides all employees with unlimited Starbucks K cups and several "Keurig Hubs". And yet, within the first hour of working there, a co-worker asked him if he would like to join the “latte run” where they take turns going downstairs and buying lattes to bring back upstairs.

What the hell is with the image/prestige of the white and green cup?

Granted, the people at his work all make really decent coin, but such frivolity turns my stomach regardless of income. These people are supposed to be financial experts.   

wakkowarner

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #1 on: March 11, 2013, 03:57:28 PM »
I don't drink coffee, much less Starbucks, so I need some clarification on the "free coffee":  Is the company providing them "coupons" of sorts for free cups that they redeem down at the Starbucks locations?  Or is it "Starbucks coffee" in the local coffee pot but they'd rather pay their own money and travel farther rather than drink the free local stuff?

dragoncar

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #2 on: March 11, 2013, 06:31:09 PM »
Well does the Keurig make lattes?

DebtDerp

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #3 on: March 11, 2013, 06:51:26 PM »
My husband just got a new job located in a large financial tower. In the lobby area there are two Starbucks – you can literally see one from the other one. On his first day at work, he learned that his office provides all employees with unlimited Starbucks K cups and several "Keurig Hubs". And yet, within the first hour of working there, a co-worker asked him if he would like to join the “latte run” where they take turns going downstairs and buying lattes to bring back upstairs.

What the hell is with the image/prestige of the white and green cup?

Granted, the people at his work all make really decent coin, but such frivolity turns my stomach regardless of income. These people are supposed to be financial experts.

Oh God, I use to be this person. Our office has one of these brew systems that brews fresh starbucks coffee whenever you may want a cup right in our lunchroom. Granted, if you want a mocha or latte you have to do all the mixing or whatever it entails. But I just drink straight black coffee. Still, I use to stop in our lobby and grab a cup of coffee before heading up to my office where the same coffee is free. Yep, I was an idiot. I did this with over $100k in student loan debt!

Thankfully I'm on the right track now and drink all the free coffee I want.


EngGirl

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #4 on: March 12, 2013, 06:06:07 AM »
wakkowarner: It's like DebtDerp described it. There is a pile of k-cups (of all varietes) and a Keurig in the lunch room on their floor, but his co-workers would rather join a group where people take turns taking the elevator down 35 flights to bring back trays of $5 beverages, 2x a day.

There is this business culture now that seems to say: "If you don't need coffee to work, then you are not pushing yourself hard enough. And if you can't afford to drop $10 a day on coffee, then you are not one of us!"

I guess that's the world of finance though. Makes me glad I'm an engineer where this crap is a little less prevalent.

DoubleDown

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #5 on: March 12, 2013, 08:41:25 AM »
This behavior makes no sense to me. Free (decent/good) coffee, but I'll go pay for it downstairs.

Just last night I was at the grocery store. Cheerios were on sale for $2.50/box. There were two sizes available, one with say 16 oz, and another with say 24 oz., but both the same sale price for some reason. Who in their right mind would buy the smaller box? But I'm sure someone did.

aclarridge

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #6 on: March 12, 2013, 09:15:49 AM »
That's crazy. What type of banking is he in? I am in a quantitative group and nobody does stuff like that here, but I could maybe see investment bankers (MBA types) doing that for the bravado :) Traders probably wouldn't, they're too busy.

Oddly enough my wife is an engineer as well. I am too, I just don't practice as one.

BlueMR2

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #7 on: March 12, 2013, 10:03:11 AM »
What the hell is with the image/prestige of the white and green cup?

As a former coffee addict (now reformed and not just coffee, but caffeine free for several months!)...

Starbucks is much higher quality than any of the K-cups/Keurig coffee that I ever tried (and I tried a LOT as we have a number of Keurigs scattered around work).  The k-cups are tolerable if nothing else is around, but it's definitely not the same quality as what you get going to a Starbucks store or kiosk.

chicagomeg

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #8 on: March 12, 2013, 10:08:26 AM »
What the hell is with the image/prestige of the white and green cup?

As a former coffee addict (now reformed and not just coffee, but caffeine free for several months!)...

Starbucks is much higher quality than any of the K-cups/Keurig coffee that I ever tried (and I tried a LOT as we have a number of Keurigs scattered around work).  The k-cups are tolerable if nothing else is around, but it's definitely not the same quality as what you get going to a Starbucks store or kiosk.

I've never had a K-cup, but it must be pretty bad to be worse quality than Starbucks. Other than the rare Frappicino (sp?) in the summer time, I spend my $20/month budget at my local coffee shop.

DebtDerp

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #9 on: March 12, 2013, 10:20:31 AM »
wakkowarner: It's like DebtDerp described it. There is a pile of k-cups (of all varietes) and a Keurig in the lunch room on their floor, but his co-workers would rather join a group where people take turns taking the elevator down 35 flights to bring back trays of $5 beverages, 2x a day.

There is this business culture now that seems to say: "If you don't need coffee to work, then you are not pushing yourself hard enough. And if you can't afford to drop $10 a day on coffee, then you are not one of us!"

I guess that's the world of finance though. Makes me glad I'm an engineer where this crap is a little less prevalent.

Ugh, now I feel even more stupid. We don't have that crappy k-cup stuff we actually have a big machine that brews fresh individual coffees from fresh coffee beans. Check it out: http://www.potogoldcoffee.com/equipment.html

Yeah, I have no defense.

ivyhedge

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #10 on: March 12, 2013, 10:55:14 AM »
Quote
What the hell is with the image/prestige of the white and green cup?


FYI: One can purchase all sorts of Starbucks branded cups online, including all of those used in stores, in bulk prices and quantities. Perhaps a gag birthday gift? Then he'd *always* have a cup on his desk.


In all seriousness, SBUX offers a sturdy, recyclable plastic cup that looks just like the paper ones for $1 and returns a $0.10 discount (it has recently popped up near the registers). If he kept that around, no one would know what was in it, be it a water purge or a java infusion...


Quote

These people are supposed to be financial experts.


Some experts conform: others do not. Know any doctors? We do ... Many of their recommendations follow a "do as I say not as I do" format. Given the schedules most physicians keep, many will admit to gorging on java and fast food to keep ahead of the sleepmonster!

EMP

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #11 on: March 12, 2013, 11:19:51 AM »
I have to agree with Louis CK, Starbucks coffee tastes like some old lady's diarrhea to me. 

mushroom

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #12 on: March 12, 2013, 11:58:30 AM »
Just last night I was at the grocery store. Cheerios were on sale for $2.50/box. There were two sizes available, one with say 16 oz, and another with say 24 oz., but both the same sale price for some reason. Who in their right mind would buy the smaller box? But I'm sure someone did.

Not to get too off track, but I might. I'll go for the larger item if it's cheaper than the smaller one, but if they're the same price and I prefer the smaller quantity, I might go for the smaller. I'm thinking of stuff like any size coffee at McDonald's for $1 - I'll get the small one if I don't want that much caffeine, and a larger one is extra waste (throwing away the extra coffee and larger cups). I do the same thing with buying smaller bags of popcorn than the standard size since I hate trying to finish an entire standard one by myself. And while I would usually go for the larger box of cereal, if I were, say, traveling and only in one place temporarily, I might go for the smaller size. I'd be annoyed by making myself eat more cereal than I want to or dealing with extra waste. I ran into this when I spent a few days in Prague with only a carry-on backpack and bought a giant box of cereal because it was on sale and felt guilty about not finishing the entire box. Enough ranting but I hate it when my husband pressures me to always go for the bigger item!

minimalist

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #13 on: March 12, 2013, 02:02:01 PM »
wakkowarner: It's like DebtDerp described it. There is a pile of k-cups (of all varietes) and a Keurig in the lunch room on their floor, but his co-workers would rather join a group where people take turns taking the elevator down 35 flights to bring back trays of $5 beverages, 2x a day.

There is this business culture now that seems to say: "If you don't need coffee to work, then you are not pushing yourself hard enough. And if you can't afford to drop $10 a day on coffee, then you are not one of us!"

I guess that's the world of finance though. Makes me glad I'm an engineer where this crap is a little less prevalent.

K-cups taste horrible regardless of the coffee flavor/brand. Starbucks isn't $5; it's $1.86 (including tax) for a cup of coffee and I get free refills (at least 3x) with my gold card, which brings the total down to $0.62 per cup. However, I brew my own tea at work 95% of the time, which costs about $0.10 per cup.

Jamesqf

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #14 on: March 12, 2013, 02:05:41 PM »
Just last night I was at the grocery store. Cheerios were on sale for $2.50/box. There were two sizes available, one with say 16 oz, and another with say 24 oz., but both the same sale price for some reason. Who in their right mind would buy the smaller box? But I'm sure someone did.

Not to get too off track, but I might. I'll go for the larger item if it's cheaper than the smaller one, but if they're the same price and I prefer the smaller quantity, I might go for the smaller.

My grocery store is even worse.  They carry two sizes of Cheerios, and the price per ounce is posted on the shelves.  Lately the large box has been running 18 cents/oz, while the small box is 16 cents/oz.  Though sometimes they switch: I've actually seen the large box cheaper than the small one.  Not cheaper per ounce, you understand, but the small box at say $2.50, and the large box for $2.45.

No Name Guy

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #15 on: March 12, 2013, 05:10:20 PM »
Minimalist:  That $5 is referring to a full on latte / mocha type drink, not drip coffee.

That said, a made at home espresso drink is far less expensive that buying at Starbucks or your local shop, although still far more expensive than straight drip from home.

By the numbers.  Assumes coffee at $10 / lb, milk at $4 / gallon (3.1 cents / ounce) and Toranni syrup at $8 per 750ml bottle.

Coffee usage is 9 grams / shot - that's 20 cents of coffee per shot of espresso. 

1 ounce of syrup is just shy of 32 cents, 1 1/4 ounces is just shy of 40 cents, 1 1/2 ounces is a bit over 47 cents.

Assume 1, 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 ounces of syrup respectively below and milk not stretched (e.g. foamed) excessively.

Rough costs of home made espresso drinks:
12 ounce vanilla latte, double shot is about:  96 cents.
16 ounce vanilla latte, double shot is about $1.18
20 ounce vanilla latte, double shot is about $1.39

Nords

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #16 on: March 12, 2013, 07:20:46 PM »
I have to agree with Louis CK, Starbucks coffee tastes like some old lady's diarrhea to me.
Do we really want to see his peer-reviewed double-blind research on how he arrived at that conclusion?

dragoncar

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #17 on: March 12, 2013, 08:09:32 PM »
Minimalist:  That $5 is referring to a full on latte / mocha type drink, not drip coffee.

Ok, so does the Keurig make full on latte / mocha type drinks?

FiveSigmas

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #18 on: March 12, 2013, 11:51:13 PM »
I have to agree with Louis CK, Starbucks coffee tastes like some old lady's diarrhea to me.
Do we really want to see his peer-reviewed double-blind research on how he arrived at that conclusion?

Bwahahaha. What sort of sample size do you need to make it past peer review?

BTW: The answer to your question is "No. No I do not."

minimalist

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #19 on: March 13, 2013, 09:32:40 AM »
Minimalist:  That $5 is referring to a full on latte / mocha type drink, not drip coffee.

EngGirl said:
Quote
There is this business culture now that seems to say: "If you don't need coffee to work, then you are not pushing yourself hard enough. And if you can't afford to drop $10 a day on coffee, then you are not one of us!"

A cup of Starbucks coffee is $1.86 with free refills. Lattes are unhealthy. Many people think Starbucks coffee is $5 and that's an exaggeration.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2013, 10:18:10 AM by minimalist »

dragoncar

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #20 on: March 13, 2013, 10:59:31 AM »
I don't have this problem myself, but sometimes spending $10/day to fit in with your coworkers is just a cost of continued employment (like meeting a formal dress code)

EMP

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #21 on: March 13, 2013, 11:09:39 AM »
I don't have this problem myself, but sometimes spending $10/day to fit in with your coworkers is just a cost of continued employment (like meeting a formal dress code)

I was just wondering about this as I saw all of the IT guys headed out for lunch.  How do you make friends/advance your career if you're always the one staying behind and brown bagging it?

MrSaturday

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #22 on: March 13, 2013, 11:56:24 AM »
I was just wondering about this as I saw all of the IT guys headed out for lunch.  How do you make friends/advance your career if you're always the one staying behind and brown bagging it?

As the one who always stays behind with the brown bag, I can tell you that being the guy who gets things done goes a long way on the career aspect.  As for making friends, I'm on great terms with my colleagues but If I want to join the friend club going out to lunch isn't going to be enough.  I'd need a large 4x4 and a Harley to get my membership approved.

TLV

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #23 on: March 13, 2013, 12:00:42 PM »
I don't have this problem myself, but sometimes spending $10/day to fit in with your coworkers is just a cost of continued employment (like meeting a formal dress code)

I was just wondering about this as I saw all of the IT guys headed out for lunch.  How do you make friends/advance your career if you're always the one staying behind and brown bagging it?

Friday 4pm "Settlers of Catan" :)

EMP

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #24 on: March 13, 2013, 12:05:43 PM »
Guess I need a gig that's less intensive with the brown-nosing then.  You don't move up here unless you're on someone's bowling league or in the boss's church group.

DebtDerp

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #25 on: March 13, 2013, 12:08:34 PM »
I was just wondering about this as I saw all of the IT guys headed out for lunch.  How do you make friends/advance your career if you're always the one staying behind and brown bagging it?

There is a middle ground. I will usually go out to lunch with coworkers once a week and hit up the happy hours a couple times each month. I have a great relationship with everyone in my office and no one thinks I am anti-social. This is actually a big part of building relationships in a corporate environment and will go a long way towards career advancement.

crumbcatcher

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #26 on: March 13, 2013, 01:30:42 PM »
That said, a made at home espresso drink is far less expensive that buying at Starbucks or your local shop, although still far more expensive than straight drip from home.

...

Rough costs of home made espresso drinks:
12 ounce vanilla latte, double shot is about:  96 cents.
16 ounce vanilla latte, double shot is about $1.18
20 ounce vanilla latte, double shot is about $1.39


Plus, if you can score a good deal on one of these bad boys, you can feel totally badass making your own espresso drink at home! 

(Seriously, I had so much fun learning how to "pull a shot" the old-fashioned way, and since it wasn't automatic I had full control over how strong to make everything.)

ReceedingStache

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #27 on: March 13, 2013, 01:55:15 PM »
This behavior makes no sense to me. Free (decent/good) coffee, but I'll go pay for it downstairs.

Just last night I was at the grocery store. Cheerios were on sale for $2.50/box. There were two sizes available, one with say 16 oz, and another with say 24 oz., but both the same sale price for some reason. Who in their right mind would buy the smaller box? But I'm sure someone did.

I've seen it worse than that,  where there is a great sale on the big box and it's cheaper than the small box.

Not to get into the fairly common practice of large packs being more expensive per unit than small packs.
I almost fell for this a few weeks back.  Cans of Baked beans, box of 12 was 25 cents more than 12 loose cans.  I bought 24 loose cans and plonked them on the checkout belt.



Rollin

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #28 on: March 13, 2013, 02:29:43 PM »
I have to agree with Louis CK, Starbucks coffee tastes like some old lady's diarrhea to me.
Do we really want to see his peer-reviewed double-blind research on how he arrived at that conclusion?

Bwahahaha. What sort of sample size do you need to make it past peer review?

BTW: The answer to your question is "No. No I do not."

I didn't even like reading it once, let alone seeing more study!

Rollin

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #29 on: March 13, 2013, 02:31:26 PM »
I don't have this problem myself, but sometimes spending $10/day to fit in with your coworkers is just a cost of continued employment (like meeting a formal dress code)

I was just wondering about this as I saw all of the IT guys headed out for lunch.  How do you make friends/advance your career if you're always the one staying behind and brown bagging it?

Reminds me of the Friends episode where the girl took up smoking so that she could be "in."

chicagomeg

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #30 on: March 13, 2013, 03:09:31 PM »
I don't have this problem myself, but sometimes spending $10/day to fit in with your coworkers is just a cost of continued employment (like meeting a formal dress code)

I was just wondering about this as I saw all of the IT guys headed out for lunch.  How do you make friends/advance your career if you're always the one staying behind and brown bagging it?

Reminds me of the Friends episode where the girl took up smoking so that she could be "in."

If they're not going anywhere fancy, you can just go and take an inconspicuous snack, then have a quick lunch at your desk when you get back. Or, be the lunch instigator and suggest going to a local park or other public area and just take your lunch with you.

Taryl

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #31 on: March 16, 2013, 09:15:28 PM »
My guess?  Everything tastes better when someone else makes it.  Whether its a latte or a bowl of cereal.

mobilisinmobili

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Re: Yet another Starbucks story…
« Reply #32 on: March 27, 2013, 09:24:53 AM »
The Starbucks Keurig cups at my work are x4 the price ($1) of any of the other companies (.25 cents). Ridiculous.

I only go to indie coffee shops (fortunately one of the best coffees in the city is right next to my apartment) .. where the coffee is better and cheaper. Mmm.

I only use Starbucks for hiding from people when I'm in China.