I may be a day late and a latte short on the brew ha-ha that the Seattle coffee chain is killing off 600 stores, but I guess I just don't care. A year ago I would have been crying in my Gold Coast by this news. Truth is Starbucks (and this is a true blog confession) I'm just not that into you. Things have been cold between us for months. I rarely pause when I notice you on the street, choosing to see other people, like my French press at home, who has less issues. Last week when I was in Montreal, the sight of the green mermaid bummed me out. You've turned into McDonalds and your coffee (while still quite palatable) is not the be-all end-all brew it used to be. And we tire of the long longs and endless promotions w/ iTunes, Barnes and Noble and those cute fuzzy bears vying for our attention at the register. I just came for a coffee and walked out with “stuff.” You’ve turned into Wal-Mart w/ better furniture.
Yes, I guess the honeymoon is over bucks. I think I just may be growing up. When the list of the 600 stores getting the ax is released from Caffeine Central (my hunch is Billerica is on it) I probably won't shed a tear. Life goes on and the good news is so many places have improved their coffee quality (MD’s, DD’s, the corner convenience store) that frankly we don’t need the bucks as much as we used to. For that we thank-you and let’s stay friends.