Choices: The Expensive Coffee Debate

Starbucks on Briggate

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I read several Personal Finance blogs, one of which being Consumerist.  I have to admit, lately I haven’t been as focused on reading all the blogs in my reader feed as I normally am, but this particular post caught my eye.  Apparently, Katie Couric interviewed Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz, on CBS Sunday Morning.  In her interview she asked him questions about the price of Starbucks’ coffee drinks, and implied that the CEO and the company have, acted irresponsibly by continuing to offer expensive coffee drinks, when people could no longer afford to pay $5 for a latte.

First, I am not a coffee drinker, so I don’t typically spend any money in places like Starbucks.  Also, I tend to only go to Starbucks when I have a gift card.  So, for me, Starbucks falls into my “luxury” category of spending.  This means, it is not something I NEED to spend money on, but sometimes a hot chocolate makes me feel good so it’s a treat.  Dining out, going to movies (and getting snacks at the movie theater,) shoe shopping all fall into that category for me typically.  What I’ve learned, especially in regard to money, is life is full of choices.  Ultimately, it is the consumer’s choice to pay $5 for a coffee.   If you can’t afford the coffee, don’t buy it, there are plenty of less expensive options available to people.  I do not hold Starbucks responsible for a person’s inability to pay for a coffee.  The same way that I do not hold Christian Loubiton responsible for making gorgeous shoes I can not afford.  In my mind, any coffee made not at home, or that has flavors added to it is in essence, a “designer,” coffee, and with “designer” labels comes cost.  If you can not pay the cost, you shouldn’t be purchasing the items.  I believe that attempting to scapegoat the company is simply trying to shif the level of responsibility off the individuals.  It’s your money, people! Starbucks isn’t forcing you to shop there!

In the comment section of the post at Consumerist, one person brought up a great point. This particular commenter stated that he continues to go to places like Starbucks because he enjoys the atmosphere, but also because he knows the higher cost of the coffee goes into better paying salaries and benefits for the employees of the company.  By patronizing Starbucks he is voting with his dollar for a company that treats its employees well and offeres competitive benefits.  This was interesting to me because the reasoning was similar to friends I have who WON”T shop at places like Wal-Mart.  They don’t agree with many of the corporate policies, so they choose not to shop there. Do you vote with your dollars?

The fact that this was even an argument seemed ridiculous to me.  Why should Starbucks change their pricing if their sales are still strong? 

What do you think?  Has Starbucks acted irresponsibly in the face of the recent financial crisis?

5 Comments

Catherine, March 30th 2011 | Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in 2011, blogs, in the news, life, money, wtf

Guest Post: The Benefits of Packing a Lunch

Clare is one of my favorite people, and was one of the first people I looked up to on these here interwebs.  Back in the day (of 1997 or so) I was a fledgling personal webpage owner (and an avid Hanson Fan page owner), and Clare had an adorable site that I just adored.  We became friends, and the rest, as they say, is history.  Clare graciously agreed to help me out while I’m in Phoenix this weekend!

~*~

Greetings, readers of See Tiny Run. My name is Clare and I’ve had the pleasure of being one of Cat’s friends for thirteen years now. I blog at Never Niche. Cat asked if I’d be interested in a guest post while she’s out of town this weekend and clearly I am. 

Cat photo documents her meals and exercise on a regular basis. I’m not much of a food blogger, mostly because I know readers’ eyes will glaze over when they see that I eat the same things day after day, but I’m definitely a foodie in real life. I’m also always interested in meal planning for less money, cutting corners, and eating great food without breaking the budget. For this guest post I will be discussing the importance of packing a lunch. This is a topic Cat is passionate about too, as she has written about her frustration with it here, here and here . I think it’s something any young working person struggles with, including myself.
 
Anyone with common sense knows that packing a lunch will save you a world of money. It’s no secret that having food prepared for your work day can help cushion your finances every week. But let’s lay it out in black and white terms…
Here’s a photo of the lunch I brought to work yesterday (like my 1960′s mustard-colored Formica? Me too.):
 
- apple
- reduced sugar granola bar
- cottage cheese
- Safeway brand frozen lasagna (I know, not the healthiest thing ever. My entree is usually a tupperware of homemade veggie chile that I crockpot on the weekend.)
- bagel thin with organic peanut butter topped with blueberry and almonds
 
I brought this food to work yesterday and had coffee from the machine in the building’s kitchen. But let’s pretend I didn’t set myself up for success. On the way in to work, let’s pretend I stopped a Starbucks for just a grande coffee (not even a frou-frou drink) and tipped one dollar. Total cost? $3.11. Then the mid-morning rolls around and I’m hungry so I go downstairs and buy an organic granola bar from the vending machine. $1.50. When lunch rolls around, I scurry out of the building and go to the sushi restaurant nearby and get two rolls and miso = $9.80 including tip. I eat in a hurry in order to get back to my desk in time. When my stomach grumbles in the mid-afternoon, I go down to the vending machine again and get a bag of chips and a soda. $3.00.
 
By the end of this pretend work day, I’ve spent $17.41. If this was my routine for the week, that total comes to $87.05. Just off the top of my head, I can think of a pretty pair of boots for that price. Or 1/4 of a plane ticket to the west coast to see Cat. Or $87.05 that I could transfer into my Roth IRA because I didn’t really use it. Etcetera! It’s important to imagine your money as part of a bigger whole and see the bigger picture. Dining out isn’t truly damaging unless it’s a constant habit.
 
I would much rather plan ahead and include plenty of lunchables in my $50/week grocery budget. It feels incredible to not spend a single dime during the work day. It’s okay to treat yourself to lattes, lunch at a restaurant with co-workers, and even the vending machine. It’s unrealistic to think that anyone can feel satisfied eating and drinking things that are only brought from home. Everything in moderation!
Happy lunching! Cat will be back and blogging on Monday.
  

4 Comments

Catherine, January 15th 2011 | Tags: , ,
Posted in 2011, blogs, food, Guest Post, lunch, money

Oireachtas – Sacramento Day 1

This morning, we started off at Starbucks for breakfast.  Originally I had planned on bringing the makings of peanut butter sandwiches but sadly, the food did not make it through the packing process.  After breakfast, we spent most of the day watching the younger dancers. Around 1pm we decided to venture out to find lunch, and ended up at a place called Ambrosia Cafe in downtown Sacramento.

I ordered the pasta salad with edemame, panchetta and almonds in a lemony sauce. It was delicious.

 

The cafe was right around the corner from the State Capitol building.

Yay!

Now, I’ve got curlers in part of my hair, and I am exhausted.  Totally ready for bed so I can get up bright and early tomorrow for our teams.  There should be more pictures tomorrow :)

2 Comments

Catherine, November 20th 2010 | Tags: , ,
Posted in Dance

The Happiest Places on Earth

I have known Rachael for 10 years, but we’d never met in person until last Thursday when she flew into LA for the first time.  We met way back in 2000 on a writing mailing list (I will not embarrass either of us with the subject matter of said mailing list, because, I don’t like to give away people’s secrets without their permission ;)   We’ve remained in touch over the years,  but never found ourselves in the same place at the same time.

So, when we realized Hanson was playing in Los Angeles this past weekend, we jumped at the chance to meet in person, and celebrate our love for all things Hanson.  When she got in to town, we immediately went through the drive thru at In-n-Out.

Because it was Rachael’s first visit, we got hats =D

I had to work all day Friday, but once I got home that evening, we set out to make a delicious dinner of Chicken Piccatta with pasta and steamed broccoli.

Yummy!!!

After dinner, it was time for Hanson concert number 1, at the House of Blues on Sunset Blvd.

ZOMG! HANSON! wheeeeee!!

I didn’t take any pictures in the venue because it was dark, and my camera doesn’t work so well without a flash in the dark.  Also, we were up in the balcony and I don’t have a lens or anything, just have a point and shoot :)

Our grand plans for the weekend were to do Hanson Friday night, wake up at 6am on Saturday morning, make pancakes and eggs, and do Disneyland.  Then around 4pm meet up with our friends who were in town from Australia (more Hanson friends =D ) and drive to San Diego for the Hanson concert there.  This idea sounded AWESOME when we were planning it.  Turns out, after going to bed around 2am on Friday, waking up at 6am was not happening.  I needed to sleep until 7:15, and then we decided to stop at Starbucks for breakfast.  I got a hot chocolate and one of those tasty breakfast sandwiches, but was so hungry I wolfed it down before I could take a picture.

Oh, yes, but first, at the Hanson concert on Friday night we bought t-shirts.

And then, we wore them to Disneyland, and then subsequently also to the Hanson concert.  I know, we were THOSE people….but I didn’t care.

We were able to get on every ride we wanted to go on with the exception of Indiana Jones because the line was insane, and by 2:30pm we were exhausted.  As in, we were sitting on a bench off of Main Street Disneyland, fantasizing about not going to San Diego, ordering a pizza and watching my VHS copies of Disney movies.  Instead, we manned up and hit Space Mountain and then did a bit of shopping and met up with our friends.

Ohh, but we ate lunch at Disneyland, and I was shocked by the selection. They even had a vegetarian option!

We both got the grilled chicken sandwich with fries and a coke.  I needed the caffeine badly.  I almost forgot, I had a brilliant idea to bring some PowerBar Gel Blasts with me, hoping they would help me fuel through the day. Maybe it worked? Still not sure.

The sandwich was actually pretty good.  The chicken was juicy, and had flavor, and it came with some guacamole and tomatoes!

After we left the park, we headed down to San Diego

I decided for this concert I needed to utilize some ear plugs, to save my hearing. Because, after Friday night, my ears were ringing for hours, and as it happens, I’d like to be able to hear things in my old age.

The show was great, we all had fun, and we managed to get home around 2am.  I had to take Rachael back to the airport on Sunday, and when I got home Travis and I went grocery shopping, and then I took a nap.  I had forgotten I’d agreed to babysit that evening, so I was out until 10:30ish.

Today, I basically feel like a zombie, in that someone has eaten my brain.  So, I will be going to bed in the very near future.   This weekend was amazing, and so much fun, and I am so glad I got to do everything, but I am ridiculously tired.

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Catherine, September 20th 2010 | Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in blogs, celebrities, Eating, food, friendship, life, Los Angeles, lunch, music

Hump Day

This morning we have clients visiting so I was tasked with getting the giant coffee box and some pastries from Starbucks. I decided to treat myself to a hot chocolate while I was there, and ended up burning my tongue and spilling hot chocolate all over the counter. You know what though? I didn’t even care, because the baristas at this particular Starbucks were SO friendly and cheerful, nothing seemed to be able to bother me this morning. They remembered my name, they engaged me in basic conversation, all while smiling.

I don’t drink coffee, have never liked the taste, so typically, I don’t stop at places like Starbucks or Coffee Bean or Peet’s because there’s really only so much hot chocolate I can drink in this lifetime. After spending 20 minutes in the cheerful atmosphere at this Starbucks, I think I get why people keep going back! I wanted to hang out there with them all morning!

Question: Are you a coffee drinker? Do you have a local coffeehouse that you stop at regularly?  Do the baristas know you?

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Catherine, July 7th 2010 | Tags: , ,
Posted in food, life, work