I just don't get it!

Hank, I'm with you on this one. Cannot understand anyone buying coffee at Starbucks. Here in Heath, OH, where I live, we have a Caribou Coffee. Very similar to Starbucks. The price of just one cup of java from these folks is ridiculous. I could go home and make a whole pot of coffee for the same price as to buy just one cup of their's. I just can't justify this unnecessary expenditure. I'd rather save that amount for a Starbucks coffee and put it towards seeds for my garden or another more sensible project!

In the town we're moving to in SC, there's a great little coffee shop. They have their own plantation in Africa, and they roast and ship coffee all over the country. Great coffee, although a little spendy for everyday use. Here's the kicker, though: When you go in their cafe, if you bring your own mug, or use one of theirs, but serve yourself, it's $1.00! Drink all you want! $1.00! We tried all six varieties they had brewed the day we went there- we were pretty buzzed. Now, if you want a fancy froo-froo coffee with a long, complicated name, they'll gladly hit you up for $4.00, but at least you go there and soak up good coffee on the cheap. If you want to try their coffees, it's http://www.leopardforestcoffee.com/

__________________
"What one generation tolerates, the next generation embraces." -John Wesley

Starbucks is a luxury for me and I like the atmosphere of our local Starbucks - you can sit and read a newspaper and drink coffee and no one looks at you like "would you hurry up and get the heck out, we need that table!".

I do not do lots of shopping at malls (heck maybe twice a year I go to a mall, mostly for gifts for other people) and don't have other vices, so a 4.00 splurge on a cup of white mocha or a frapp once in a while isn't going to break the bank. Heck if it does, I am in worse shape than I thought and need to take a look at my finances!

It's not easy to explain the "rabid fascination" with Starbucks, it is an experience to say the least, a place where friends can gather without alcohol (and in most towns, the local bar is where many singles gather and I am single and prefer to meet up in a coffeehouse). I like Starbucks and since they have changed their brew time, the coffee has improved at my local shop. (new pot every 7 minutes now I believe is what was changed). And unless you get a specialty drink, a regular cup of coffee is around 1.50..about the same as anywhere else.

It's the flavored drinks, etc. that are expensive, so if you want a regular cup of coffee, you can get one very reasonably priced. Most people don't know that because they only hear about the cost of the flavored coffees.

It's just an experience, I know folks who pay 5.00 for a glass of wine..or 7.00 for a mixed drink..to me that is ridiculous..so it depends on what your "luxury" is and how much you are willing to spend for it.

For me, going to Starbucks once a month isn't going to break the bank..I can meet my riding friends there and have a ball for an hour, all for the cost of a cup of coffee..I normally plan those outings on the day I go to TSC to pick up feed for the elderly horses, as the Starbucks is right across the street, so no wasted gas either!

I am a coffee hound though and at home have a counter full of coffee making appliances so normally if I want a latte or capaccino, I brew my own. Same for expresso and grind my own beans. It's my little luxury at home and the cost is nominal over the ten years or so I have had my expresso machine and capaccino machine. Nothing better on a cold day than a hot latte brewed at home!

__________________
Be yourself - no one can tell you that you're doing it wrong!

MushCreek: I have tried the Leopard coffee and it is good. A cafe up here uses it. Tosh's Whistle Stop uses it. It is a good coffee.

I do like Starbucks but my favorite is the Paul Newman's Breakfast Blend or the Paul Newman's French Roast. Since we make coffee at home (in French Press) then it is less expensive. I only drink it 4 days a week since I am too hyper anyway.

My husband, older son and I all tried a "taste test" once to see if we could really tell the difference. My sister had brought some Folgers up here, we had the Leopard Coffee, Starbucks and the Paul Newman's. I was the only one who correctly identified the Paul's, Leopard and Folgers. I missed and thought the Starbucks was the Paul's or Leopard.

My husband could ID Folgers -vs- the others and so could son, but they could not tell difference between the Leopard / Paul and Starbucks.

Since I am the one here most of the time (they travel) then I picked the coffee and I pick the Paul Newman's!

I like to put just a tiny dash of cinnamon in the coffee, then pour the water on it. When we use the Mr. Coffee machine, I just put the dash of cinnamon in the coffee before turning on the water.

I love coffee!

Best I can figure they're selling the atmosphere as much or more so than the coffee.
Disney style.