The last few months I’ve been spending a lot more time in Starbucks. I’m a stand-up comic and, in theory, a writer. But I finally accepted that no writing was getting done at home. I ventured forth with my laptop to my neighborhood funky cupcake bakery on Rivington Street and camped out for a couple of hours. I thought I had found my home. But they have no public bathroom, the temperature was often too warm for my over-insulated physique and their hours were limited and erratic. One evening the bakery closed early and I was forced to make do with the Starbucks nearby.
I have avoided Starbucks ever since they erupted onto the coffee scene. In my mind they were the colonizing invaders, a pseudo funky cool in a cookie cutter way conglomerate, and I didn’t want to encourage with my patronage. In retrospect and with further consideration I’m sure their employee treatment and Corporate citizenry is no worse and probably much better than Duncan Donuts my former favorite coffee source. It wasn’t a well thought out prejudice. But what prejudice is, huh?! Am I right people!?
My neighborhood Starbucks is on Delancey and Allen Streets and I reluctantly entered that evening to find that it was actually quite nice. Big and airy, large windows on two of the four walls, some comfy chairs, a couch and a number of wall outlets for us laptoppers. A great place to people watch with a cross section of patrons including local teenagers, European tourists, downtown hipsters, the high functioning homeless/mentally ill and various students and freelancers needing cheap office space.
I can’t say I’ve remained unchanged by my time sitting among all the blond wood and boutique coffees. I’ve given in to the ostentatious sizing jargon. I used to want to insist on saying small instead of tall, medium instead of Grande. But I don’t even feel the impulse anymore. I’m choosing my battles and giving low paid baristas a hard time with my order is low on my list. I’ve noticed too that the baristas are also less rigid then in the old days about using the correct nomenclature. Other patrons less in the know or still harboring a taste for rebellion will ask for the medium or large and Ms. or Mr. barista won’t even blink. I’m guessing we both have grown out of our adolescent insistence on image, more comfortable in our matured identities. There’s also the fact that Starbucks, the once ever expanding can-do-no-wrong golden boy of America’s retail landscape has seen it’s mortality, needed to scale back a bit, close some stores. Not quite so full of itself I’m guessing the SB execs and QC people are a little less demanding of the counter people to stand on ceremony and be a little more customer friendly. Change really has come to America.
"You look so sad I'm going to say a prayer for you!"
