The last time we checked, a share of Starbucks stock was running at about $83. This is a high price, but the company is severely undervalued when you consider customers like us.
Anyone who follows our Snapchat stories is fully aware of our constant presence at Starbucks. Honestly, we spend more time sitting on their familiar couches than we do at our own respective homes.
But who can blame us? The casual background chatter, soothing music and warm environment are all too comforting and inviting. It’s a pleasant alternative to studying in our sometimes oppressively stressful households. To be honest, Starbucks is our safe haven with no parents or siblings to keep tabs on us.
And there’s no denying that their holiday drinks, complete with festive red cups, are well worth their overly expensive prices (not to mention an obligatory filtered picture on Instagram).
Maybe we do have a problem. We’ve started (casual) fist fights debating which of Starbucks’ signature paninis triumphs over the rest (Sherrilyn argues for the Turkey Pesto, whereas Jade wholeheartedly supports the superior Chicken Santa Fe), and junior Arjun Ramanathan has had to step in. It gets pretty ugly.
A fond memory of ours was when Jade was at Starbucks on a warm September evening, working on college essays. Jade received a Snapchat from Sherrilyn of a selfie with the caption “at starbucks!” Jade then proceeded to turn around after a befuddled moment and found Sherrilyn snapchatting happily a couple tables away.
“Sherr?”
“JADE?”
Like a scene from a heartwarming old movie, we stood up dramatically, ran into an unnecessarily large embrace and cried over essays together.
Starbucks is fit for all seasons; it provided a chill environment to hang out during bland summer days when we had absolutely nothing else to do. Their iced vanilla lattes refueled us with energy and their reliable air conditioning was prime protection from the unforgiving sun.
Whereas now, in the winter, their hot chocolate eases the pain of unbearable workloads. Studying with friends at the critically acclaimed couch tables provides comedic relief when teachers whip out their workload machetes and pour out neverending assignments.
There are pros and cons to doing work at Starbucks; admittedly, it all comes down to who’s around you. Make sure you bring a friend you know you can focus with.
Sometimes you choose a bad day to come; every half hour, a new friend or classmate will walk through the glass doors for a drink and suddenly, you find yourself increasingly distracted. Some will choose to park their rears adjacent to you, and you can only say goodbye to any sort of productivity.
In our case, we come to Starbucks so often together that we have noticed a pattern; our attempts at studying together have settled into a sort of constant, repetitive routine.
It all starts out great and productive — we will be halfway through our math homework until one of us (usually Jade) unwisely checks Facebook.
From here, we will spend at least an hour stalking various photos and events, Snapchatting every few minutes and commenting on each other’s old Instagram posts.
Now, as much as we’d like to continue working on this story, we’ve been sitting on the Starbucks couches too focused for too long. Ooh look, formal askings on Facebook.