I’ll try to keep this short and sweet.
My office manager would frequently provide Starbucks treats/coffee twice a month. She’d also parade around every day with a $10 sugar drink.
Back of the napkin math: $400 a month personally, and $500 a month from the company. Or $4800/yr and $6000/yr.
In my city, Starbucks has been closing rather than allow stores to unionize. Apparently, the latest closing was the last straw. Fed up, she finally purchased locally. And to her surprise, her drink “tastes better”.
Small win.
Starbucks hasn’t been decent for a decade, and it was debatably decent before then - you either liked their coffee or didn’t. I have definitely noticed a downturn in their coffee quality. Bland and indistinct. Same with Dunks, they used to have a distinct flavor, but that’s gone in favor of a watered down generic coffee.
They’re both suffering from enshittification, where prices go up, variety and quality go down in favor of propping up the quarterly report.
Anyway, point being, corporate coffee chains suck. Just buy from a decent local shop. Coffee and pastries, or even a real decent breakfast sandwich, can be had and taken on the go. Taste way better and supports a local business.
Local all the way! With corporate coffee, you at BEST get okay coffee and snacks. Local chains are generally at least okay coffee as they tend to bomb hard if their coffee is bad, but they’re also your only chance to find fantastic coffee and baked goods. Explore local, find the best coffee. It’s out there, waiting for you