The other day a friend invited me to meet him at Starbucks. I had not been in a Starbucks for years. I don’t drink coffee. My friend was late because another appointment ran long, but while waiting for him, I came to understand a little about the genius behind the coffee-giant chain.
Most obviously, Starbucks has become a draw for twentysomethings with money to spare. Of the 40 or so people at the business during my 20 minutes of waiting, only one of them (besides me) was over 35. The store I went to is on a busy thoroughfare, not on a college campus. Yet Starbucks, playing Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett music, somehow has become a destination for studying collegians.
I imagine it mostly involves allowing young adults to be comfortable. Many of the patrons sat around with laptops and/or textbooks, as if they were studying in a dorm room. They felt no urge to move on; in fact, many of the people who were in the place when I arrived were still there when I left an hour and a half later. But, even though they may not interact with anyone, students feel more connected just sitting in a place that sells overpriced coffee to others just like them.
I had hot chocolate. It was good, but probably not worth $3.
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