Senior Unfairly Demoted by Starbucks

The worst thing happened to me today. The absolute worst. I was demoted to a “green” status by Starbucks. They’re right on the corner by our house and I do frequent them. But I didn’t get 300 stars this year so I’m demoted. How dare they do that to me? I bought their stock back in the day before people even knew who they were.

The new Starbucks on the corner, about a half-a-mile-away, must’ve been designed by someone who flunked out of architectural school. You have to drive into and out of the adjacent shopping center parking lot, turn to get back to the main busy street, then turn back into the Starbuck’s designated area lot to wait in line. Then to leave you have to do it all in reverse.  So much traffic you can nearly lose your life just to get your damn coffee.

Did I give up, no! I continued to go to that navigationally challenged Starbucks. I’m not a quitter. I never give up. I’m up to the challenge. Almost avoiding death on more than one occasion just to get my Starbucks. But a demotion? This is how I get repaid?

Besides the horrible location are the sassy teenage baristas. They give me the look when I ask for one shot of coffee instead of two. Then when I ask for extra ice, so my coffee actually gets cold, and a little sugar, they look at me like I’ve committed a crime. But time after time I go back for all of these insults to get my Starbucks. I deserve a medal.

And when my husband and I want to split one of their gigantic fattening drinks, we often ask for 2 cups to split, the verbal abuse we get from them is unacceptable. After all we have to watch our carbs. We’d rather have a little bit of a good thing then nothing.

As a senior citizen I deserve some respect from those people. I’ve defended them through thick and thin, through protests and criticism far and wide. And this is how I get repaid?

I lived for their little specials they sent me. That’s all gone now! What’s a girl to do with no coupons or specials? At my age that was a big highlight of my life.

When you reach a certain age it’s the little perks that keep you going. It doesn’t take much to make me happy these days. I was looking forward to the Thursday afternoon specials. Gone. Taken away from me like a dog losing her bone.

What about all the gift cards I’ve given from Starbucks through the years. They should’ve added that to my stars. As much as I’ve spent with them on gift cards I should get free coffee for life.

I even had total shoulder replacement on my left arm for Starbucks. I couldn’t raise my arm high enough and it wasn’t strong enough to get the coffee through the window. Oh happy days when my arm was finally recovered after years of physical therapy that I could stick my arm up and out the window to get my Starbucks coffee. I went through all of this pain and rehab to lose my status. I don’t think so.

I’m going to have to rethink my gift giving strategy. Even my granddaughter loves Starbucks. I introduced her to coffee when she was pretty young. She was hooked. I made it very special for her. More milk than coffee but it was a way to get her to drink milk which she hated and I thought I was a genius. I gave Starbucks a coffee drinker for life and this is how I get repaid?

She’s a working girl now so she can afford the fancy schmancy drinks that grandma can’t.

I even told everyone that Starbuck’s Founder Howard Schultz was nothing short of a genius. He knew how to treat people and was very charitable and giving. If you ask me he should be president now but that’s a story for another day.

I don’t think he sits at the helm anymore. I wonder what Mr. Schultz thinks of me being demoted like yesterday‘s garbage.

No more “flat whites” in the winter time, no more mocha drinks in the summer. No more lattes. It’s downright depressing.

I wasn’t this upset when my favorite team, the St. Louis Cardinals lost the World Series, again. I can take disappointment. I’m a Boomer. Our lives are all about disappointments, wars, Watergate etc. We even lost much of our stock portfolio when Wall Street screwed up big-time.

But this was worse than all those put together for me. Yes I can make my own coffee with the best of them. Making it every day. But there’s something about the waffling smell of the coffee permeating from the drive-through. I can even smell it before my car gets to the little window. That puts me on a caffeine high for the rest of the day.

The least they could do is honor me by putting a little bench outside my Starbucks with my name on it. That way I can sit there when the weather permits, people watch, and inhale the unbelievably enticing smell of their coffee. Now that’s caffeine, sugar free.