Observations in a Starbucks
It's 10:05 a.m. Sunday morning. Starbucks is packed. Only one chair is unoccupied. Well more than one seat is empty, but an empty seat isn't always unoccupied. One kid dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans leans over four textbooks, flashcards and a notebook at a table with four chairs. Those seats are taken by his imaginary study buddies, and it would be rude to invade his study space with your Venti chia tea. Half the customers are studying and the other half are lost in the sensory experience that Starbucks provides.
The smell is instantly recognizable. Only Starbucks has that unmistakable smell of frothed milk, steamy espresso, coffee grounds and warming pastries. The smell latches into your clothes for the rest of the day--a subtle olfactory reminder of your addiction to caffeine and hipster culture.
The employees are friendly and awake. They are morning people, and they serve a population of mostly not morning people. The baristas likely wake up at 4:30 a.m. even on days they don't have to work. They just like getting up before the rest of us, and they don't mind getting out of bed before the sunrise says it's OK. Do morning people practice an intense self-discipline? Or are their early arousals not a consequence of choice? Society seems to give them the benefit of the doubt; we think morning people are more disciplined. They are self-driven and probably more successful. I should consider becoming a morning person.
"Grande water for Joseph," the barista said, interrupting my philosophical wanderings that preoccupy the conscience in Starbucks. Who the hell goes to Starbucks and orders a grande water? Apparently Joseph. He must be a morning person who isn't controlled by caffeine. He's tougher than a latte. I'm certainly not.
The smell is instantly recognizable. Only Starbucks has that unmistakable smell of frothed milk, steamy espresso, coffee grounds and warming pastries. The smell latches into your clothes for the rest of the day--a subtle olfactory reminder of your addiction to caffeine and hipster culture.
The employees are friendly and awake. They are morning people, and they serve a population of mostly not morning people. The baristas likely wake up at 4:30 a.m. even on days they don't have to work. They just like getting up before the rest of us, and they don't mind getting out of bed before the sunrise says it's OK. Do morning people practice an intense self-discipline? Or are their early arousals not a consequence of choice? Society seems to give them the benefit of the doubt; we think morning people are more disciplined. They are self-driven and probably more successful. I should consider becoming a morning person.
"Grande water for Joseph," the barista said, interrupting my philosophical wanderings that preoccupy the conscience in Starbucks. Who the hell goes to Starbucks and orders a grande water? Apparently Joseph. He must be a morning person who isn't controlled by caffeine. He's tougher than a latte. I'm certainly not.
Comments
Post a Comment