Oh the sweet, Starbucks Pumpkin Spice, how I love thee

I know I’ve said and thought some awful things about Starbucks in the past. (All of which are true.) I go to Starbucks from time to time but it probably has more to do with convenience than love. However, such feelings were pushed aside yesterday as I enjoyed the Pumpkin Spice frappuccino. This is the one drink that I cannot resist. (I enjoy the Pumpkin Spice latte as well.)

In order to make the drink they use an exclusive sauce instead of a syrup (most coffee shops use Pumpkin Spice syrup during the Fall months). Starbucks does not sell the sauce to customers. Despite this, the Pumpkin Spice sauce always shows up on ebay. I just checked. There is a current auction for the sauce starting at $45. This seems similar to the auctions I was looking at last year and yes, people were bidding. I wouldn’t pay that much but then, I’ve never been able to obtain the sauce on my own (despite numerous efforts!). Maybe its time I find a Starbucks insider who would be more than happy to please me.

Why go to church when you can go to Starbucks?

(What a blasphemous title! I know!)

"We like to say that our church is a genuine community of faith, the kind of place people can feel at home. Still, you may have to go down the block to get to see that become a reality for lots of people. We need to be honest and admit that people are lining up to get into Starbucks, but they aren't lining up to get into many of our churches. Why?" -Rev. Greg Asimakoupoulos [Source]

Why? I have a few theories:

Starbucks is trendy. Churches are not. Unless you consider the churches who serve Starbucks. They might be on to something.

Consider the kind of graphic design that goes into promoting churches. In a word: boring. Meanwhile, Starbucks knows how to successfully market itself.

Consider the calorie and sugar amount in frappuccinos (the popular drink for the non-coffee drinker). A venti mocha frappuccino has 500 calories with 67 grams of sugar. Many Starbucks goers never stop to check the nutrition information on drinks but I imagine all that sugar must make one very happy.

I have more theories but I’ll stop there. If you would like to share your own, feel free.