On Protesting Starbucks
There is a petition going around at my school to stop Starbucks from opening a coffee shop in our pathetic substitute Union (because the other one is under construction), and I can say that almost everyone I know has signed it, except me. Apparently, said Starbucks is going to take over the area known as The Cornerstone (a cafe/bakery). Keep in mind that Cornerstone only has a few cheap things on the menu, (specifically the Roundabout Sandwich) BUT otherwise, it'll cost you about $8-12 to eat there (a full meal). In fact, chew on this, you can buy a bottled water IN THE BOOKSTORE (right next to said Cornerstone) for twenty cents cheaper than in the bakery itself. The service and quality of the food is not what you pay for, only because you're paying for the convenience of being close to your next class.
What the members of the student body fail to realize about protesting Starbucks is as follows: 1) Cornerstone is just as expensive, 2) though I do not hold the quality of Starbucks above any other coffee house or restaurant, it's better than Cornerstone, 3) when the new Union opens next Fall, there will be plenty of craptastically over-priced foods for them to choose from, 4) by the time a full-scale Starbucks opens where the Cornerstone was, the new Union will either be close to completion or already open, 5) the Administration is not going to listen to you, the University is a business and the object of all business is to make a profit, you have chosen to live in capitalist society and therefore, in the world of profit and numbers, if Starbucks offers the school more money for the space, there isn't much the student body can do about it.
Further, I'm all about protest, when it means something. With all the energy expended on protesting Starbucks (whether you're a fan or not), I feel that maybe we should be protesting something more important, like changing the student medical insurance for the better, or even to update the UCI Medical Center facilities, etc.
I get really tired of hearing how incredibly evil Starbucks is, when, in fact, ANY coffee company probably has the same issues unless otherwise (often over)stated. I find it curious that the popular thing to do is always attack the company that runs its business most successfully out of the field of competitors.
Just food for thought...
What the members of the student body fail to realize about protesting Starbucks is as follows: 1) Cornerstone is just as expensive, 2) though I do not hold the quality of Starbucks above any other coffee house or restaurant, it's better than Cornerstone, 3) when the new Union opens next Fall, there will be plenty of craptastically over-priced foods for them to choose from, 4) by the time a full-scale Starbucks opens where the Cornerstone was, the new Union will either be close to completion or already open, 5) the Administration is not going to listen to you, the University is a business and the object of all business is to make a profit, you have chosen to live in capitalist society and therefore, in the world of profit and numbers, if Starbucks offers the school more money for the space, there isn't much the student body can do about it.
Further, I'm all about protest, when it means something. With all the energy expended on protesting Starbucks (whether you're a fan or not), I feel that maybe we should be protesting something more important, like changing the student medical insurance for the better, or even to update the UCI Medical Center facilities, etc.
I get really tired of hearing how incredibly evil Starbucks is, when, in fact, ANY coffee company probably has the same issues unless otherwise (often over)stated. I find it curious that the popular thing to do is always attack the company that runs its business most successfully out of the field of competitors.
Just food for thought...