I boycott $tarbuck$

  - Starbucks Is Way More Than Just Lattes - AOL Money & Finance

I have a few personal boycotts. What can I say? It's just a personal issue for me. I'm not on a crusade, I would just prefer not to spend my dollars in certain stores. Aside from overpriced coffee of questionable quality, I take issue with $tarbuck$ and any company that has too much control over what we consume. My other boycotts are just as futile; McDonalds, The Gap, Coca Cola, Ticket Master, and Clear Channel to name a few. I'll save the rants about these other companies for another time and just focus on the buck$.

The most interesting note in this article is the table on the side which lists how many $tarbuck$ there are per state.

Got Starbucks?
State No. of stores
Alabama 33
Alaska 24
Arizona 246
Arkansas 13
California 2004

CA has a whopping 2,004 of the almost 8,000 US $tarbuck$ stores, by far the most in any state. I can attest most of the California stores are in the Los Angeles area. Maybe even all in my zipcode. I'll have to google earth it... Being new to LA, I can say that people really, really love their $tarbuck$ here. I've seen a $tarbuck$ the size of a sit down restaurant in a building that may have been an old Denny's. I've seen two $tarbuck$ stores kitty corner to each other. (this is a gag in Shrek 2?, but it really happens.)

The only good thing I can say about the buck$ and McD's is that there's always one when you really need one. I'm a runner and although I don't buy anything at the buck$, their bathrooms are always ready and willing to be soiled when I need them most. In fact, I know the nearest $tarbuck$ and McDonalds for each of my running routes. Not that I need them all the time, but when you run, it's better to be safe than sorry.

So join me. Or don't. If you like overpriced milk and over-roasted coffee, feel free to support with your buck$. My personal favorite coffee is from the fine folks at Intelligentsia in Chicago. The coffee from their shop is soooooo strong you don't need to order espresso. If there were a shop in CA I would brave the worst 405 traffic to get it morning, noon and night. They roast a blend for Charlie Trotter, so it's got to be good, right? Order online.