The Vancouver Sun and the (national) Globe and Mail are $1-2 each, depending on the day of the week. National Post is about the same. Quality of reporting is waaaaay better than in the free local papers. I also read the free ones, though! ANd not everything is on the web.

Was that woman perhaps an employee or ex-employee of the store?

On the one hand, I'm not sure her sense of community is so different from what people might have had in previous generations--regulars at the local diner or at a "Cheers"-style bar are kind of legendary in American culture, and this sort of thing is pretty common in Europe and Latin America (though for many, the use of the term "like family" might be going to far).

On the other hand, the scenario does show the costs of community that people face--in this case, a few bucks per day for interaction and a sense of belonging, all staged around a transaction. However, if the customer were to volunteer somewhere or date more, she might feel a greater level of connection, but it would still cost her (in gas, time, other expenses). Perhaps she needs to consider online communities a bit more (though DSL can be costly).

2 things.

1. Maybe she knows everyone because she does freelance work there often on the internet, or reads books there or spends lunch breaks there... have a bit more of an open mind...

2. Starbucks coffee is horrible. I made the investment for a better cup of coffee last fall and it was well worth the small investment

Since then, I have actually invested in a new to me but used from eBay La Pavoni espresso machine and high quality stepless burr grinder. Luckily, my boss buys green coffee and roasts at home or I can go about 15 minutes from my home to a small shop coffee shop that roasts weekly... either way, I make some of the most amazing espresso ever, and take Americano's to work daily. Every friend I have made coffee for has loved it and with some practice, I can make a decent latte and cappicino, even though I rarely drink them.

Point is, local or internet, you can get HIGH quality single origin coffee for around $10-14/lb... my espresso machine is more than a decade old and works flawlessly and the grinder I bought she live as long as me with very little maintance.

Why pour money into Starbucks when there are so many better options? At least hit up a non-chain local place instead.

/starbucks rant

Seems I read in the paper this morning that Starbucks is closing a lot of stores .

I saw on Yahoo news, 600 stores and 12,000 full and part time employees.

My husband and I live in a small town. Real small, at least by my standards. There is a locally-owned organic coffee shop and I'd guess my husband goes there at least 4 times per week. I'm not much of a coffee drinker myself, but will stop occasionally . Even so, we definitely know the names of every barista. In most cases, I know even more: where they go to school or what their other job is, or even what their spouse does for a living.

As I've already indicated, I don't go there for the coffee--I go for the atmosphere, and I don't mid paying for it. It serves as a public meeting place, a source of wireless internet, and a distraction from the work-home-work-home routine.

I just brew my own coffee...people dont realize how much they can spend on coffee and other items over a year. It can reach the thousands easily!