Boycott Starbucks

I have decided to boycott Starbucks indefinitely.

I wanted to look up the business persons in charge though, out of curiosity, since I've had so much harassment from Starbucks managers and employees in particular. I thought, "It's sort of Seattle-based but I wonder who is in charge."

I guess it's Howard Shultz, some Jewish guy from Brooklyn, NY. I just looked up Starbucks on wiki and it lists 3 founders and then the key person who is Chairman and has been there from the start, as this Howard Shultz and there is a whole page on him.

I was sort of recently trying to support Starbucks because my cousin works there, but though I support her, I do not support this chain any longer.

I started thinking, out of all the places I've had problems, Starbucks is a main one, all the way over to TN. I haven't had a problem with anyone in Nashville trying to harass me and then ban me from their business except for at Starbucks. I had my computer blown up at the Starbucks in the Indigo Hotel in Nashville. That was upon my first week of arrival. Then, I kept having constant problems at the Starbucks off of Rosa Parks, next to the women's shelter I went to. It was the only place where I had consistent problems with someone using technology and it appeared some of the coworkers were involved. It was one of their employees too, that gave me a coffee that had something in it while the police were present. I haven't gone back for a couple of months. THEN, I had problems with some of the Jewish employees at the Starbucks off of 5th and Broadway, where the owner or manager (I think not Jewish but Catholic and Italian) created a huge scene claiming I was disrupting people after THEY also put something in my coffee. The whole "lemon flavor" incident and then they tried to make me look bad.

I think their whole "cake pops" newly featured item, along with "Tribute" brand coffee, is a tribute by Shultz and the Jewish community, to Kate Middleton.

Sorry, but I don't care that I'm not in that position, however I DO frickin' care about what has been done to me and my son to degrade us. To degrade me specifically, and ensure things happened the way they wanted things to happen. Which really affected me from D.C. to Washington state.

And, for the record, I used to be a big Starbucks supporter and big tipper too. Which is almost ridiculous, because at this one Starbucks in Oregon, I used to tip $1 for each drink I bought and I was buying 2 a day. It was when I was using my $40,000 from my house investment to give to the community and for volunteer work I did.

So I volunteered and also used my money, in various ways, to be generous to others. Which meant I was tipping these people all the time for Starbucks coffee and it was the one in Tualatin, OR next to the Ross Dress for Less chain, the business place, the FedEx, I think it was Tualatin. I just know I was there all the time and I spent a ton of money there. Every single day I bought a caramel latte and a mocha (maybe plain coffee later) and I went there to read the morning news and sometimes bought a paper too. Without fail, I tipped $1-$2 per coffee drink. That was when I also gave no less than $2 per alcoholic drink if I went out, which I didn't do until a few years later. But, then too, I HAD money.

I have spent more money on Starbucks than any other restaurant or cafe.

From the time I was 21 and bought my first mocha at the Portland, OR mall in North Portland (I still remember the day) until now, I have spent a TON of money on Starbucks.

I honestly have not spent more money on any other business. Which is ridiculous, especially given the treatment I've received most recently. When I was in college, my checkbook and legder for my bank debit card was full of rent, utility bills, and what? Starbucks.

And I am not going to support and fund Starbucks any longer.

They have become a kind of coffee monopoly anyway. It's time for some other coffee business owners to have their own day and get the business that is taken by Starbucks.

Unfortunately, I think Starbucks took over my most favorite coffee, Torrefazione. Even if I spent the most money on Starbucks because they were everywhere, I loved the Torrefazione cafes in Portland most. OH MY GOSH. THE LATTES. And their MOCHAs with the unsweetened chocolate...and the creamy foam...TO DIE for. My ultimate coffee fantasy. I really loved the unsweetened mochas--everything was top quality and then I added my own sugar to taste if I wanted. I usually got a plain piece of crusty bread and butter to go with it with a flour powdered top. Oh, SO good. But I think Starbucks bought out Torrefazione. I also like the Palermo brand of Torrefazione (they have different kinds from different regions and I liked the Palermo and Decaf flavors best, and enough to buy some for Christmas gifts).

But yeah, too many bad recent Starbucks experiences. Most of the managers in charge of the ones where I have had a problem recently had Italian last names I think.

I wonder if boycot has one or two "t"s. I don't know. I guess I'll leave the second t.

It's sort of sad because this is the end of a long and enduring relationship. It's been almost two decades and today is the day I finalize the divorce. Going to Starbucks was becoming an abusive experience. And I still went back, because I was used to it. I have asked my brother to join me in my boycott.

I called him and said, "Will you DO something for me? Boycott Starbucks with me."

HOORAY for the UP-and-coming coffee people!

I just checked. Yes, Starbucks bought Torrefazione. So no more Torrefazione for me. I can do without.

I had this experience at a Tiger Mart yesterday which reinforced my decision to not give business to bad business. I went there, the one off of 12th and Broadway, to buy chips and drink and the woman said to me, "Give me your pin number" (to my debit card). I said, "What?!" and she told me if I wanted to buy something from their store that I had to give her my pin number and she would enter it in. Her machine for entering the number was right there on the counter, with a long cord and all she had to do was move it over to me so I could confidentiality enter the number. But she refused. I said, "That is not legal--you cannot ask customers to give you their debit card numbers and refuse to allow them to buy food unless they do." She literally called her manager who did nothing about it. It was some woman named "Tonique" and the other woman there was "Leticia". I thought it was so bizarre I called the local police and reported it, saying, "There is a TigerMart refusing to allow customers to buy food unless they tell the employees what their private pin number is."

I didn't have time to stay there for the police to arrive and take a report and in the meantime Tonique thought she ruled the world. She was smug and just acted like she thought this was great. I couldn't believe it. But this experience helped me to reflect on the bad treatment I've had at Starbucks and how it is not smart to give my money or business to businesses that are causing problems for me. The Tigermart experience was just one time but with Starbucks, it's been too many times.

The divorce was necessary.