Yesterday I went to Starbucks for a coffee. I usually make my own macchiato in the afternoon, but yesterday was special. I paid for my drink with an empty bag of Starbucks coffee. It says right on the front that if you bring in the bag, you'll get a free cup. As I walked in, clutching my golden ticket, the thought passed through my head that damn, it's where I am in life, saving a couple of bucks any way I can. I gave the dude my coffee bag while noticing that he was in full bohemian mode: goatee, dark frame glasses and black turtleneck. He examined that bag like he was checking for a flaw in a Limoges egg: lifting it up close to his glasses, grasping it with both hands. As he turned from the bag to me he said aloud, "You know, it's cooler and cheaper to buy the coffee at a Starbucks instead of Ralphs." I responded, "Cooler?"
"Well, it's cheaper. We put more coffee in the bag." I waited till he poured me a tall black drip and finished muttering about why their coffee is better. I looked around at the people sitting nearby who had heard the whole deal and said aloud, "I pay $8.99/lb. on sale at Ralphs." I gathered myself up, straightened my spine, took my coffee, got my buzz and finished my day.
