Carby goes to Starby

[Carborundum 10]

Carby goes to Starbucks (Fargate)

 

I find myself very early in centre of Sheffield before work. Its an unually gloomy foggy Sheffield morning with the sky down on the ground I feel like a ship adrift somewhere close to coast. My throat and brain are parched for a morning injection of caffeine so I look around desperately - no Latinos, no Fob, no Abbey Costa ... all there is is that big ubiquitous green and black "sexy" siren/mermaid woman aka the Starbucks logo to lure me onto her rocks - so I whirled my navigator around and sailed through the portals of Starbucks Fargate branch.

 

The first thing to assail my nostrils is an interestingly mixed aroma of coffee and and sour milk ... I look behind me almost regretting my entrance already only for my eye to catch a giant green wreath hung on the door - is this an ancient halloween fertility symbol I ask myself - then I espy the red baubles barely concealed beneath its verdant foliage and an internal scream of horror enters my thoughts - arrgh its a CHRISTMAS wreath in the first week of November !! Well I am in the premises of one of the biggest most commercial premises in the world <sigh> ..

 

I queue patiently to order - not many people in at this time yet save some lone early worker stragglers - notebooks - paper or electronic - in tow . Being a sensible tight sort and skeptical of the overblown inflated prices that "deluxe" coffee houses charge offering a "lifestyle" and "pamper me time" ethos - I usually just order the cheapest biggest bang for my buck i.e. an espesso or a double espresso (doppio) - usually not more than £1.35 to £1.60 all told. But often this is just too acidic and strong for my palatte to bear so I used to ask for milk in it also until I realised, hang on, they sell that already as a "macchiato" usually about 10 to 20p dearer than an espresso. So spying the word "macchiato" on their board I duly order one - only to almost faint on the spot when the feisty counter girl says in a deadpan manner "that will be two pounds and seventy pee please". Not one to appear unsophisticated and vulgar in such rarified trendy surroundings and looking around at the lengthening queue I bite my tongue and hand over my fiver (wow that was a few rounds of drinks about 20 years ago!) For that I receive a big mug of mostly froth with some coffee underneath and caramel dripped on *top* of froth so that it doesnt even percolate to the coffee itself ! I mean HELLO since when did a macchiato come in a big frothy mug with CARAMEL? Surely thats a caramel latte of which I have also had a few when feeling more generous ... I take my drink grudgingly - grab a shard of a tree - sorry stirrer (do Starbucks replace these trees?) I need more milk so I wrestle with the screw top unfeasibly big aluminium jug - why to the anal customers before me always tighten this to the limit - too much caffeine in their brain? I sit down bagging a comfy seat by the window and muse to myself .. have Starbucks cottoned on to the "cheapo" customers who nurse an espresso for hours in their premises (I don't I usually slug off mine quickly and cant wait to escape their bland corporate surroundings!) I instinctively look around for the free newspapers section such as Latinos, Fob or Gusto offer but none - oops sorry this is Starbucks I fogot <sigh> I make do with the lone well thumbed day old Metro floating around ... I wonder to myself why is the front door always just HALF open and HALF shut? Is it to maintain a mysterious air of exclusivity to the curious new customer?

 

Now quite depressed cos the foam in my "macchiato" has evaporated and the caramel has not mixed with the little coffee under neath i sip the gritty dregs and gaze out at the closed down Link shop across fargate and the little council street clean machine whirring around like a trunk-less bi-whiskered noo-noo ...

 

I leave the Starbucks squeezing thru the half door and almost knocking the "X-mas weath" to the floor and I think how have we let these big souless corporates - the Starbucks, the Subways, etc invade and push out the real local businesses in Sheffield and rip us off in such underhand ways in the process ...

 

Now out in the cold morning light of Fargate again I look back for one parting glance on the big Starbucks logo again and the abstracted twin fish-tailed woman on it and a momentary flash of inspiration - ah thats what it means - a business that charges TWO prices with a sting in both tails !!

 

I would urge Starbucks to check out ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caff%C3%A8_macchiato

 

.. hmm maybe I had a piccolo latte after all ? :-/

[slimsid2000 10]

Cheer up and dance.

[ab6262 202]

take a little walk up to the corner of leopold st and church st and find "caffetteria" which will serve you a proper espresso or macchiato with a good crema! sets me up for the day every day! reasonable prices and plenty of papers.

[Lofster 10]

Sounds like you have been mistakenly served a caramel macchiato. Clearly you should have asked for a refund. Having worked for Starbucks in the past, you would have most likely been given your drink for free.

 

That said, there are many other 'local' coffee shops open early. Gusto Italiano on High street round the corner is open from 7am as I'm sure many others also are. I recommend some coffee adventures, don't plump for Starbucks without a fight or at least some effort!

[SugarPuff 10]

This made me giggle!

 

I'm trying to wean myself off Starbucks, but the first of my 2 buses to work stops at the bottom of Fargate, and every day without fail, before I know it I'm on my 2nd bus at 7.30 with a tall latte and usually some breakfast cake.

 

I tried the cheaper McDonald's version once but it was yack and I didn't look as cool with their cup.

[medicgirl 10]

no Latinos, no Fob, no Abbey Costa ...

 

...what about the two new Costa's which have replaced the Abbey one? One on the corner of the Peace Gardens (the old Laura Ashley I believe) and the heauge one where Fopp used to be?

[Carborundum 10]

The Costa is peace gardens not Fargate, the one to replace Fopp is now Gusto Italiana and a very nice coffee shop indeed !!

[medicgirl 10]

The Costa is peace gardens not Fargate, the one to replace Fopp is now Gusto Italiana and a very nice coffee shop indeed !!

 

No, you are talking about the one which replaced FOB, near the cathedral. Fopp was the (fabulous) independent music shop right at the top of Division Street and has definitely become a massive Costa, I passed it the other day. To be honest, if you can't be bothered to walk 2 mins max from Fargate to the Peace Gardens I kind of think you deserve to be ripped off...