One of my favorite over-priced vices is Starbucks coffee which I properly designated as “FourBucks” because my wallet is feeling a little light lately. Their stock is currently being hammered.. badly. Competition from other more accessible outlets like McDonald’s or Dunkin’ Donuts is creating quite a predicament for the corporate money hounds. Locations with a low profit margin are being retrained to be familiar with Starbuck’s “new image” to overcome the competitiveness in the coffee-fix industry. This is to promote students and working class communities like myself shaking in our boots to order a tongue-twisting drink like a Venti Iced Latte, light ice, extra espresso shot, 2 and ½ shots of syrup, with room.

So Starbucks is following the trend of “going green” and getting personal with their customers. I already think it’s creepy when you walk in and they greet you with your name but hey, that’s good customer service. A little too good. The new “Green” campaign includes giving away used coffee grounds for garden compost use, recycled packaging, continuing the “Fair Trade Movement” and encouraging customers to drink out of ceramic mugs if dining in.

An online community for coffee drinkers was the best idea I’ve heard in awhile. A bunch of jacked-up, opinionated and caffeine-filled customers voicing their opions through “My Starbucks Idea”: an interactive site. So get your ten-worded order in your hand and your laptop in the other. Drink your coffee as you chat about coffee with other customers. Brilliant or just plain over-the-top?