Friday, August 5, 2011

How much money can one business get you to send to hostile nations?

Drove past Starbucks today, cars winding round the building in the heat.  A few months ago I wrote this:  Went to a business near by that sets next to Starbucks. I'm setting there and I see 6 cars in line at the drive-thru window. Not a very good consumer, only about 2 times a year do I go to Starbucks.  I walk in and plunk down $50 for a paper cup of coffee. I ask this kid about the cars. He says from 7am till 2pm there is always 1 at the window, usually the line is about 4. I don't have a stopwatch but I go outside and check my wristwatch, now there are 2, one leaves and immediately a new 2nd one arrives. This new 2nd car in line from roll up, order, to drive off takes about 5 minutes. Hmmmmmmm. 5 minutes at idle, hell that's zero MPG. New 4 cylinder cars burn 0.25 gal per hour at idle, larger 6 and 8 cylinder ones, older cars pickups and vans around 0.5 gal per hour. Since the cars in line are a mix, I say lets use 0.4 gph as average. Lets say there are always 2 cars there running for 5 minutes.
(Thanks to my math tutor Kevin from Notacynic, I made some changes, in blue.  Well the smart ass didn't find a math error, but a logic error, I had calculated 5 minutes per car with 2 in line, he pointed out the clock runs on only 2 in line regardless if they remain 5 minutes or longer, it's just two running constantly.  Still, the waste is significant, it's a lot of gas, a lot of pollution, a  lot of money.  Thanks Kevin, I'll buy you a beer, ha, I know you don't drink.  If someone else finds a mistake, keep it to yourself.)

 7 hours  07:00 - 14:00 
2 cars in line at all time
0.4 gph average idle burn rate
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5.6 gallons a day wasted at this one store up to 2pm
$21.50 at approx national average ($3.84 Reg)

364 number of work days store is open.
2,038 gallons a year are burned setting next to this building.
4,000 number of Starbucks with drive up window.
81,520 gallons needed if all stores with drive up have this volume.
$313,036.80 total cost
45% (of each $ at the pump that goes to foreign nations for crude oil)
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$140,866.56 amount of your wealth sent to foreign nations due to drive up window at just one coffee chain, for wildly overpriced coffee. 

Answer and grades to the Question, you did see this as a question didn't you? A) Make coffee at home or the office. B) Turn your car off and walk in, your fat ass shakes like a soft boiled egg already. C) There is no C. D) Get a car that doesn't burn more than 0.25 GPH or a hybrid or electric that burns Zero at idle. F) Set in line and send your money to people that hate our guts.

15 comments:

  1. G) Invade Bolivia, burn the coffee fields to the ground...arrest the CEO of Starbucks...line him/her up and shoot him/her and her/his assistants. burn down all Starbucks drive-thrus (sic). Import a bunch of tea from the British to ease the coffee withdrawals, and then we can start all over. Oh, as an aside, kill all people who hate our lazy ass, inflatedly priced coffee drinking guts...I mean, hell, we've got the army that could do it, you know.

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  2. Jaded:
    Thats one solution. Or, people could park and walk in to buy coffee, still send a few bucks to the coffee farmer and picker, and keep some of the money going to OPEC.

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  3. See why I send people over here? Great post!

    Personally, I don't understand the attraction people have for Starbucks. I wouldn't even think of giving someone five fucking dollars for a cup of coffee, even if Juan Valdez picked the beans himself and brought 'em up here from Columbia on that burro in the old commercials.

    It's just coffee... not eight ounces from the fountain of youth.

    Americans are idiots, and Starbucks is all the proof one needs to prove that point.

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  4. I question your math, I got .8 gallons every hour times seven hours, 5.6 gallons being wasted. The 5 minutes is irrelevant. The way you describe the problem there is a constant two cars at all times. Two cars, doesn't matter that they're changing out at a rate of every five minutes or not at all, the point is two cars. .4 gallons per hour times two is .8 gallons being idled away, every hour. For 7 hours makes 5.6 gallons. ; )

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  5. I like Starbucks but for the most part I have given up coffee (stomach problem). I always walk in because I want to see my coffee being made because I don't trust idiot teenagers with something so vital without adult supervision.

    Also, as a Starbucks defender I don't know where this stereotype of expensive coffee comes from. A regular coffee (no espresso) is $2.30 for a medium and I believe only .25 more for a large. A medium at Dunkin' Donuts is $2.20, and is not very good. If you order a Latte or something like that, then yes, it is about $5 but that is the price of Espresso at any coffee shop.

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  6. Fringe:

    As one who can remember when coffee cost five cents a cup with free refills, I am not thrilled when I go to Starbucks. One time I received a $25 gift card to Starbucks and thought of all the coffee I would be able to drink there. After one visit, during which my wife and I each ordered a latte, I had about $15 left on the card. And then I noticed that Starbucks has the gall to put out a tip jar with a dollar tip expected.

    I grind my own coffee from fresh coffee beans each morning, and my coffee tastes much better than Starbuck's.

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  7. You're welcome. ; ) And, sorry. ; (

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  8. Squatlo:
    The Red Mosquito:
    Whit:

    Excuse the gang reply........., but all of you focused on the cost of coffee, cost at Starbucks. It's interesting to me, since I intended the focus on how much it costs us (and the environment) to get "zero fucking mile per gallon" setting in insane drive up window lines.

    Oh, it's not you, it's me, (to recycle a breakup line), I have this same problem with emails to my bosses. I write to request more sales literature, he replies they are painting the factory floor this weekend. I guess I bring out a counter focus in people, hey, its a gift, I can deal with it.

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  9. Fringe,
    After the "debt crisis", the US doesn't need to send money just to OPEC to underwrite countries that hate it. Even little old New Zealand is a bit ticked off.

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  10. Add to that all those people who use drive throughs at banks, pharmacies, fast food restaurants and the Las Vegas wedding chapels and that's a lotta money going into the coffers of OPEC. Nice, very nice.

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  11. Fringe:

    Thus the name Star"Bucks"...Pop'

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  12. Mr. O,
    I welcome New Zealand's ticked offness. I assume like most the rest of the world some bank, municipility, or retirement fund was played for a sucker by the direvitive (SP?) market in 08.
    I am trying to help you, I ate one of your oranges this morning.

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  13. Sherry:
    You are sooooooooo right. Drive up windows cost consumers and the environment a ton, of cash and carbon. Good to hear from you Sherry.

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  14. Pops,
    Glad to see you, I have really enjoyed your blog lately, your concern for the nations future is appreciated by this old rock sculptor. Keep painting, keep rebel rousing.

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  15. Aired up the tires in the 1980 Schwinn Varsity ten-speed - fell off three times and fucked up my right hand - It goes on EBAY and I am buying a 49.5 CC scooter...

    Upside - the big V-6 KIA sits...

    Oh, ICY-HOT is some good shit!


    Sarge

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