Edit: probably not a fair comparison though since I come from the countryside in Germany where everything's generally cheaper than in the cities.
Sorry to jump on you but people frequently post complaints about Starbucks coffee being super expensive but then using the price of the most expensive item on their menu that is not a normal coffee.
For anyone not familiar, Startbucks Reserve is not the same as standard Starbucks. Instead, it's the company's attempt to compete in the high-end coffee market.
She threw the letter away saying "nobody's ever going to drink that much coffee.
The letter was from Starbucks.
Sad investment face.
Outside the anchor effect of comparing it to a $10 cup of fructose, $3 is an outrageous cost for a cup of coffee.
The anchoring effect is a cognitive bias whereby an individual's decisions are influenced by a particular reference point or 'anchor'. Both numeric and non-numeric anchoring have been reported in research. In numeric anchoring, once the value of the anchor is set, subsequent arguments, estimates, etc. made by an individual may change from what they would have otherwise been without the anchor. For example, an individual may be more likely to purchase a car if it is placed alongside a more expensive model (the anchor).
My pet (slightly tin-foil hat) theory is that the draws to this kind of behavior is:
A) It's a status symbol of being able to afford a frequent 9.80$ expenditure on something as basic as frappé (or 5 for a normal coffee).
B) The typical sugar content of drinks (that have sugar/syrups in them) from places like Starbucks is addictive, like how fast-food chains add excessive sugar and fat their products (yes, there is a relatively high amount of sugar in their bread).
I really enjoy the occasional nice coffee with a friend or two, but a 9.80$ Starbucks frappé? To me, they often taste and look like some frakenstein of candy-floss, tiramisu, and ice-cream sundae.
One thing I would like to have some data on is what are frequent Starbucks customers drinking? Are the frequent customers predominantly ordering the addictive items, or is there no correlation?
Caffeine is addictive. There are a lot of caffeine addicts in the U.S. Starbucks sells a menu full of caffeine. That's why people buy from them.
Coffee is cheap to brew at home and it’s usually at the office. You can even take caffeine pills if you wanted to liken it to narcotic addiction. You sure as hell don’t need to go to Starbucks to get your fix, which is the most expensive way to get coffee, so that can’t be the reason people buy from them.
It's similar to alcohol abuse. Many [0] people addicted to alcohol don't pick the cheapest option possible to get their fix, they go to pubs and bars with their friends if they can afford it.
[0]: I want to say "most people", but I can't find this statistics anywhere, and don't want to present my impressions as facts. So I'll stay on a safe side and just say "many people".
Are they "addicted" to alcohol or just to the social aspect? The way you describe it, it sounds like the latter.
> Caffeine is addictive. Starbucks sells a menu full of caffeine. That's why people buy from them.
Hey, your quote says "stimulants", plural, but you only mention one, caffeine.
Can someone put some sugar on this list? More addictive than cocaine-infused heroin with a methamphetaine sidecar.
And I hear some Starbucks products may contain sugar. Probably just a rumor.
Same applies to most goods. You can get pretty cheap offerings if you know where to look; you can have expensive and fancy stuff if you are ready to afford it.
New York is always expensive though.
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Since I am "posting too fast (thanks @Dang), Ill post my replies in this edit:
@StuporGlue ;
>>"Yeah, almost all of those prices are lower than in the US....
I think a gallon of milk is about $4.99 or $5.99 (usually ~$1+ higher if we are picking 'organic' (which is a shady subject in-&-of itself)"
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@SamHuk ;
>frakenstein of candy-floss, tiramisu, and ice-cream sundae <-- this sounds good except it being a 'morning coffee drink'
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@QuaffaPint ;
What/where/how can we track "the cost of doing business" based on zipcodes etc. I find it really odd that california had a lot of oil refineries for gas vs mid-country-states, so proximity to gas (thus delivery) was cheaper - yet has the highest prices... because we have 45 million people in the state to grift off, so its not logistics that cause price hikes. But thats what they want you to believe.
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That said, Rent alone is significantly different, where the rent alone in NY can be the entire monthly salary for someone in EU. (Basing myself on data from Toronto, but I gather that NY is more expensive to rent).
Edeka - https://e-center-knauer.edeka-shops.de/en/all-products/chill...
Coming from Ireland originally, now back here - I'd put Berlin Rewe on the level of Tesco (actually slightly lower, both in terms of quality and price) which is a mid range supermarket here. Edeka seems slightly lower quality / selection again.
The higher end large chain in Berlin would be Denn's and Bio Company. Which are both ludicrously expensive.
There didn't seem to be a mid-range fancy but affordable supermarket (like SuperValu or Dunnes Stores in Ireland).
We also have 4 Rewe in our 2km² inner city ;)
Medium Eggs: €2.29 for a 10 pack (US$2.92/dozen) Whole HTT: (heat treated) box milk: €1.15/liter (US$4.46/gallon) Gala Apples: €2.35/kilo (US$1.09/pound) Unsalted Butter: €7.96/kg (US$3.69/pound)
I usually save a little bit by going to Aldi or another discount grocery, but this is very close to shelf price for the non-discount grocery stores.
- dozen large eggs, $2.89
- shelf stable box milk, $19.28 [0]
- regular milk, $3.29/gal
- gala apples, $1.99/lb
- unsalted butter, $4.29/lb
[0] Shelf stable milk is more of a specialty item here, not an everyday staple for most people. Evaporated milk is more common, still about $1.50/can (12 oz). I'm not familiar with the term HTT so maybe I'm misunderstanding. All our milk is pasteurized.
I think a gallon of milk is about $4.99 or $5.99 (usually ~$1+ higher if we are picking 'organic' (which is a shady subject in-&-of itself)
California has a specific gasoline formulation that is different than every other state. That’s why gas costs more in CA, in addition to the state gasoline taxes.