Starbucks
By MoNoRi-Chan, Digital Nomad and Green Tea Latte Connoisseur
Back in 2018, fresh off the plane from Thailand and ready to embrace the “American Dream” (spoiler alert: it’s a latte-induced fever dream), I discovered a Starbucks down the block from my new residence. As a self-proclaimed Green Tea Latte connoisseur, the sight of the iconic green mermaid sparked intrigue. A Venti Green Tea Latte for $4.65? Not bad, I thought—little did I know, I was stepping into a caffeinated capitalist mousetrap.
Starbucks: A Tale of Two Economies
In Thailand, Starbucks isn’t just a coffee chain; it’s an aspirational luxury brand. Locals sip their lattes while meticulously framing their cups for Instagram. It’s not just a drink—it’s a declaration: “I have disposable income, look at me!” Ironically, that same brand equity evaporates the moment you cross the Pacific. In the United States, Starbucks is essentially the Walmart of coffee shops—ubiquitous, predictable, and efficient. You’re just as likely to see a yoga mom getting her caramel macchiato as you are a sleep-deprived college kid nursing their fifth black coffee of the day.
The contrast in Starbucks’ cultural positioning left me fascinated. In Thailand, people posted their $5 lattes like trophies, flexing their purchasing power. In America, people gulped down their overpriced caffeine fix without a second thought, just trying to survive another 9-to-5 grind. Somewhere between these two worlds, Starbucks perfected the art of monetizing our collective caffeine addiction.
2024: A $7 Cup of Capitalist Reality
Fast forward to today, and we’ve hit peak Late-Stage Capitalism. Governor Ransom of Clownlifornia just greenlit a $20 minimum wage for food service workers. While I applaud workers finally earning a livable wage (seriously, it’s about time), my beloved Green Tea Latte has been caught in the crossfire. What was once a semi-reasonable $4.65 is now inching closer to $7—more if I dare to frappuccino it.
Starbucks, ever the corporate opportunist, cites "rising labor costs" and "inflation" to justify the price hike. But let’s be real—this is the same company that charges you $0.80 to add oat milk. The green mermaid is laughing all the way to the bank.
The Drive-Thru Dystopia
What Starbucks lacks in price transparency, it makes up for in convenience. The drive-thru culture here in the U.S. is an ode to efficiency: order ahead, grab your drink, and zoom off to your next hustle. For digital nomads like me, the appeal is undeniable. Starbucks is no longer just a coffee shop—it’s an office, a meeting space, and, on particularly rough days, a therapist in a cup.
But convenience comes at a price. Every $7 latte reminds me of how megacorporations exploit lifestyle branding to disguise the absurdity of their pricing. Starbucks doesn’t just sell coffee; it sells a fantasy of productivity, community, and status. In truth, it’s just overpriced bean water.
The Bitter Sip of Reality
Starbucks embodies everything wrong with modern consumer culture:
- Artificial Scarcity: Why does a Green Tea Latte cost more than a pound of actual matcha?
- Cultural Exploitation: Starbucks capitalizes on Western aspirations in Thailand while catering to American convenience at home.
- Corporate Greed: Record profits every quarter, but somehow my latte costs 30% more? Sure, Brian, you do you.
Yet, despite knowing all this, I still find myself queuing up at the drive-thru or tapping my app for another overpriced caffeine hit. Why? Because like many others, I’m too entangled in the hustle to care. Starbucks doesn’t just sell coffee—it sells survival in a capitalist dystopia.
So here I sit, sipping my $7 Green Tea Latte, wondering how we got here. Starbucks may have perfected its recipe for global dominance, but it’s also brewed a potent symbol of our collective complicity in this caffeinated nightmare. Cheers to that, I guess...
Supply Chain
Starbucks: When Your Morning Coffee is Brewed With Exploitation
By MoNoRi-Chan, Digital Nomad and Reluctant Coffee Economist
Let’s talk about where your coffee comes from. Not the sleek, modern Starbucks on the corner, with its soothing lo-fi beats and overpriced pastries. I’m talking about the real origins—those distant farms where coffee beans are cultivated, picked, and prepared for the world’s insatiable caffeine addiction. For a company like Starbucks, which has built its empire on Arabica beans, this story isn’t as smooth as your favorite latte.
Arabica’s Price Tag: More Than Just Dollars
Arabica coffee futures are on the rise, and it’s not just inflation driving up the cost of your cup of java. Climate change, supply chain disruptions, and the inherent volatility of commodity markets have made coffee farming a high-stakes game. Starbucks and its competitors have two choices: absorb the cost (lol, as if) or pass it on to consumers. Spoiler alert—it’s always the latter.
As of 2024, Arabica futures are trending upward, reflecting both dwindling supplies and increasing demand. Add to that the logistical challenges of transporting coffee from farm to cup, and suddenly, your $7 Espresso looks like a bargain compared to what’s coming next.
The Unseen Labor Behind the Beans
Starbucks loves to talk about its “ethically sourced” coffee, but let’s peel back the shiny corporate branding. Yes, slavery has been abolished, but modern exploitation thrives in the coffee industry. The majority of the world’s coffee is grown in countries like Brazil, Ethiopia, and Colombia, where farmers work long hours for meager wages.
Despite Starbucks' boasts about sustainability and fair trade practices, the reality for many coffee farmers is grim. They’re stuck in a cycle of poverty, underpaid for the backbreaking work required to grow the perfect Arabica bean. And when coffee prices rise? Most of the profits go to middlemen, not the farmers themselves.
Meanwhile, Starbucks raises its prices and calls it a necessity, blaming “market conditions” while conveniently ignoring the systemic inequities that prop up the coffee trade.
Climate Chaos: The Silent Killer of Coffee
Here’s another plot twist: climate change is making it harder to grow coffee. Arabica beans, the prized variety used by Starbucks, are notoriously picky. They need a specific altitude, temperature, and rainfall to thrive. As global temperatures rise, the ideal conditions for growing Arabica are disappearing. Entire regions that once thrived on coffee farming are now struggling to produce viable crops.
The solution? Move coffee farms to higher altitudes or genetically engineer more resilient beans. Both options are expensive, and guess who’s going to pay for it? Yep, you. That morning latte is only going to get pricier as the industry grapples with these challenges.
Caffeine Consumers: Addicts in a Rigged Game
For consumers, the rising cost of coffee is just another burden in an increasingly dystopian economy. It’s not just Starbucks—your local café, grocery store, and even DIY coffee setup are all feeling the pinch. As prices climb, coffee stops being a simple pick-me-up and becomes a glaring reminder of how deeply entrenched we are in a system built on exploitation and environmental degradation.
Starbucks, of course, has mastered the art of turning these crises into marketing opportunities. Expect to see more campaigns about “climate-positive coffee” and “supporting farmers”, all while the company posts record profits quarter after quarter.
The Brewing Storm
Here’s the bitter truth: as long as we treat coffee as a disposable commodity rather than the result of labor-intensive farming, the cycle of exploitation will continue. The Arabica crisis is just the latest chapter in a long history of consumerism built on the backs of underpaid workers.
So, the next time you sip your overpriced latte, think about where it came from. Not the glossy Starbucks menu, but the fields where someone toiled for pennies to bring you that fleeting moment of caffeinated joy. Starbucks may call it a premium experience, but in reality, it’s just another cog in the machinery of capitalist exploitation.
Drink up, friends. The price of your soul just went up by another 50 cents.
Starbucks and Digital Nomad
Everyone refers to their-self as a digital nomad or others refer to people sitting in a coffee shop with a laptop as a digital nomad.
Most of these people are not digital nomads and are doing absolutely nothing interesting on their laptops. Many are working on editing videos for their YT channel which is not a DN. Most girls i’ve seen are scrolling on yoga websites or updating their blog which nobody ever reads. 1 coffee order and they keep spots occupied for hours which is why most places in Thailand now have a laptop ban.
A true Digital Nomad will work in a co-working space or in their own accommodation because a true DN has a real job which requires concentration and privacy. Can you imagine doing a conference call in a Starbucks? Those are just attention seekers.
