Waiting In Line At Starbucks?

dedicated to Peter W.


I had to make a beehive to the golf course this morning. Today, according to our trusty weatherman, is the last time I can make a fool of my self on the links this year. There was a news blurb on Drudge this morning about the states that will see snowfall by Saturday, 44 of them.

Anyway, as I was speeding down Bethel Road in Columbus I spotted a Starbucks and made a quick right into the parking lot. It was then that I shook my head in wonderment. There were 17 cars in the drive-thru lane waiting to pick up their lattes. This baffles me as to why people would wait in line(emphasis on 'wait') instead of walking into the shop to buy a cup of Joe when they could be in and out the door in three, maybe four minutes tops.

The best aspect of this article, since we're all creatures of habit, is that you, too, will begin to take notice of these senseless habits. I absolutely know every time you pass a fast food establishment, a Dunkin' Donut or Starbucks you'll ask the question: Why are these tax payers wasting millions of gallons of fuel by sitting in line to buy brown water? I'll allow for one excuse. If the car is loaded with little kiddies that's okay. If not, then what is their problem?

For years folks have been complaining about the price of gas. "Hey, it might be under $3 per gallon now but it wasn't that long ago that it was hovering around $4 per". Now consider this. Each and every town and city in the United States experiences this 'fuel wasting' every morning, noon, night and even into the wee hours to sober up the drunk crowd.

The way I figure, the Starbucks people, mostly ladies driving their BMW's, can easily afford their skinny mocha's so what's the sweat? But, how about the Wendy's and Burger King crowds? These are union guys in rusted out trucks. You'll see school teachers and old ladies, mom's in hair curlers and fat old codgers in suspenders holding up their bibs waiting in line for Double Whoppers and fries. All of them are wasting fuel because they're too lazy to park their car, walk twenty feet to the front doors and open them to be greeted with, "Welcome to Wendy's. Can I take your order, please".

It's no wonder we have so many citizens with humongous butts. Not to mention the senseless burning of billions of dollars in gasoline exhausted into the atmosphere every year.

Truth be told I'm not a curmudgeon on the subject of fuel and food and waiting. I don't care if Sally Anne buys coffee and waits in the wrong line for eighteen hours. It's only an observation on my part. I do enjoy watching the human condition. Maybe I'll apply to a government agency to receive a million dollars to run a study on the subject as to why. Or maybe not.