What's with the Starbucks Craze?
By: Tyler Gardner
Walking up to Starbucks, you immediately see the gigantic, leafy green, circular sign with the crowned mermaid pictured. Her two tails behind her head raise some eyebrows while her smile is calm and contemporary, giving off a tranquil vibe to all whom enter. You see it everywhere. Walk down an ordinary road. Pass by the numerous McDonalds and Subways, counting every piece of old gum on the street while the sounds of honking and the screeching of tires whistles through your ears. Pass by the casual mother jogging with her baby stroller in front of her and pass by the park where the abandoned jungle gym basks in the smoldering sun. Layered with brick and accompanied by the eye-opening smell of freshly ground coffee beans, you’d think it was just a regular coffee shop. What surprises me, is why Starbucks is so much more than that. Starbucks has the normal, friendly, cashier girl and even has the usual outside seating area in which the morning commuters use to catch up on some late paperwork they “forgot” about the night before. Then, when you notice the superfluous amount of people of all shapes and sizes along with the drive-thru line backed up to the main road in which you have come from, you realize that this typical coffee shop is not so typical after all. As if having a different location every 5 miles wasn’t enough, people have gone crazy for Starbucks and can’t get enough of it.
Like most people, I have always wondered what was so special about Starbucks and why everyone was so crazed over it. What’s unusual about Starbucks is the rapid boom and interest in the company in recent years. Recently, Starbucks has been subject to a significant business boom and has experienced a large increase in stock prices and sales, especially in the United States. Today, Starbucks has over 18,000 locations in 62 different countries, making it the largest coffee franchise in the World (Starbucks). I consider myself to have a pretty ordinary taste palate as I love to chow down on a burger soaked in grease or a freshly steamed Maine lobster from time to time. I had always been curious what made the Starbucks coffee so much more demanded compared to a “good ol’ cup of jo” anywhere else. We, the people at People, wanted to see how an ordinary, non-coffee drinker, would feel by going to Starbucks and experiencing it firsthand. That being said, I was sent to find out.
This week I am going to travel on over to Starbucks. I’m going to document my experience ordering coffee there. From the setting to the menu, I will try to capture the full experience of ordering Starbucks. I am going to order a common and popular coffee and sit down to enjoy it to give my readers the best sense of what really makes Starbucks seem so much better than any other coffee shop and why it is so trendy in today’s world. As I know my main audience ranges from ages 25-45, I will try to incorporate descriptions of the quality of the freshly brewed coffee and service from the baristas to give them insight as to what makes Starbucks so popular. I am going to stick with a conversational writing style presented to my readers as I have displayed earlier in the article. I have plenty of good friends that are very much a part of the Starbucks craze, so I will be interviewing one of them, along with other Starbucks goers, and noting their opinions as to why they think Starbucks is so special and what they like best about the company.
As you approach Starbucks, you notice the numerous tables outside the shop for all those coffee lovers that prefer to take in the fresh air while they drink their coffee and scroll down their laptops, casually. As I walked through the transparent, glass-paned double doors, my eyes were opened up to what was perceived as a soothing, cool environment. The light fixtures gave off dim lighting and the music coming from the speakers, placed all around the shop, was contemporary and relaxing. The floor beneath me was a stone, tile floor and the walls were lathered in various colors of brown and dark green. The vibe I received was one almost like the feeling of a warm towel rested upon your neck at the nearby spa.
I approached the bar where the barista greeted me with a friendly smile from ear to ear, accompanied by a kind “Hello. What can I get for ya”? She was a young, extroverted girl with long, curly, brunette hair that seemed like the kind of person that you couldn’t dislike if you tried. I stood before the counter in amazement of the huge menu board, covered with coffee names, written in small font, under the dim lighting. To my surprise, I realized the prices weren’t as steep as people had talked about as there were coffees for all price ranges. With sizes being named different (Tall, Grande, Venti), I felt, instantly, more sophisticated. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a presentation of pastries of all kinds and even special cups that were reusable. The coffee brewing machines gave off a buzzing sound as the few baristas rushed around, behind the counter, giving the customer’s order their undivided attention.
I’m not the biggest coffee drinker in the World. In fact, I’ve only tried drinking coffee once before and I thought it tasted like old dirt, scooped off the ground. This was my chance to give coffee another try and I was absolutely clueless what to order. I asked the barista what was the most popular coffee lately and she answered with “Hot coffee, iced coffee, or frappaccino”? My mind was blown. I knew that there was a wide variety of coffee but I was an amateur when it came to the special “coffee lingo”. My mind was racing and I felt like a little boy in a candy store, having no idea what to choose with such a big selection.
Thankfully, the nice, welcoming barista walked me through the enormous menu and helped me get a better idea of what I wanted. Scrolling down the long list, I quickly thought about what I wanted and what was best to appeal to the general public and proceeded to order my drink: a Caramel Macchiato.
Waiting for my coffee, the rich smell of coffee beans rushed from the espresso machines and into my nose. I received my coffee within a few minutes and I was a little bit nervous to try it. I took my first sip, only to realize that it made me feel like I was on top of the world in some fictional fantasyland for my taste buds. The rich taste flowed down into my mouth and the whipped cream served as an even better compliment like Robin to Batman. With every gulp, I could taste the caramel oozing down my throat, reminding me of the caramel candies that almost every grandmother gave their grandchildren growing up. My body felt rejuvenated and filled with a warm sensation as the coffee sunk to my stomach. The warm bubbles rolled down my tongue like lava down a volcano and it sent a chill down my back. Now I had a better understanding of why the coffee here was said to be some amazing and top notch coffee that everyone’s gone crazy for.
Sitting down for coffee at Starbucks is something, I also noticed, that was quite unique. The shop was lined with big, comfy couches and power outlets at every small table. The chatter amongst the people, maybe catching up or just meeting for a coffee between shifts, blended with the smooth, Maroon 5 that was playing in the background. People were all around me. Some, studying with their noses buried in their textbooks that looked like encyclopedias and some, just grabbing a quick coffee to catch up with their old friends from high school that they haven’t seen in ages. It was apparent that the environment was a big contributor to the “image” of the shop and helped bring in customers because it made people comfortable. Seeing Starbucks for myself, I could tell that the coffee quality and environment of the shop was a big part of what made Starbucks so special. Now, I wanted to see what other people thought about Starbucks and why they thought it was so special and unique.
I took my research to a good friend that happens to be a Starbucks fanatic. Being a new Starbucks fan, I wanted to know what she thought about Starbucks and why it was so much better than any other coffee shop around. She told me “Starbucks is THE place to go! It’s a basic white girl hotspot with overpriced coffee but something about it keeps everyone wanting more!” I asked her to go deeper into her comment about a “basic white girl hotspot”. She replied with “Scroll down a girl’s Instagram or Facebook. Every basic white girl, with her Tory Burch shoes and new Juicy Couture sweat suit, has posted a picture with their girly Starbucks drink.” I didn’t really grasp this concept seeing as I have never heard of “Tory Burch” so I asked why this was such a popular thing for “basic white girls.” She ended with “From Khloe Kardashian, with her adorable handbags and $300 Gucci sunglasses to Miley, with her glamorous, trendy outfits, you can see how Starbucks is bigger than a plain old cup of coffee to the average girl. No matter if you’re 16 or 56, every lady wants to look fashionable and nowadays, Starbucks is like an accessory.” It not only had come to my attention that Starbucks was a pertinent part of a girl’s social life but I had also recognized that Starbucks is THE place to go. Everywhere you go, you see the logo on peoples’ cups and even on the shelves in the stores. In reality, Starbucks has no competition. To complement this, Starbucks has taken our societies’ addiction to caffeine and cleverly used it to establish an empire that keeps us drawn in and wanting more, making it all the more popular.
Hearing from her, I got a better idea of why Starbucks has become so trendy and popular over the years but I wanted to hear another side to the Starbucks craze also. I wanted to find out what people thought about the actual coffee itself was like and how it compared to other coffee competitors. On my adventure to Starbucks I met a woman that was catching up with a good friend and I asked if I could ask the two of them some questions regarding Starbucks. The two were delighted and joyfully accepted my offer. I started with a general question as to what their opinions were about the coffee at Starbucks. They kindly answered with “When we drink Starbucks, we notice how rich, creamy and tasteful it is. It tastes authentic and you can almost taste the history behind the coffee with every swig. It’s a unique taste that becomes almost addicting after a while.” That was interesting to me because Howard Schultz, the president of Starbucks, introduced the Italian coffee brewing tradition to the company in 1987 after he had learned it in Italy, personally (Starbucks). It seemed as if these women could taste that Italian style taste in their coffee. I wanted to know more on why it tasted so unique so I asked. They said “With Starbucks coffee, you can taste the quality of the actual coffee beans and that is something that is very rare today. You can go to McDonald’s or some other place that sells coffee and you can easily taste the difference. With the competitors’ coffee, you sense a bland, premade batch of coffee that came off a dumpy truck a week ago and you can sense the taste of a watery brew with almost every cup.” Hearing this, I also wanted to know what the two lovely ladies thought about the pastries and food items on the menu. One of the women said “With every pastry on the menu, you can taste that all the bread and fruit filling is fresh. My favorite food item on the menu is the cake pop! They’re scrumptious and go great with my coffee.” The other women nodded, agreeing with the woman completely. It was apparent that the quality and care that went into the production and distribution of the coffee along with the various pastries was what made Starbucks seem so much better than the other competitors.
After collecting a few other viewpoints on Starbucks coffee, it was clear that people felt the same way as I did when I took my first sip. To finish up my research, I wanted to know what people thought about the environment that comes with Starbucks and if they got the same impressions as I did.
I happened to get the chance to stop a man while he was leaving Starbucks, on his way to work. I had seen the man working on his laptop, sunglasses on his head and cell phone attached to his hip, while sipping on his coffee earlier in the morning. I asked the man if he could answer a few quick questions. Surprised, the man agreed to help me out.
I first started with asking how often he comes to Starbucks. He answered “I come to Starbucks every morning before I head off to work.” Seeing as I saw him lounging in Starbucks earlier, I started by asking the man what his opinion was on the environment of Starbucks. He said “Starbucks gives off a quiet and peaceful vibe. It almost feels like a den, where the fireplace is burning and the sound of the crackling wood gives off a serene feel. Coming to Starbucks every morning wakes me up and starts my day. If I ever need to get work done, I can always count on getting it all done at Starbucks.” I took this into account and asked him what about Starbucks gave him this vibe. He responded with “I think what sets the vibe the most is the dim lighting and the calm background music that is played.”
I also wanted to know about what the man thought about the service and how it affected his perspective on Starbucks. The man said “The staff here is the backbone to the company, I believe. From the writing of your name on every cup to their genuine kind personalities when they greet you, the workers have been a huge contribution as to why I enjoy coming to Starbucks.” Since the man goes to Starbucks every day, I decided to put him on the spot by asking him if he had ever met someone significant at Starbucks before. The man chuckled and replied “I have made a few friends here, some even friends that I’ve come quite close with. I’ve also even met a young lady that I ended up taking on a date here as well. You’d be surprised what kind of odd and interesting people walk through those doors every day.” He had my attention so I finally went on to ask what the craziest thing he has seen when in Starbucks was. The man opened his eyes really big as if he had just witnessed a murder. He answered “I have seen a few things here that have seemed pretty nuts in my opinion but the craziest thing would have to have been seeing a women try to climb over the counter to try to fight with one of the baristas, with her 5 inch heels, after making a mistake on her order.”
After hearing from multiple sources and collecting all the information I needed for my investigation, it was time to wrap it all up. With a caramel macchiato in hand, I began to reflect on my experience with Starbucks, also taking my interviewees’ opinions into account as they had given me an even broader perspective.
What was completely unknown to me, before, is now, very clear. Starbucks goes a whole lot further than just a regular cup of coffee. Starbucks can serve as a social accessory to make people look “cool” on Instagram. From “Selfie Sunday” to “Throwback Thurdsay”, who doesn’t want to look like the trendiest on the block? Not only that, but Starbucks is a warm and welcoming place to enjoy a nice cup of coffee as it provides a place of peacefulness in which everyone enjoys. With the kids bouncing off the walls at home, what could be better than a refreshing cup of coffee in pure silence too, right? Not to mention, it can serve as a pleasant escape from what sometimes seems to be a cold World full of greed and bitterness from time to time. Last but certainly not least, the quality of the coffee and pastries is the knockout punch as to why Starbucks raises the bar to its’ own level. From the chocolate drizzle over the delectable whipped cream to the freshly baked bread in every croissant, Starbucks outlines quality products better than anyone. With help from the good-natured baristas, Starbucks truly displays crucial care for their customers and keeps them wanting to come back for more.
Writing this essay, I knew that I had to appeal to an older, more star-crazy female audience. That being said, I tried to use words that can be easily understood but more sophisticated. For example, I referred to a “good ol’ cup of Jo”, in the second paragraph, to give an older viewpoint on coffee and used the word “superfluous”, in the introduction paragraph, to describe the amount of people in the shop.
I also used celebrity, star-crazy references to appeal to a People article style. For instance, in my tenth paragraph, I mentioned that my interviewee used Khloe Kardashian and Miley Cyrus when referring to celebrities that all women try to mimic by drinking Starbucks. This shows how much my audience is focused on “image” and how obsessed they are with celebrities.
I also really tried to thoroughly describe scenes, emphasizing how the caramel in the coffee that I ordered “oozed” down my throat and how the warm bubbles “rolled” down my tongue like hot lava, in paragraph eight. Descriptions like these help the reader really picture the scene and almost feel like they were there.
Like most people, I have always wondered what was so special about Starbucks and why everyone was so crazed over it. What’s unusual about Starbucks is the rapid boom and interest in the company in recent years. Recently, Starbucks has been subject to a significant business boom and has experienced a large increase in stock prices and sales, especially in the United States. Today, Starbucks has over 18,000 locations in 62 different countries, making it the largest coffee franchise in the World (Starbucks). I consider myself to have a pretty ordinary taste palate as I love to chow down on a burger soaked in grease or a freshly steamed Maine lobster from time to time. I had always been curious what made the Starbucks coffee so much more demanded compared to a “good ol’ cup of jo” anywhere else. We, the people at People, wanted to see how an ordinary, non-coffee drinker, would feel by going to Starbucks and experiencing it firsthand. That being said, I was sent to find out.
This week I am going to travel on over to Starbucks. I’m going to document my experience ordering coffee there. From the setting to the menu, I will try to capture the full experience of ordering Starbucks. I am going to order a common and popular coffee and sit down to enjoy it to give my readers the best sense of what really makes Starbucks seem so much better than any other coffee shop and why it is so trendy in today’s world. As I know my main audience ranges from ages 25-45, I will try to incorporate descriptions of the quality of the freshly brewed coffee and service from the baristas to give them insight as to what makes Starbucks so popular. I am going to stick with a conversational writing style presented to my readers as I have displayed earlier in the article. I have plenty of good friends that are very much a part of the Starbucks craze, so I will be interviewing one of them, along with other Starbucks goers, and noting their opinions as to why they think Starbucks is so special and what they like best about the company.
As you approach Starbucks, you notice the numerous tables outside the shop for all those coffee lovers that prefer to take in the fresh air while they drink their coffee and scroll down their laptops, casually. As I walked through the transparent, glass-paned double doors, my eyes were opened up to what was perceived as a soothing, cool environment. The light fixtures gave off dim lighting and the music coming from the speakers, placed all around the shop, was contemporary and relaxing. The floor beneath me was a stone, tile floor and the walls were lathered in various colors of brown and dark green. The vibe I received was one almost like the feeling of a warm towel rested upon your neck at the nearby spa.
I approached the bar where the barista greeted me with a friendly smile from ear to ear, accompanied by a kind “Hello. What can I get for ya”? She was a young, extroverted girl with long, curly, brunette hair that seemed like the kind of person that you couldn’t dislike if you tried. I stood before the counter in amazement of the huge menu board, covered with coffee names, written in small font, under the dim lighting. To my surprise, I realized the prices weren’t as steep as people had talked about as there were coffees for all price ranges. With sizes being named different (Tall, Grande, Venti), I felt, instantly, more sophisticated. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a presentation of pastries of all kinds and even special cups that were reusable. The coffee brewing machines gave off a buzzing sound as the few baristas rushed around, behind the counter, giving the customer’s order their undivided attention.
I’m not the biggest coffee drinker in the World. In fact, I’ve only tried drinking coffee once before and I thought it tasted like old dirt, scooped off the ground. This was my chance to give coffee another try and I was absolutely clueless what to order. I asked the barista what was the most popular coffee lately and she answered with “Hot coffee, iced coffee, or frappaccino”? My mind was blown. I knew that there was a wide variety of coffee but I was an amateur when it came to the special “coffee lingo”. My mind was racing and I felt like a little boy in a candy store, having no idea what to choose with such a big selection.
Thankfully, the nice, welcoming barista walked me through the enormous menu and helped me get a better idea of what I wanted. Scrolling down the long list, I quickly thought about what I wanted and what was best to appeal to the general public and proceeded to order my drink: a Caramel Macchiato.
Waiting for my coffee, the rich smell of coffee beans rushed from the espresso machines and into my nose. I received my coffee within a few minutes and I was a little bit nervous to try it. I took my first sip, only to realize that it made me feel like I was on top of the world in some fictional fantasyland for my taste buds. The rich taste flowed down into my mouth and the whipped cream served as an even better compliment like Robin to Batman. With every gulp, I could taste the caramel oozing down my throat, reminding me of the caramel candies that almost every grandmother gave their grandchildren growing up. My body felt rejuvenated and filled with a warm sensation as the coffee sunk to my stomach. The warm bubbles rolled down my tongue like lava down a volcano and it sent a chill down my back. Now I had a better understanding of why the coffee here was said to be some amazing and top notch coffee that everyone’s gone crazy for.
Sitting down for coffee at Starbucks is something, I also noticed, that was quite unique. The shop was lined with big, comfy couches and power outlets at every small table. The chatter amongst the people, maybe catching up or just meeting for a coffee between shifts, blended with the smooth, Maroon 5 that was playing in the background. People were all around me. Some, studying with their noses buried in their textbooks that looked like encyclopedias and some, just grabbing a quick coffee to catch up with their old friends from high school that they haven’t seen in ages. It was apparent that the environment was a big contributor to the “image” of the shop and helped bring in customers because it made people comfortable. Seeing Starbucks for myself, I could tell that the coffee quality and environment of the shop was a big part of what made Starbucks so special. Now, I wanted to see what other people thought about Starbucks and why they thought it was so special and unique.
I took my research to a good friend that happens to be a Starbucks fanatic. Being a new Starbucks fan, I wanted to know what she thought about Starbucks and why it was so much better than any other coffee shop around. She told me “Starbucks is THE place to go! It’s a basic white girl hotspot with overpriced coffee but something about it keeps everyone wanting more!” I asked her to go deeper into her comment about a “basic white girl hotspot”. She replied with “Scroll down a girl’s Instagram or Facebook. Every basic white girl, with her Tory Burch shoes and new Juicy Couture sweat suit, has posted a picture with their girly Starbucks drink.” I didn’t really grasp this concept seeing as I have never heard of “Tory Burch” so I asked why this was such a popular thing for “basic white girls.” She ended with “From Khloe Kardashian, with her adorable handbags and $300 Gucci sunglasses to Miley, with her glamorous, trendy outfits, you can see how Starbucks is bigger than a plain old cup of coffee to the average girl. No matter if you’re 16 or 56, every lady wants to look fashionable and nowadays, Starbucks is like an accessory.” It not only had come to my attention that Starbucks was a pertinent part of a girl’s social life but I had also recognized that Starbucks is THE place to go. Everywhere you go, you see the logo on peoples’ cups and even on the shelves in the stores. In reality, Starbucks has no competition. To complement this, Starbucks has taken our societies’ addiction to caffeine and cleverly used it to establish an empire that keeps us drawn in and wanting more, making it all the more popular.
Hearing from her, I got a better idea of why Starbucks has become so trendy and popular over the years but I wanted to hear another side to the Starbucks craze also. I wanted to find out what people thought about the actual coffee itself was like and how it compared to other coffee competitors. On my adventure to Starbucks I met a woman that was catching up with a good friend and I asked if I could ask the two of them some questions regarding Starbucks. The two were delighted and joyfully accepted my offer. I started with a general question as to what their opinions were about the coffee at Starbucks. They kindly answered with “When we drink Starbucks, we notice how rich, creamy and tasteful it is. It tastes authentic and you can almost taste the history behind the coffee with every swig. It’s a unique taste that becomes almost addicting after a while.” That was interesting to me because Howard Schultz, the president of Starbucks, introduced the Italian coffee brewing tradition to the company in 1987 after he had learned it in Italy, personally (Starbucks). It seemed as if these women could taste that Italian style taste in their coffee. I wanted to know more on why it tasted so unique so I asked. They said “With Starbucks coffee, you can taste the quality of the actual coffee beans and that is something that is very rare today. You can go to McDonald’s or some other place that sells coffee and you can easily taste the difference. With the competitors’ coffee, you sense a bland, premade batch of coffee that came off a dumpy truck a week ago and you can sense the taste of a watery brew with almost every cup.” Hearing this, I also wanted to know what the two lovely ladies thought about the pastries and food items on the menu. One of the women said “With every pastry on the menu, you can taste that all the bread and fruit filling is fresh. My favorite food item on the menu is the cake pop! They’re scrumptious and go great with my coffee.” The other women nodded, agreeing with the woman completely. It was apparent that the quality and care that went into the production and distribution of the coffee along with the various pastries was what made Starbucks seem so much better than the other competitors.
After collecting a few other viewpoints on Starbucks coffee, it was clear that people felt the same way as I did when I took my first sip. To finish up my research, I wanted to know what people thought about the environment that comes with Starbucks and if they got the same impressions as I did.
I happened to get the chance to stop a man while he was leaving Starbucks, on his way to work. I had seen the man working on his laptop, sunglasses on his head and cell phone attached to his hip, while sipping on his coffee earlier in the morning. I asked the man if he could answer a few quick questions. Surprised, the man agreed to help me out.
I first started with asking how often he comes to Starbucks. He answered “I come to Starbucks every morning before I head off to work.” Seeing as I saw him lounging in Starbucks earlier, I started by asking the man what his opinion was on the environment of Starbucks. He said “Starbucks gives off a quiet and peaceful vibe. It almost feels like a den, where the fireplace is burning and the sound of the crackling wood gives off a serene feel. Coming to Starbucks every morning wakes me up and starts my day. If I ever need to get work done, I can always count on getting it all done at Starbucks.” I took this into account and asked him what about Starbucks gave him this vibe. He responded with “I think what sets the vibe the most is the dim lighting and the calm background music that is played.”
I also wanted to know about what the man thought about the service and how it affected his perspective on Starbucks. The man said “The staff here is the backbone to the company, I believe. From the writing of your name on every cup to their genuine kind personalities when they greet you, the workers have been a huge contribution as to why I enjoy coming to Starbucks.” Since the man goes to Starbucks every day, I decided to put him on the spot by asking him if he had ever met someone significant at Starbucks before. The man chuckled and replied “I have made a few friends here, some even friends that I’ve come quite close with. I’ve also even met a young lady that I ended up taking on a date here as well. You’d be surprised what kind of odd and interesting people walk through those doors every day.” He had my attention so I finally went on to ask what the craziest thing he has seen when in Starbucks was. The man opened his eyes really big as if he had just witnessed a murder. He answered “I have seen a few things here that have seemed pretty nuts in my opinion but the craziest thing would have to have been seeing a women try to climb over the counter to try to fight with one of the baristas, with her 5 inch heels, after making a mistake on her order.”
After hearing from multiple sources and collecting all the information I needed for my investigation, it was time to wrap it all up. With a caramel macchiato in hand, I began to reflect on my experience with Starbucks, also taking my interviewees’ opinions into account as they had given me an even broader perspective.
What was completely unknown to me, before, is now, very clear. Starbucks goes a whole lot further than just a regular cup of coffee. Starbucks can serve as a social accessory to make people look “cool” on Instagram. From “Selfie Sunday” to “Throwback Thurdsay”, who doesn’t want to look like the trendiest on the block? Not only that, but Starbucks is a warm and welcoming place to enjoy a nice cup of coffee as it provides a place of peacefulness in which everyone enjoys. With the kids bouncing off the walls at home, what could be better than a refreshing cup of coffee in pure silence too, right? Not to mention, it can serve as a pleasant escape from what sometimes seems to be a cold World full of greed and bitterness from time to time. Last but certainly not least, the quality of the coffee and pastries is the knockout punch as to why Starbucks raises the bar to its’ own level. From the chocolate drizzle over the delectable whipped cream to the freshly baked bread in every croissant, Starbucks outlines quality products better than anyone. With help from the good-natured baristas, Starbucks truly displays crucial care for their customers and keeps them wanting to come back for more.
Writing this essay, I knew that I had to appeal to an older, more star-crazy female audience. That being said, I tried to use words that can be easily understood but more sophisticated. For example, I referred to a “good ol’ cup of Jo”, in the second paragraph, to give an older viewpoint on coffee and used the word “superfluous”, in the introduction paragraph, to describe the amount of people in the shop.
I also used celebrity, star-crazy references to appeal to a People article style. For instance, in my tenth paragraph, I mentioned that my interviewee used Khloe Kardashian and Miley Cyrus when referring to celebrities that all women try to mimic by drinking Starbucks. This shows how much my audience is focused on “image” and how obsessed they are with celebrities.
I also really tried to thoroughly describe scenes, emphasizing how the caramel in the coffee that I ordered “oozed” down my throat and how the warm bubbles “rolled” down my tongue like hot lava, in paragraph eight. Descriptions like these help the reader really picture the scene and almost feel like they were there.