Starbucks Appreciation Day report

As today was Starbucks Appreciation Day (see also posts by Robb Allen, Say Uncle, Sebastian, Tamara, and Thirdpower <-MUST READ) as well as Valentine's Day Barb took the bus into Seattle to have lunch with me. The first thing we did was visit Starbucks where I bought a "Red Velvet Whoopie pie" on the recommendation of Sebastian plus a $50 Starbucks card for Barb and a $40 card for daughter Kim:

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Barb took a picture of me in front of the store with my NRA Life Member patch and the receipts:

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We went on to have lunch at a nice restaurant and I made a Tweet about our purchases at Starbucks. After lunch I purchased another $40 Starbucks card online for daughter Xenia who lives in Alaska. I Tweeted the total amount spent and it was Retweeted by three others.

That was a total of $131.64 we spent at Starbucks today. By all accounts the attempted boycott of Starbucks was a huge failure and I’m proud to have contributed to that.

Thank you Starbucks for respecting our specific enumerated right to keep and bear arms and state laws.

Update: I posted the following message to Starbucks Corporate:

My wife and I visited one of your stores today in support of your refusal to bow to pressure from anti-gun rights activists who attempted a boycott of your store today. I am the blogger who started the “buycott” of your stores two years ago and happily contributed again this year. I purchased a total of $131.64 today (mostly in gift cards) and blogged about it here: http://blog.joehuffman.org/2012/02/14/starbucks-appreciation-day-report/

Thank you again for not getting involved. Keep doing what you do best–supplying a product that is enjoyed by millions.

Update 2: February 15th.

I was interviewed by the Los Angeles Times this morning about this blog post and the “buycott” of Starbucks. The main thrust was “Why did you do this?” I think it went well.

However there was some discussion of open carry and desensitization of people to the presence of guns in public and I may have messed up on this topic. In general I think there is little to be gained by this from a political perspective. There are cases where it does make sense but those cases somewhat rare. The decision to carry opening in public places needs to be carefully considered and evaluated on a case by case basis. I wrote a rather long blog post about open carry as a political statement and should be referenced before latching on to what may appear as a blanket statement by me against open carry.

Update 3: February 15th, 3:25 PM.

The Los Angeles Times article is online now. My fears were not realized. The reporter accurately reported what was said and did not take liberties.

Update 4: February 16th.

The Global Post also quotes me (via the LA Times).

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11 thoughts on “Starbucks Appreciation Day report

  1. I spent $40 today in a San Francisco Starbucks that is 1.3 miles from the LCAV office. I quit coffee years ago, and normally like to frequent the smaller independent shops if I do decide I need some extra zing, but I bought some to pep me up after a late night yesterday, and I bought breakfast and some extra stuff for the folks in my office. Whee!

  2. Nice.

    Kick me in the butt– I’d planned all day to visit Starbucks, but when it came to it, I had several other stops to make and I ended up forgetting.

  3. I got a nice e-mail back from Starbucks customer service in response to my message to them yesterday. If the location I visited in Williamsport, PA was any indication, the BUYcott was extremely successful!

  4. On the 14th, I bought coffee with a $2 bill, and left a $2 bill in the “tip jar” which was clear plastic.
    I also made a point of buying ammunition and telling the phone sales rep about the Starbucks “buycott.”

  5. I did the Buycott as well on the 14th. But the most interesting thing I have to note about Joe’s picture. A couple of times since starting a new job in Seattle I’ve noticed a gentleman riding the same bus with me who sports a jacket with a number of patches on it, including Boomershoot and Unorganized Milita. I had no idea that rather than just sharing the bus with a Boomershoot attendee, I was riding with Mr. Boomershoot himself.

    It’s a small gunny world after all. 🙂

  6. @Aaron G., Route 255? If so then that almost for certain it was me.

    To the best of my knowledge there are only four M-65 field jackets with Boomershoot name tapes on them. They are owned by Ry, son-in-law Caleb, daughter Kim, and myself. Kim and Caleb are in Idaho nearly all the time. Ry hasn’t been riding the bus much in the last year or so and route 255 isn’t the route he would typically use anyway.

    Say hi next time.

  7. Generally, I’m against Open Carry because of the expected reaction of businesses: posting “NO WEAPONS” signs.

    Thanks for your blog.

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