Over the years, complaints have been made about the excessive prices of coffee in Western culture, particularly America. Although I agree, daily coffee purchases can be a bit costly, it depends on how you are drinking the coffee and using the space that serves it. If one is simply drinking the coffee and heading out of the coffee shop every 24 hours, this adds up and it’s more advantageous to brew at home.
Yet if you are going to a coffee shop for more than coffee, that the cost is worth it. People go to coffee shops to connect with friends for long conversations. Coffee shops are the backdrop for first dates, a safe space to cut the date short or prolong it. They serve as a new office space for those who need to leave their homes to focus on their work day. And for people like me, coffee shops are a place that have become synonymous with writing. The background music, conversation, characters, and caffeine amplify the creative process.
When we actually take time to slow down and drink our coffee, we can see we are paying for the product we are consuming, the staff that are serving us, and helping offset the monthly rent the owners are paying for. We are paying for a temporary escape into a third space, and for me it’s worth it.
It Only Takes A Smile 