Things You Find Out At Starbucks While Getting A Free Drink…

So, today from noon to 3pm, Starbucks was introducing its new Refreshers drinks by giving away Tall sizes to anyone who walked into a location. I decided to take advantage of this at my regular Starbucks and a second one just over a mile away (and a nice walk, too) just to confirm something that was bugging me about the Wi-Fi service at the closer location. Turns out I was right, as the Wi-Fi at the shop near me stinks badly while the service at the other spot was flawless and fast. Yes, I was FINALLY able to update my Vita (after installing an older update from the Gravity Rush game card), so from here on in, that location will be my go-to spot for any portable PSN downloads and demos I need to track down. I could use the exercise, so it’s all good.

Oh yeah, the Refreshers were nice. Two flavors: Lime and Berry Hibiscus or something like that. Made with green coffee beans and real fruit, so there was a bit of a jolt (I felt sorry for the parents snapping up Coolers for their kids – it’s going to be a rough Friday night for those wired ones is all I’ll say), not a lot of sweetness (a good thing!) and overall a nice addition to the already hefty lineup the chain offers.

Did You Grab Your Free Tall Cuppa Joe From Starbucks Yet?

Happy Independence Day! Today, ladies and gents, you can walk into any Starbucks in the U.S. of A. and get a FREE Tall coffee with NO strings attached. So yeah, if you’re a bean freak, go for it! Of course, I got a bit of an annoying experience at my Starbucks because the free Wi-Fi wasn’t working (boo!) and I’d brought my PSP to download a game to review. Eh, whatever. I’ll try again tomorrow. At least the coffee was good.

Hey, Starbucks: Recycle This!

Hmmmm… so, Starbucks has it in their minds to mention on each and every one of their napkins (made from recycled paper) that users should also recycle them after usage. That’s kind of a nasty conundrum if you think about it too hard.

As in, HOW the heck are you supposed to recycle something you just used to clean the foam from your hipster goatee or coffee-mussed lip gloss? Do you fold said napkin into a square the size of a teabag and hand it to the homeless guy you ignored camped outside that Starbucks so he can use it to suck on for a quick caffeine fix? Or do you keep it for yourself as a makeshift emergency ration when stranded on the subway or makeshift bandage in case that now pissed off homeless guy punches you in the nose ring? Decisions, decisions…

Me, I just decided to take an unused napkin and draw on it with a fine point Sharpie. Anyone want to by some recycled napkin art? Hell, I may as well try to recycle in reverse by using free napkins to generate some income. I’ll be the guy in that Starbucks you’ll want to beat up because he’s stolen all the napkins and you have to pay to get them from him only to find you can’t use them because they’re all scribbled on…