It honestly means jack shit to me. This company has lost anything that made it special.

While you’ll always have casuals who come in just to grab coffee, for Starbucks fans it’s essentially an actual hobby. They collect the mugs, gear, and ornaments. They have the app and collect stars. They have fun concocting and experimenting with drinks and trying to game the system. As much as some baristas are resistant to it, Starbucks’s popularity with TikTok and the crazy customers is part of its core identity at this point. It’s an expensive luxury good. Of course you’re going to attract entitled rich kids, house wives, and corporate tycoons (along with regular folks who just want a mocha once in awhile.) Being highly customizable and more milkshake dessert than coffee is part of what Starbucks is.