OPINION: Are you really going to judge me for my Starbucks cup?

I’m tired of people talking about Starbucks taking from local businesses. It’s not the only culprit.

[dropcap txtcolor="#234a83" style="dropcap1"]L[/dropcap]et me paint you a picture. It’s 4:25 p.m. I just got out of my final class for the day, and I have to get to work ASAP. Fluff, my go-to coffee shop, has already been closed for an hour and a half, and I need an afternoon pick-me-up. I order my coffee online while walking across campus and pick it up seven minutes later on my way to work. No lines, no waiting ten minutes for the barista to finish talking to some guy in front of me about his dog before I get my large coffee. I can just pick it up and go. And the best part? I didn’t even have to use my own money! I still had money leftover on a Starbucks gift card that I can actually use as a college student struggling to make ends meet with rent coming up. I didn’t have to walk 20 minutes home, brew my own cup of coffee (which I buy from locally roasted Silverbridge Coffee, thank you very much), then walk another 20 minutes back to campus. I also didn’t have to wait 20 minutes in line for a cup of coffee that’s been sitting in a vat since 8 a.m. from a “local” coffee shop that allegedly buys its baked goods from GFS. https://twitter.com/adamiggy/status/1034478446838210561So yes, you will catch me with my Starbucks cup, even though we have Donkey Coffee right here in Athens. But that doesn’t mean a big corporation is coming into town and stealing business from local coffee shops, nor does it mean you should boycott Starbucks. https://twitter.com/StevensEliot/status/1036670945019273223Coffee shop culture is alive and well at Ohio University, and there’s more than enough demand for coffee to go around.[AdSense-A]If we want to talk about major corporations stealing business, let’s talk about every other corporate food chain on Court Street and uptown. Who’s out boycotting Subway? Jimmy John’s? Domino’s? Wendy’s? Chipotle? Buffalo Wild Wings? Every one of these national chains is taking business from local eateries uptown that provide similar, if not the same, food options. https://twitter.com/anna_seethaler/status/959108448335155200To those of you who are claiming that Athens is all about local businesses, take a moment to look at your own consumerism. Have you ever waited in the 45-minute line to get Chipotle, when Burrito Buggy is just a few hundred feet away with no line? Timelapses of Chipotle and Burrito Buggy during the same time of day show the disparity of business between the national chain and the local food truck. Have you ever ordered Domino’s at midnight over Avalanche because it had a deal on two medium two-topping pizzas? Gotten a 4 for $4 instead of Bagel Street? Gotten Jimmy John’s instead of a Brenen’s sandwich? If you have, take a moment to evaluate why you’re so affected by Starbucks, but not the other corporations uptown. If you haven’t, good for you. Way to stick to your morals. But also, ask yourself where your favorite local businesses get their food, coffee or equipment. Ask yourself where your clothes came from, your furniture, books, technology, shoes. It’s great to shop local, and it’s great to support local businesses. Supporting local businesses doesn’t mean you should judge others for their consumer habits, though, because I can almost guarantee that you’re not the perfect consumer, either.