For two years, I've been writing a letter to a soldier each week. I'm what Soldier's Angels, a non-profit organization that supports our military http://www.soldiersangels.org/ , calls an Angel Letter Writer. I log-on to the Soldier's Angels' web-site on Sundays to retrieve the name and address of the soldier to whom I will write that week. I have found that when I go somewhere outside the house such as Panera Bread, Wegmans, local park or Starbucks, I find more things to write about and the words flow better. I love people watching and this allows me to share my observations with someone who really wants to hear about "home". My new goal, which goes hand-in-hand with my letter writing, is to write my letter in a different Starbucks each week, never repeating a location.
Yesterday I drove to one of the Starbucks in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Route 70 West, Cherry Hill NJ
As you can see in the photo, this Starbucks is a bit unusal in that it has a patio area for outdoor seating and a drive-thru, that stayed very busy. I parked my car so that I could watch the drive-thru while I ate the lunch that I had carried with me. I counted eleven cars in the just over ten minutes that it took me to eat. Seven of those cars were driven by women with most being alone in the car. Three were driven by men, all were alone. One was driven by a man with a family inside. I found that statistic interesting. It was a sunny day with a temperature of about 40°, balmy compared to the last couple of weeks, I almost made the decision to sit in one of the chairs outside, but decided that people watching might actually be better inside of the coffee shop.
I found a large seating area inside. I dropped my bag and coat onto the leather couch, claiming it as my own for whatever period of time that I might decide to hang around. I purchased a Venti Tazo China Green Tips tea, then settled myself in for the writing. Around me were people on their computers, a teenage girl being tutored in some kind of science class, a couple having a discussion on ending their marriage and several families who came and went more quickly than the rest of us.
As for the couple, I'm pretty sure in the end a divorce is coming. I never got a good look at either of them for fear of meeting one of them eye to eye. It was a long and difficult discussion for them and for me. Although I did try to not listen, I'm not so sure that they even cared who might be listening. Life is kind of like that, uh, when the problems are large enough you want the whole world to share in your grief and misery. Of course, I not only shared in their misery, but went on to let my soldier share in their misery. Sometimes hearing about someone else struggling with life's troubles gives you perspective. I spent a little time writing about relationships, ending my letter with a lesson: ALWAYS carry chocolate. You will be amazed what it does for you and those around you. Had I been a stronger person at the moment, I would have offered the woman a piece of chocolate and bit of couch.
MY COMFORT COMMENT
I like this Starbucks' seating. The couch was large and comfortable with a coffee table on which to place your things and drink. There were two over-stuffed arm chairs near the front window with a small table between them. For the comfort of computer users there was a large computer table with a center glass divider. I thought that was pretty cool. Then there were about 10 other tables, some circles and some rectangles, all spaced out with plenty of room. The inside area was large enough to accommodate all the seating arrangements, lines for ordering, areas for waiting for orders, the condiments area and at least two display stands without making the customer feel squeezed.
MY SHOP CRITIQUE
I visited the women's bathroom, where I found the floor covered with dirty paper towels, even the lid of the trashcan was covered with dirty paper towels. Now I realize that Starbucks can't make customers throw their used towels in the trash, but it seems to me that this must be an on-going problem. Maybe Starbucks needs a new user friendly trashcan. I, too, found it difficult to work the foot pedal on the can. However, let it be known that I used a couple of clean paper towels to clear the lid of the dirty ones and open the can. I left the room cleaner than I found it.
The floor of the seating area was very dirty, not just with dirt from the outside but with crumbs that seemed to have been there for a while.
MY EMPLOYEE COMMENT
I found the employees to be friendly and helpful. I asked a question about the difference between the Tazo China Green Tips and the Tazo Zen Green teas. Although the woman serving me didn't know, another employee did.
