Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for March 10, 2025

Consider yourself fortunate, Rat—you’ll never again be talked into overpaying for coffee.

We were visiting New York City, and I told the kids, “If we get separated, we’ll just meet up at the Starbuck’s.”

Another chain your banned from Rat? Must be a record!

Eh big deals. Me never goes to steenky starbucks anyways.

Good on ya, Rat.

Go to Australia, Rat. Starbucks failed completely there.

I usually get my coffee at McD’s. Today i went to Timmy’s. Choices are small, medium, lrg and xl at each but my large felt smaller. I looked it up At Tim’sA small coffee is 9.7 fl ozA medium coffee is 14.4 fl ozA large coffee is 19.0 fl ozAn extra-large coffee 22.9 fl oz

At McD’s, small is small 12oz, med 18oz, large 21ml, xl 32oz So, Tims, smaller sizes, higher prices.

One of the few times I agree with rat.

“Friends don’t let friends drink Starbucks.” – The owner of the Blue Moose coffee shop in Morgantown, WV to me long ago.

The CEO got a big raise, and 11,000 Starbucks employees got laid off within a month of each other. There’s no way in heck I’d put so much as a dime into Starbucks pockets.

You’re not missing much!

I have probably saved (compared to people in my job category and locale) (estimating madly) Wow maybe as much as $25,000 by never ever buying anything at $tarbuck$ or equivalent. Ever. ($25 per week is about $1250 per year, for 20 years). I have consumed perhaps as many as a half dozen things from such places, but never on my own dime.

PS: On the other hand, I spend far more on books and cookies than most folks. Probably.

Totally worth it.

Ha, I have permanently banned myself from all Starbucks. And much happier for it.

Banned from Starbucket, the US Empire, Wall Street etc. Whatever.

I have never understood the popularity of Starbucks. I’ve tried it, it tasted bitter. And it was expensive. I have no idea of what Starbucks’ prices are today. My preferred coffee is from Gallop’s truck stop at the Michigan City limits. $2.19 for a 24-ounce cup. It’s self-service, so no tip jar trying to guilt me into donating. And no waiting.

20+ Starbucks here in Phnom Penh. Selling $4 coffees in a country where the average annual income is $1,500….

Ah, so just the ones in Manhattan?

Rat probably doesn’t work in that department store anymore….

And the lawyers from star$$ will be arriving shortly.

Love it.

Banned from Starbucks…That’s a win for Rat and all sane people.

I’m banned from Starbucks too. Not by Starbucks, by me.

Oh big deal; they’re listed in order of size. It’s not that hard to figure out.

I used to drink coffee.

They really didn’t get too creative when they named the largest one venti as it is a 20oz coffee.

I gave up on Starbucks when l kept receiving tepid mocha despite always asking for extra hot.

I was given a ‘health & safety’ lecture and asked why in that case did the plastic lid read ‘Caution – contents are hot.’???

They didn’t answer. They just told me l was a trouble maker.

Being banned from starbucks is a blessing.

You da Rat, Rat

No matter what coffee shop I go into, I just ask for a 12 ounce coffee. That saves me the effort of trying to decipher the arcane descriptions of their coffee sizes.

Although, sometimes in Starbucks, I will ask for a “short pour.” That is an 8 ounce that they do not advertise.