For most of us, a meal at Starbucks is the occasional treat but Seattle blogger Beautiful Existence decided for 2013 she would challenge herself to eat only Starbucks for one year.
Existence, 40, wanted to discover “how a company can exist in the world and create kind of a message and image.” Her background in marketing and social media made her curious to learn about the culture of local companies. It didn’t hurt that her sister has worked at Starbucks for years.
But taking on the challenge did have its disadvantages. Over the course of each month Existence spent between $500 and $600 at Starbucks -a total of more than $7,000 last year. The company did not give her any discounts or special consideration for choosing them. They did stay in contact with her about new items throughout the year said Linda Mills, a spokeswoman at Starbucks.
In addition to the new items, she blogged about her experience to stay motivated. She and her fiance exchanged love notes on Starbucks cups. (Talk about keeping the romance extra hot.)
Existence, who previously shopped for everything at Goodwill except groceries in 2011, was won over by Starbucks.
“…It is really the community within that brand that makes everything,” she said. “I learned so much this year it’s unbelievable and it’s so hard to put down in a blog. I mean, you really almost have to write a book.”
However she says she doesn’t know when she’ll be going back to the chain.
Up next for Existence will be learning 80 sports, including ice climbing and skiing through sporting retailer REI.
“I’m going to be very fit by the end of this year,” she said.