So much to worry about with our kids: sex, drinking, drugs, tobacco, rap music, abductors. Now, we have to obsess over whether Starbucks might be trying to get them hooked on caffeine:
Starbucks, keenly aware of the pitfalls of being seen as trying to lure kids to drink sweet, caffeinated beverages, has for years insisted that it does not market to children — even as stroller traffic jams build outside some stores and teenagers pack others.
Now, however, the company is revising its stance on kids, acknowledging that the under-18 set has become part of the coffee chain's customer base.
Starbucks spokesman Brandon Borrman said there are still no plans to market specifically to children, and grown-ups need not worry that the Cartoon Network will be playing on the flat-panel screen of their neighborhood Starbucks anytime soon.
But Borrman said Seattle-based Starbucks is considering whether to add new drinks or drink sizes that better meet the needs of kids or teens.
I started drinking coffee when I was about 10. By the time I hit high school, I was a confirmed addict -- and I mean, getting headaches if I went without it a day, that kind of addict. I warn you now, Starbucks is going to take over the world, and this is part of its insidious plan.
