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How Starbucks Saved My Life
September 2020: Psychological
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[pb]How Starbucks Saved my Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else, by Michael Gates Gill, 4 stars
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I thought so, but some hated it. I was predisposed to like a story like this. I'm a fan of Starbuck's culture and policies, and Howard Schultz.
This is still one of my favorite books I have read in 2020. Truly delightful and makes me enjoy going to Starbucks.
I was decidedly 'meh' about it. And his second book was dreadful.
I really enjoyed this true story about a broke 64 year old man who has to start over with a job at Starbucks. I learned a lot about Starbucks and the way they do business, and I enjoyed that. I love to see how real people adapt to life's disasters, and deal with the emotional, cognitive and physical challenges of a life change. I didn't pick this up for the psychological tag, however as I read it, I realized it definitely fits the tag.
Mike grew up in a wealthy family, and was used to the finer things in life. He was a rich white snob who lost his cushy job in a big Advertising Agency. At the age of 64 he was really struggling. A series of mistakes left him unemployed, divorced, with a baby on the way (from an affair), and BROKE. He wasn't welcome in his former homes, his children were mad at him, and he was losing his hearing due to a tumor in his head. While drinking a coffee at his favorite Starbucks, a manager asked him if he was looking for job. (They had a recruitment table set up that day.) He surprised himself by saying yes. The benefits were worth a great deal to him and his children. Eventually he got the job but had to commute over an hour each way into the city. He was by far the oldest and whitest person in the store. He liked his manager and he really wanted to please her, so he gave it his all.
Despite his Yale education and business experience, he was not good with money, and he even doubted his ability to handle the cash register and give out change. He was more eager to clean the store than to run a register, so he did just that. (This probably earned him a lot of humility points from his coworkers - partners.)
I recommend that you read about how he adjusted, and about the changes that occurred at the store and in his life. I especially liked how Crystal, his boss, helped to change many of his attitudes and preconceived notions.
Note - I was forewarned by other reviews that he does quite a bit of name dropping and bragging about his former life, so it didn't bother me. It helps to highlight the differences between his old life and new life.