A Trip to Starbucks in England

It’s 10:55 am and I am sitting in a Starbucks in England having a cappuccino.  I’m heading to Ikea to pick up a couple of end tables that we need for our house, but I got distracted by the TK Maxx store (same store as TJ Maxx but in the UK it’s a K and not a J) and another home goods type store, so I needed a little pick me up before heading into the behemoth that is Ikea. 

Starbucks is packed.  Luckily, one table opens up just as I get my coffee.  As I settle in and start sipping the frothy mix, I look around.  I am the only person sitting at a table by myself.  Everyone else in the coffee shop is sitting with at least one other person.  There is no computer or Ipad in sight.  The only cell phone I see is sitting quietly on a table between it’s two companions but it doesn’t get touched the entire time I am there.  I do not see a single to go cup, only real ceramic mugs. 

Everyone in Starbucks is here to enjoy the company and the coffee and that is all.  They drink from real coffee mugs as they chat away about this or that.  No one is working, talking on their cell phone, or just stopping in to grab a quick coffee before heading off to the next thing on their busy schedule.  The only cell phone that I see get used is my own as I snap the picture below.  This is a typical coffee shop in Europe.