Personal Finance

Working From Starbucks? Time to Pay Up

Maurie Backman

Published: January 15, 2025 9:42 am

I have a confession to make. While I like Starbucks, I can’t say I love it.

Maybe it’s the fact that I’m a pretty boring coffee drinker, so those sugary lattes just aren’t my taste. Or maybe I’m too frugal (er, cheap) to spend $3 on a plain coffee when I can make one in my Keurig at home for under $0.50.

But I’ve also spent my fair share of money at Starbucks through the years for a few reasons. As a writer who works from home, sometimes I need a break from staring at the same office walls. So like many remote workers, I’ve been known to park myself at Starbucks with a beverage and enjoy the change of scenery.

And let’s face it. If you’ve ever spent the day sightseeing in a big city, Starbucks probably came to your rescue by providing you with restroom access. That’s something I’ve always been grateful for, which is why once in a while, I have no problem buying a $4 beverage or an overpriced cake pop for my daughters.

Another thing I’ve also appreciated about Starbucks was that technically, you could park yourself at one of its tables without actually making a purchase. But those days are coming to an end.

Starbucks just announced that it will be ending its open door policy. Now, if you want to work at your local Starbucks or use the restroom, you need to be prepared to buy something. And that has the potential to throw some people’s budgets a bit out of whack.

A reasonable policy

I’m sure plenty of people will be up in arms about the new “you’ve got to buy something” policy. But I don’t think it’s unreasonable to require customers to make a small purchase if they’re going to occupy a table or couch for what could be hours on end. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever worked from a Starbucks without buying something.

Now the bathroom thing is a little different. I’m hoping Starbucks won’t enforce its new policy in the context of customers who need to pop in for five minutes to use the restroom. But technically, the store has the right to insist on a purchase since it costs money to keep those restrooms operational, stocked, and clean.

Will the new Starbucks rules mess with your finances?

You’ll read a lot on the internet about how making coffee at home every day could spell the difference between being able to retire or not. I think that line of thinking is warped, though.

It’s true that a daily $5 Starbucks purchase could amount to a lot of money over time if you save and invest that cash instead. But if your $5 coffee purchase is what’s preventing you from funding an IRA or 401(k) for your retirement, then frankly, you’ve got bigger financial problems. And cutting back to the tune of $5 per day probably won’t solve them.

To be clear, in that scenario, I’d definitely recommend sitting down with a financial advisor to get your personal economic situation back on track. But I also don’t think this new Starbucks rule is going to spell financial ruin for consumers.

If you’re someone who works from the store every day, you may now need to add $20 to $25 a week, or around $100 per month, to your budget if you want to keep doing that. And that could mean that you’ll have to cut back on another expense. But when you think about it, that’s a small price to pay for office space.

A desk at a coworking location might easily cost you $250 a month or more. So if you’re spending about $100 a month to take up space at Starbucks, and you’re getting a beverage or bagel or baked good out of the deal every day, then there’s not much to complain about.

Of course, if you’re going to be spending more money at Starbucks, I’d definitely suggest signing up for their rewards program so you can rack up points that are redeemable for free items. And you may also want to find a credit card that gives you bonus points or perks on Starbucks purchases.

But for the most part, this change probably won’t wreck your finances if you’re smart about it. You might have to get rid of one weekly takeout meal to make up for your increased Starbucks spending, or another expense that’s fairly easy to shed. But if you budget carefully, you can still stay on track with your financial goals despite the obligation to buy something at Starbucks every time you go there.