Change is Hard

Last week I grumped about Starbucks and how I am so tired of the price increases, the reduction in amenities (comfy chairs gone) and the lousy rewards program that just cut reward star value in half.

After much muttering... I decided to try... McDonald's. It's supposed to open at 5:30 am... although the nearest McDonald's has some low reviews because of the hours not being accurate.

Rather than showing up at 5:30 am and finding the doors locked... I decided to try it one afternoon. I finished running some errands and walked in the door.

It's different than Starbucks... has more of a Tim Horton's feel. Bright... hard... sterile. I mean... it's not that different from Starbucks which also has hard surfaces... hard floors, hard tables... hard seats. But in Starbucks, the lighting is subdued and it gives it a nice moody ambience, warm and inviting. Here at McDonald's it's just a bit too... I don't know... cold.

But... there's always a but... they have a TONNE of electrical outlets, basically one by every table. And they have a lot of tables too. They even have some soft bench seating with tables (and electrical outlets).

I grabbed a table near the window and sat down... I can hear people chatting at the next table but there is a bit of a screen between us, which is nice.

The wifi was easy to connect to and is a solid 173 Mbps which s fast.

There are a lot of older people passing through here... which is fine. McDonald's food is cheap! I didn't order anything though... not a tea, not anything. Which might be a bit of a cheat but... I am trying it out.

Nobody's going to throw me out and... well... we'll see how it goes.

Right now... I don't like it. It's different than Starbucks and... well... I don't like it. I know that change is hard but knowing that doesn't make it any easier. I have gotten very comfortable at Starbucks. And making the move to McDonald's is going to take some doing. Are there things I could love about this place? Maybe... it's a good location. It's walkable from home. It's across the street from the local grocery store where I often come to pick up odds and ends. It has fast wifi. It has lots of electrical outlets. The music isn't super loud.

I mean really... when you look at it... the pros outweigh the cons by a long shot... at least in the number of them. Way more pros than cons. But the con (ambience) is a big one. Or is it?

I am going to have to try this out for a while and see how it goes. Small steps remember... just one small step.