The classic coffee date is getting a new twist as Starbucks and Match.com partner up to hold the “World’s Largest Starbucks Date.”
Friday, in honor of Valentine’s Day, participating Starbucks coffee shops around the world are offering special couple options and limited time treats for a discounted price from 2 p.m. until closing. The pairings include Caffé Verona for two and a double chocolate chunk brownie, a tall flat white and chocolate croissant or a grande raspberry or white chocolate mocha and a heart cookie. All of the pairings will be offered for $5 instead of their usual prices in the spirit of the holiday.
The traditional coffee outing has been a go-to for first dates for as long as anyone can remember. Going out to a local coffee shop gives people a chance to get to know each other better in a public setting without the pressure that comes with a fancy dinner or a movie date. Many a relationship has started over creamer, good conversation and maybe a pastry or two. If it doesn’t work out, it was just coffee, right?
In today’s digital age, however, the world of online dating becomes more popular by the minute. According to statistics from Match.com, 40 million Americans use online dating services. Some people enjoy the experience of online dating and have found their spouse through one of these websites, while others are turned off by the new form of courtship.
“You can’t go into it thinking, ‘I’m going to find my soulmate,’ which is what I think a lot of people still believe,” explained Michael Manaloto, a pre-physiology freshman. Manaloto said he believes internet dating can work as long as a couple is committed to making it work, as with a typical relationship.
Whether or not cyber dating is for you, there’s no doubt about its popularity, but as with any information-sharing endeavor, there are always some risks.
It may be commonplace for people to fib when creating their online profiles about their height, weight and the like, but there are people who lie about their entire persona. The creation of fake profiles has become so popular that there’s an official term for the concept: catfishing. There’s even a reality television show by the same name on MTV where a pair of brothers try to help people find out if they have been “catfished.”
“You can basically create a totally different person online and pretend to be something you aren’t,” said Theresa Ruffin, a freshman studying pre-neuroscience and cognitive science. “That’s not to say that it can’t ever work if the people are actually being honest.” Ruffin said she has been hesitant to try out any online dating sites because it is so easy for people to lie online.
All of the stories cause a fair amount of uncertainty when planning a to meet up with an internet interest for the first time, but a coffee date can ease some of that tension. The public location and presence of other people make it more comfortable for both people involved and allow a couple to actually get to know each other in person, which is necessary for a relationship to develop past a computer monitor or smartphone screen. This prompted Match.com to create a new feature on its website that allows couples to coordinate a coffee date using the option “Meet at Starbucks.”
“Meeting people face-to-face and actually being able to hold a conversation with them in person is the only way a relationship will work out,” explained Karen Ayala-Miranda, a freshman studying speech, language and hearing sciences.
So if you’re looking to meet up with your online sweetheart, grab a snack with your honey or just stop in for some coffee with a friend, know that you could be a part of the world’s largest Starbucks date.
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