Earlier this year, Howard Schultz decided to return to his vision at Starbucks (SBUX), and everyone is anxious to see if he can turn around the coffee bean behemoth. Hopefully, he can “pull a Steve Jobs.” About a year ago, I gave my McStarbucks theory about Starbucks starting to serve breakfast. Two months ago they began serving $1 cups of coffee and free refills. This latest strategy is furthering of my McStarbucks theory, and it isn’t what the original vision of Starbucks was intended to be.

I should note that I worked for six months at a Starbucks in New Orleans. I wanted to work there. I had become an evangelist for their brand. It had nothing to do with the coffee. It was the atmosphere and the ambiance associated with it. Based purely on flavor, I could name two places in New Orleans that were better for coffee. New Orleans and Austin, Texas were two markets Starbucks went into carefully because of the loyalists’ attitude each city has for its coffees.

Back to McStarbucks, they are offering $1 cup of coffee and breakfast to compete with McDonald’s. The problem is people don’t go to Starbucks for $1 cups of coffee. They go for the $4 cup of coffee, the atmosphere, the passion of the staff and the free refill you can get if you know the secret way to ask. So, one answer to getting that share price up again has nothing to do with $1 coffee. In fact, I can see it hurting before it helps. They don’t need to ward off their most passionate users. They’ve already started doing it. It just hit me the other day that they’re beginning to push me away. Starbucks is now like an insecure woman, and it’s starting to turn me off. Starbucks can be an insecure man too, but I only date women.

Starbucks has become that needy date. I remember when I was fully single, and I’d be out with friends in one of the same five bars around Atlanta on a Friday night. There was always this one girl who just tried too hard to be available. She was usually cute enough and a great disposition, but she was trying to please everyone. I guess it’s sick or just human nature, but it’s a turn off. For me, I needed the girls I dated to challenge me a bit. By challenge, I don’t mean hostile or playing games. I mean willing to go through the process of getting to know someone…not just being attractive and becoming a ‘yes’ person. It was like everything I talked to her about she seemed to have an answer for or was willing to do. The bottom line is it was too easy, and I had no interest. If I’d wanted to do so, I know what I could’ve done. I don’t know what the female equivalent is, but I’m quite certain there is one.

I’ve often told others that Starbucks creates their most passionate users with the partners they hire. Because even I after I left, I continued to push their products because I’d learned about the culture. I’ve even defended them on occasion. I take pride in knowing about the ideals behind Starbucks. This is starting to leave me. Recently, I moved into a ‘live, work and play’ condo development that has a Starbucks 100 yards from my door. It’s pure evil. The past few trips I’ve made to get coffee have taken me five miles outside of my complex to a Caribou (CBOU) or this great little Atlanta shop called Octane. And along the way, there are 3 other Starbucks before I get to either alternative. I have 4 Starbucks within two square miles of me! It’s too much! Please, stop; leave me alone for a minute. Go talk that other guy’s ear off!! Get the point? I’m not sure she ever did.

I do think Caribou and Octane have better coffee than Starbucks, but I used to bypass them most of the time for the atmosphere. Now, I’m literally driving out of my way to get other coffees. Starbucks has made itself too available to me. Atlanta is about to jump to the number seven market in the country, so it demands many Starbucks, but it’s not NYC or Chicago yet. I don’t need two within 500 feet of each other. Starbucks needs to create that passion, want and mystery again. Whenever I go clubbing in Los Angeles, I always have to wait in a line for at least thirty minutes. When I get inside a place, they are never all that special; but I picked it based on the line. They keep that line outside to capture the bewilderment of the crowds, so everyone is trying to figure out what is the hot place for the night. Starbucks needs to get that back because they’re in danger of becoming just another fast food option.

Make me search for you a bit. I keep thinking that you’ll be at my beckon call when I need you. I’ve begun to take you for granted. Go away for a bit…let me miss you. Eleanor Roosevelt must have been a secure woman as she has famously stated, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” FDR was a lucky man!