A Broke Boss Field Study
Today, I stood outside a Tim Hortons at Guildford Mall and witnessed a powerful financial ritual. About 50 people stood in two lines that didn’t move — not for 15 minutes.
Phones in hand. Eyes locked on the menu. Hope still alive.
That’s when it hit me: this is how people quietly choose to stay broke.
Standing in Line Is a Financial Decision
This isn’t about coffee. It’s about habits.
Standing in line in 2025 is a choice. A choice to spend time instead of saving it, to pay full price instead of earning rewards, and to wait instead of moving on with your life. Time is money — and these people were donating both, generously.
How a Boss Buys Coffee
I don’t care where I get my coffee. Tim Hortons, Starbucks, McDonald’s — it doesn’t matter. The location is irrelevant. The app is not.
The Boss method is simple: open the app, customize your order, order on the go, walk in, grab your coffee, and leave. No lineups, no conversations, no disappointment.
“But It’s Faster to Order In Person”
No. It’s not.
I did some research and the numbers are telling. Around 33% of Tim Hortons purchases happen through the app. Starbucks sits at roughly 31%, and McDonald’s is closer to 40%.
Which means most people still choose to stand in line, miss rewards, pay more, and lose time — and somehow feel productive doing it.
The Hidden Cost of Coffee Lines
Standing in line costs more than people realize. It costs time you’ll never get back, rewards you didn’t collect, mental energy before caffeine, and efficiency that compounds quietly against you.
One coffee line won’t ruin your finances. But repeating this mindset every single day absolutely will. Being broke isn’t always about income — sometimes it’s about how much friction you’re willing to tolerate.
Why People Love Lines
People don’t avoid apps because they’re difficult. They avoid them because they tell themselves things like “I’ll just order quickly,” “I don’t want another app,” or “It’s fine, I’m not in a rush.”
That mindset doesn’t stop at coffee. It shows up in banking, subscriptions, shopping, business, and eventually life itself. Busy. Late. Still broke.
The Broke Boss Financial Advice™
If you want to stay broke, I highly recommend standing in every line, paying full price proudly, ignoring rewards, trading time for convenience, and repeating this process daily.
If you want to act like a Boss instead, automate small decisions, remove friction, stack rewards, and protect your time — because it is money.
Final Thought from The Broke Boss
The Boss took this picture and had only one thought:
Some people don’t need financial advice.
They need a login screen.
This blog is satire. Please do the opposite.