It’s a sure sign that I’ve been spending a lot of time interviewing that when I saw the story about the guy who bought something at all 171 Starbucks in Manhattan in one day I turned it into an interview puzzle. There are a lot of considerations:

• Where are all the stores?
• What are the hours for each store? Many Starbucks are in business areas and don’t say open late.
• How busy are the stores?
• How do you get around Manhattan?
• How does your body deal with the effects of caffeine, liquid and sugar?
• What happens if a store is closed?

The answer to the last question is “bribe the barista”. The video reports that the barista at the 96th and Madison Starbucks charged $80 for a piece of pound cake when he showed up 12 minutes after closing. A Starbucks representative reportedly refunded the $80 after hearing about it.