Recently, my friend Kirill asked, "Wonder how much time America wastes in line at Starbucks". Interesting question, I thought. Let's do the math.

According the Starbucks 10K filing in 2010, there were 11,131 stores in the US.

According to this analysis by Trefis, there are an average of 449 visits per store daily.

Doing the math: 11,131 stores * 449 visits per store = 4,997,819 visits per day by Americans.

If we estimate that the process averages 5 minutes per visit to go from entering the store to have the coffee in hand is five minutes, we get these numbers.

The time wasted in line at Starbucks by Americans, per day is:

24,989,095 minutes = 416,485 hours = 17,354 days = 48 years

Obviously these are just rough estimates, but the time is significant. Also, some might argue that time at Starbucks is not wasted, as you do get your drink or food. Everyone's views on the value of Starbucks will vary.

Personally, I don't mind going to Starbucks, but prefer a lighter roast coffee made from better beans.