At Starbucks, you can now order online and have your drink ready for pick up

Brick and mortar stores like Sears in the US and Harvey Nichols in England are fighting back against Internet shops by letting customers purchase on the Web then pick up the same-day from their stores. They are counting on people's desire for instant gratification to prop up sales. Now Starbucks is taking a page from this business model with a new program that allows customers to bypass in-store lines by ordering online. Mobile ordering isn't new; McDonald's tested a similar program last year. But directing consumers to Starbucks mobile app is a crafty play to meet customers where they already are – on their mobile devices. Additionally, the coffee chain is leveraging a recent partnership with Square that lets customers pay for their purchases through their mobiles.