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Court Sides With Starbucks In Dispute Over Labor Union Pins
By Chris Morran on May 10, 2012 3:30 PM
55 Comments
You won't be seeing Starbucks baristas sporting aprons covered in Industrial Workers of the World pins anytime in the near future, after a U.S. appeals court ruled today that the coffee company is within its rights to stop employees from wearing too much of the pro-union flare. More »
How Starbucks Trained Us All To Use Its Lingo, And Why It Improved Customer Service
By Chris Morran on May 9, 2012 4:49 PM
199 Comments
While some people balk at having to ask for a "tall" or a "venti" when they go to Starbucks, most people have learned that the fastest way to satisfy their caffeine cravings is to use the company's particular lingo and keep the line moving. This, says one leadership expert, is not a coincidence. More »
(Ajruck)
Starbucks & Disney Form Overly Cheerful, Caffeinated Alliance
By Mary Beth Quirk on April 23, 2012 2:00 PM
38 Comments
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum — and also a grande nonfat caramel macchiato with extra whip, please. A new joint venture between Starbucks and Disney means visitors to the theme parks will be able to get their caffeine fix in cafes designed to blend in with their surroundings. More »
Starbucks Stops Using Bug Extract In Products
By Chris Morran on April 19, 2012 1:40 PM
73 Comments
Cochineal extract has the vague name one would come to expect from a food ingredient. And for years, it's been used as a food coloring option for people looking to get a nice red hue in their edible items. But what some folks don't know is the "cochineal" in cochineal extract is a tiny insect that is pulverized to make the red dye. More »
Starbucks Can't Serve Me Coffee Unless They Misspell My Name First
By Laura Northrup on April 19, 2012 8:00 AM
311 Comments
Some people would say that Carrie is making a big deal out of nothing. That she is being unnecessarily difficult on principle regarding something that isn't all that important. Well, of course. This is The Consumerist. That's our thing! Carrie's battle was against Starbucks, and she fought against employees' insistence that she give them her name with her order so they can misspell it on her cup. She declined, which threw the employees' entire worldview into chaos. More »
Anarchists Deliver A Message With Metal Pipes On A New York Starbucks
By Mary Beth Quirk on April 16, 2012 12:00 PM
74 Comments
Burned coffee gets my duff up, too — but taking out your rage using metal pipes on a Starbucks? That's just impolite. Cops say pipe-wielding protestors and so-called anarchists had at it on a Starbucks in New York city's East Village Saturday night, in an attempt to shatter the store's floor-to-ceiling windows. More »
Starbucks Is Trying Really Hard To Fit In With The Cool European Kids
By Mary Beth Quirk on March 30, 2012 4:00 PM
37 Comments
Now that Americans basically use Starbucks as a public restroom where you can also buy burned tasting coffee, it seems the mega chain is trying its best to impress our cool kindred across the pond. They're spending millions in a new campaign to convince the Europeans that they aren't just "impersonal," "mediocre" and "expensive" coffee. More »
Strawberry Frappuccinos No Longer Vegan, Contain Ground-Up Bugs
By Laura Northrup on March 23, 2012 9:00 AM
107 Comments
A few years ago, we happily passed on the news that a change in Starbucks Frappuccino flavors meant that you could get some flavors in a vegan formulation. But now, if you're a Frappuccino lover who eschews eating animals, you'll have to stay away from the strawberry variety from here out. The good news is that the newest base doesn't contain artificial red food dye. The bad news is that's because it's been replaced with cochineal extract, a dye made from dried, ground-up insects. More »
Starbucks Wants To Turn Your Dial To 11 With New Energy Drinks
By Mary Beth Quirk on March 22, 2012 10:00 AM
21 Comments
Just in case you're not getting enough energy from Starbucks' actual coffee or espresso drink, the company has a new offering in the pipeline to give customers the jolt they crave. In April, the omnipresent chain will introduce Refreshers at retail locations nationwide, as well as convenience and grocery stores. More »
Starbucks Expands Its Horizons With New Evolution Fresh Juice Store
By Mary Beth Quirk on March 19, 2012 12:45 PM
7 Comments
Starbucks has made a name for itself, to say the least, with all things coffee, so now it seems they've decided to move beyond their bread and butter (or scones and coffee, as it were) and have opened their first Evolution Fresh Inc. juice store today. More »
(ITVNews)
The First Ski-Thru Starbucks Keeps Snow Bunnies & Bums Caffeinated On The Slopes
By Mary Beth Quirk on February 16, 2012 4:00 PM
25 Comments
How many times have you been shooting down a ski slope, totally shredding some awesome powder (if that's a thing?) and thought, "Man, I could really go for a latte right about now"? Enough people have felt that way, apparently, as Starbucks has opened its first ski-thru location. More »
(Panoz'd)
Starbucks Moves Forward With Extended Boozy Menu Hitting More Locations
By Mary Beth Quirk on January 23, 2012 3:00 PM
41 Comments
While it seems a Starbucks sprang up on every corner and in every mall at the rate of one new location per second, it's taking a little bit longer for their extended menu, including alcohol, to reach the nation. After testing it at Seattle locations and in Portland, Ore., the chain is finally ready to branch out to a few more locations. More »
Starbucks Thinks You Might Prefer Blondes, Debuts New Lighter Roast
By Mary Beth Quirk on January 10, 2012 1:00 PM
74 Comments
Apparently Starbucks has had enough of people telling it to just "lighten up, man," as they've announced they're debuting a "Blonde Roast" brewed coffee in all their U.S. stores. It's being called "mellow and approachable," as opposed to the other darker, high-strung and standoffish roasts. More »
Starbucks Hikes Prices By About 1 Percent In Certain Parts Of U.S.
By Mary Beth Quirk on January 3, 2012 12:00 PM
54 Comments
If you live in the Northeast or the Sunbelt, expect to be doling out just a little bit more for your Starbucks double-shot-no-whip-extra-foam-vanilla latte, as the company is raising prices in those areas by about 1 percent. More »
Small New Hampshire Coffee Roaster Wins Legal Victory Over "Charbucks" Name
By Chris Morran on December 29, 2011 4:15 PM
27 Comments
Since August of 1997, the folks at the Black Bear Mico Roastery in New Hampshire have been slinging pebbles at coffee colossus Starbucks over the smaller company's "Charbucks" blend. And in spite of court rulings in favor of the little guy, Daddy Starbucks has continued to fight. But last week, a U.S. District Court in New York may have shut the door on the Seattle java slinger's attempts to rid the world of Charbucks. More »
Gun Accidentally Fires From Inside Girl's Purse At Wyoming Starbucks
By Mary Beth Quirk on December 28, 2011 1:00 PM
158 Comments
If there's ever a really great time to make sure your gun's safety is on, it's when you're carrying it in your purse while ordering a super non skinnyfat with extra whip peppermint mocha or whatever at Starbucks. A girl in Wyoming who doesn't really get firearms was packing a small gun that accidentally went off while she was stopping for her caffeine fix. More »
Oklahoma Couple Enjoys Dream Wedding At Starbucks
By Chris Morran on December 7, 2011 4:30 PM
26 Comments
In a scene that could be straight out of Best In Show, a couple whose romanced blossomed over cups of Starbucks' pricey caffeine decided that the java joint was the perfect place to bind themselves together for eternity. More »
(pic-nerd)
Buy A Frappuccino With Food Stamps At Oregon Starbucks In Grocery Stores
By Mary Beth Quirk on December 5, 2011 4:00 PM
270 Comments
While food stamp programs may vary from state to state, it would seem logical to restrict usage of those stamps to actual food items. Not so in the case of Starbucks located inside grocery stores in Oregon, where you can use stamps to purchase cold beverages like a Frappuccino. More »
Consumer Advocates To Starbucks: Change Your Terms Of Service On Gift Cards
By Mary Beth Quirk on December 1, 2011 4:15 PM
54 Comments
Who reads the terms of service on gift cards? Maybe not everyone, but four consumer advocacy groups have your back and are petitioning Starbucks to remove certain provisions in time for the holiday season. More »
(STL Okie)
Starbucks Busted For Hidden Fee On Bagged Coffee
By Chris Morran on November 14, 2011 1:15 PM
56 Comments
See that bag of coffee grounds at Starbucks that's listed at $12/pound? Well, if you buy less than a pound, there's a fee of $1.50 that isn't mentioned anywhere in the store and doesn't show up as a fee on the receipt. But now, after being busted by authorities in Massachusetts, the java giant has decided to stop charging the fee. More »
