Starbucks Wants To Sell You More Stuff And Be Pals On Facebook

Wouldn’t you just love to sit in on a Starbucks shareholders meeting? It’s probably not all overly caffeinated jittery people yelling — even if that’s how we picture it — but anyway, the latest insider yapping session went down on Wednesday and the ‘Bucks says it wants to do a lot more than just push lattes and Dave Matthews CDs.

The coffee giant will be expanding the slate of other products it offers, like coffee machines and consumer packaged-goods, the Associated Press reports. Oh, and also they’ll offer free online access to Marvel Comics, The Economist, ESPN Insider Rumor Center and Mediabistro in cafes.

“We are now playing from a position of strength,” Chief Financial Officer Troy Alstead told the capacity crowd at the company’s annual meeting in Seattle.

The company wants to increase the sale of single-serve coffee machines in the U.S., which is an estimated $1.6 billion market. They announced they’ll now be providing coffee and Tazo tea for Green Mountain Coffee’s Keurig single-cup machines starting in 2012.

They’re also going to try to interact with customers by offering drink payment via phone and upping the ante on their social networking presence. Perhaps they should focus on decreasing the burny-flavor of their coffee, as well. Just a thought!

Starbucks growth strategy: new places, products [Associated Press via Yahoo!]

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