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Diane Craig from Danville, CA. faces arson charges after she set fire to 2 gas stations and a Starbucks to protest high gas prices. Police said they don’t know why she targeted Starbucks. [KCRA] (Thanks to Kristie!)
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Today is indeed the beginning of the Starbucks Free-Wifi era. Hooray for “2008 as a year of transformation in a difficult macroeconomic environment.” Or whatever. Customers who register a Starbucks card and use it twice a month will get 2 hours of free WiFi per day. [Seattle P-I]
A blogger who is friends with a Starbucks manager says that it looks like the long-awaited free AT&T WiFi, even if you’re not an AT&T customer, inside Starbucks will launch tomorrow. A few caveats:
A Portland jury recently found Latasha Curry not guilty of misdemeanor harassment for throwing a $4 venti iced mocha at a Starbucks manager who accused her of running a free drink scam. Curry was initially offered a free drink after she complained that her iced tea was too bitter. When she tried to redeem her freebie two days later, store manager Ryan Smith decided that Curry looked suspiciously like a woman who redeemed a free drink from a different store 11 months earlier. Smith accused Curry of running some elaborate drink scam, prompting Curry to serve Smith a free venti shower.
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Consumer Reports has decided to weigh in on the new Pike Place Roast. CR once described Starbucks’ coffee as “burnt and bitter,” did the new roast manage to charm their testers? [CR]
According to the Star Tribune, Starbucks recently decided to resurrect its original bare-breasted mermaid logo, much to the dismay of the Christian group, “The Resistance,” who is calling for a national boycott. The logo, based on a 16th Century Norse woodcut, will be on Starbucks cups for at least a few more weeks and will be the permanent logo for Pike Place bags of coffee. According to the Christian group, the logo “has a naked woman on it with her legs spread like a prostitute,” and that “the company might as well call themselves Slutbucks.” We didn’t even know that mermaids had legs. More, inside…
In the era of sports Tivoing, Starbucks baristas are powerless to avoid having the game ruined by thoughtless, chatty customers… or are they? Apparently, one Boston-area barista is fighting back. Do think this worked?
Over at Racked, a reader is reporting that despite taking advantage of Starbucks new “reward card” they were being screwed out of the promised free syrup. What’s up with that, Starbucks?
Watch out Jamba Juice, Starbucks is coming for you. CEO Howard Schultz announced yesterday that the company would “make our first significant step forward into this category with the introduction of a Health and Wellness beverage platform.” That’s CEO for “We’re gonna make smoothies.”
If your favorite Dunkin’ Donuts shop is an…
Earlier you said to me, the media has made such a huge deal about all of Starbucks’ competition. So tell us straight out what the story is here. Have you been hurt by the premium coffee sold at McDonald’s (MCD) or by Dunkin’ Donuts getting more aggressive?
The Starbucks card has some spiffy new benefits (including free refills on brewed coffee), but it seems that some employees didn’t get the message.
Starbucks debuted their new “everyday” coffee blend yesterday and the initial reports say that the new roast seems to be a reaction to all the “over-roasting” criticism that is routinely hurled at Starbucks.
The “something big” tomorrow at Starbucks is a new “everyday” drip coffee blend called “Pikes Place Roast.” If you’re feeling curious, free samples of the coffee will be handed out tomorrow at all Starbucks locations. Supposedly, the coffee will feature “subtle, rich flavors of cocoa and toasted nuts.” Sexy.
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Starbucks wants us to all go to our nearest Starbucks location on Tuesday, April 8th, at 9am PST/ 12pm EST “sharp,” for “something big.” If the barista re-training last month was Phase 2, is this Phase 3? Is the spaceship comet passing overhead then? Will we at least get free drink coupons out of the deal?
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The Starbucks barista tip sharing lawsuit has spread to New York. [NYT]
In the state of California it is illegal for supervisors to share in employee tips. Starbucks recently lost a lawsuit brought by an employee who said he was forced to share a portion of his tips with his supervisor. The judgment awarded over $100 million in back tips and interest to the Starbucks baristas of California, and now several similar lawsuits are pending in other states.
As we’ve mentioned previously, Starbucks has purchased the company that makes the $11,000 Clover coffee maker. Now that acquisition isn’t sitting well with some of the Clover’s current customers.
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