Christian’s feelings are a little hurt. He tells Consumerist that he doesn’t understand why someone at Starbucks felt the need to give him a nickname, and to write that nickname on his cold drink’s cup. What did they write? “Big Dick.” [More]
tastes burnt
Starbucks Instant Coffee To Invade Supermarkets, Airwaves
By 5.3.10
We haven’t actually tried the Starbucks instant coffee “Via” but apparently someone has because they are expanding it into “tens of thousands of supermarkets, mass merchandisers and other outlets in coming weeks,” reports the WSJ. [More]
Starbucks Desperation: Brace Yourself For The "Wacky" Frappuccino
By 4.28.10
Facing stiff competition from Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonald’s Starbucks is looking to their pricey icey coffee concoction, the Frappuccino. Starbucks is experiencing a sales decline in the drink and since it accounts for 20% of their sales, that’s not good. [More]
Starbucks Remembers How To Sell Coffee
By 1.20.10
Starbucks used to make a lot of money selling coffee-like sugar bombs that people loved and would pay for with cash from their HELOCs. Those days are over, but there’s good news. Starbucks has remembered how to sell coffee and is now doing so in a profitable way. [More]
Starbucks Birthplace Coffee Tastes Just As Burnt As Everywhere Else
By 10.5.09
I visited the epicenter of Starbucks this weekend. It’s a nice little store that adheres to the Pike Place Market historic district guidelines. The logo on the exterior is the original brown, nippled mermaid. Inside, it’s not that large and theres a converted tackle supply shop feel to the place. The ceilings are made of painted white wood slats with lots of low white lights hanging. Otherwise, the coffee tasted exactly the same. Yes, no matter which corner in America you visit, whether the first store or the last, you can be assured of enjoying a consistent, smooth, burnt flavor.
Starbucks Going National With Via Instant Coffee
By 9.29.09
After 20 years of development work, and six months of test-marketing in Chicago and Seattle, Starbucks is taking its Via instant coffee national today. Will coffee snobs be willing to pay $1 a serving for a drink that Consumer Reports recently called “good, not great?”
Starbucks Barista Offers Advice To CEO Howard Schultz
By 8.7.09
Sun Min Kimes, a behind-the-counter barista at a Starbucks in Ashburn, Virginia has written a guest post on the Fortune magazine blog “Postcards” that offers advice for the CEO of her company, Howard Schultz. Starbucks has been going through some lean times lately, and are trying everything from removing their branding from their coffee shops to… well… making their employees put a Mr. Potato Head toy together over and over again.
Meet The First Stealth Starbucks: Seattle's 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea
By 8.6.09
A few weeks ago, we shared a story about Starbucks opening new stores that are not branded “Starbucks.” The idea is to recreate the flavor and feel of the independent coffeehouses your neighborhood used to have before Starbucks came along. Shortly after that, the first non-Starbucks Starbucks, 15th Avenue E Coffee and Tea in Seattle, opened for business. What’s it like?
Seattle Coffee Shop Owner Says Starbucks Ripped Off Her Look
By 7.20.09
Starbucks, after finally coming to terms with the fact that it is soul-crushingly bland, has been trying to reinvent itself as… well, not Starbucks. They’re stripping the branding from a few of their stores and renaming them after the communities that they’re in –– but one local coffee shop owner says they’ve gone too far to try to blend in.
The Only Thing Left For Starbucks? To Just Stop Being Starbucks
By 7.16.09
Starbucks just keeps trying to reinvent itself — and it seems that they’ve tried everything. The only thing left to do is just to stop being Starbucks. So that’s what they’re doing.
Starbucks Continues To Try To Sell Food That Doesn't Suck
By 6.3.09
Calling their food the “Achilles’ heel of the company” Starbucks has announced that they are reworking 90% of their baked goods to remove high fructose corn syrup and/or artificial flavors and dyes, says Reuters.
By 5.19.08
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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]
