Welcome back one and all,
Do you like coffee? I love coffee. I’m one of these people who – as Jerry Seinfeld said – stop for a coffee on their way to get a coffee. I love it.
Starbucks coffee was never the BEST available, nor was it ever the cheapest… but it has a drive through and a star program. You know. Buy 12 drinks get one free. Get a free drink for your birthday. A nice wrapper for the overpriced product. I WILL hand it to them though – when it comes to customer service at their branches, few come close. Ever spilled your coffee? Ever had to pay for a refill as a result? Not at Starbucks.
That said, and fully understanding the terms, many of us coffee-holics received a message recently, outlining the new and improved star program. It said that for some, it will be an improvement and for some it would take longer to get the free drink. Fair is fair.
But that was a convenient way to say that it would cost more. for us coffee freaks.
A simple mathematical exercise, which any teenager can make without breaking sweat, reveals the following (In the example a common drink, costing 3.5$):
So, leave aside the time it would take to get a free drink. For the person who uses Starbucks for his coffee fill, it means a 40% cost increase…
So yeah, if you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at your coffee shop – Yipee for you I guess… but for us simpletons who just like to have a cuppa, that is a sneaky little hike.
Now, you know me, I’m not a “let’s boycott this or that” kind of guy. But I will be mixing up the places I get my coffee at, while following closely the possible change of Starbucks sales. Let’s see what is the “market’s” reaction to this sneaky little “improvement”.
I don’t know about you, but now I need a coffee.
Until next time,
Gil's Sand Box 