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Starbucks Customers Feel Burned by Surprise Price Hikes - DailyFinance

What's more, the company ended its 10% discount for "Black Gold Card" rewards members on the day after Christmas, leading many loyal customers to complain that demand for Starbucks coffee "is not inelastic."

via dailyfinance.com

I've been a Starbucks apologist for a long time, but price increases along with decimation of their rewards program has me questioning my loyalty.

Especially when other options are popping up.

Filed under: coffee starbucks

Posted 1 month ago

Can't Starbucks Do Better Than Paper Coupons?

Starbucks recently sent an email to all members of their soon to be discontinued Starbucks Gold program explaining the new My Starbucks Rewards program we'll be switched to on January 6th. From the email:

Every time you use your new Gold Level Starbucks Card, you earn a Star. And every 15 Stars, we'll send you a coupon for a free drink.

Send out a coupon by mail? That seems inefficient and worse, wasteful. Even if we're talking email the coupon would still have to be printed. Allowing the cashier to notify the customer that their next drink is free when 14 drinks are reached seems a much better solution. Even the old school method of punching out visits on a single membership card would be preferable.

For a company that at least attempts to give the appearance of trying to be decent this seems like a step in the wrong direction.

Filed under: starbucks

Posted 2 months ago