Starbucks to raise prices

[Toliver]

"Starbucks Raises Prices of Coffee Drinks"

Starbucks Corp. said Thursday that it planned to raise prices of its lattes, cappuccinos, drip coffee and other drinks by 5 cents, or an average of 1.9 percent.

The increase, which goes into effect Oct. 3 at all company-operated stores in the U.S. and Canada, will mark the first time the company has boosted drink prices in two years.

Starbucks also is increasing the price of its coffee beans by about 50 cents per pound, or an average of 3.9 percent. That's the first price increase for whole beans in nine years, spokeswoman Valerie O'Neil said.

No big deal? Or will this impact your coffee buying habits?

[jsmeeker]

I just means I'll have to remember the new, correct amount so I can pay with exact change.

(note that I don't ALWAYS do that, but I frequently do when I am out in L.A.)

[phaelon56]

If by chance I was a regular at Starbucks it wouldn't affect my drink purchasing or drink purchasing habits. I do on occasion utilize them when I'm traveling and have no other option but even - the increase would have to put them totally out of line with current market prices before it would make a whit of difference to me.

Frankly I'm surprised that they only raised prices by a nickel per cup. The cost of doing business for any operator, large or small, has increased in the past two years. Cups, napkins, stirring sticks etc... all of them keep creeping up.

Coffee prices on C market (Commmodity trading) have been at historic lows in recent years thus I'm not surprised that their bean prices have not changed much. But the market for the less common and more select arabicas has become more competitive of late and the 'bucks is paying a bit more. Also, to their credit (although I still hate their roasting style and flavor profile), they'ver been buying increasingly more fairly traded coffee as well as spending some money on community initiatives (family health care, education etc) in coffee growing regions where they do significant buying.

[Davydd]

Wow! a whole nickel. I'm so old I can remember when a bottomless cup of coffee in a diner mug was only a nickel.

[phaelon56]

Believe it or not... there's a place near here on Rte 31 just off Oneida Lake (central NY) called Flo's Diner that still has 10 cent bottomless cups of coffee. And it's about as good as what you pay for it. But my dad and his other 85 year old buddies all love it

[Holly Moore]

"Starbucks Raises Prices of Coffee Drinks"

Figured that was coming. Starbucks has to pay for all those new fangled automated, baristaless espresso machines they recently installed and for the resultant loss of my triple breve latte grande business.

[honorspianist]

yep...i can see starbucks doing that. they continue to open lots of new stores, one of which just opened by my house.

to be blunt, though, i think their coffee tastes kind of burnt. am i the only one who thinks so? coffee is something i'm really particular about, so, i much prefer a homemade cup.

davydd, i remember my grandpa telling me of those days when you could get a paper, a cup of coffee, and a shoe shine for just 8 cents. boy have the times changed!

[Davydd]

I believe Starbucks roasts all their coffee beans the same so many brews do have that burnt taste. How true that is I am not sure but it probably imprints a signature to its brand. Most will roast beans differently depending on the type of bean. Our son-in-law once owned three coffee shops with his family (since sold) and I learned a little bit about the business just from general family discussions.

I also once went to Starbucks' headquarters in Seattle and gained a little insight during business meetings. Looks like a nice place to work. It is an old converted Sears building nicely done. One of those Sears buildings that had a tower. There is one tip I learned I think worth passing on to the general public. Every year they have their own employee in-house holiday blend at the end of the year that none of us outsiders can get, but the closest thing to it in the stores is their Christmas Blend every December. Maybe that is a bit of mind play but I now do look forward to it every year and will usually buy a couple of pounds of it for home use over the holidays.

I drink Starbucks just about every work day morning and then switch to Caribou in the afternoon. I will also drink most independent coffee shop brews if they are convenient. I drink my coffee straight black with no cream or sugar.

[katmandude]

yep...i can see starbucks doing that. they continue to open lots of new stores, one of which just opened by my house. 

to be blunt, though, i think their coffee tastes kind of burnt. am i the only one who thinks so? coffee is something i'm really particular about, so, i much prefer a homemade cup.

davydd, i remember my grandpa telling me of those days when you could get a paper, a cup of coffee, and a shoe shine for just 8 cents. boy have the times changed!

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Yep, I find their coffee burnt. not to mention too week for a standard cup. I know I could get a double shot but I figure why the heck should I have to pay more for a standard strength coffee when I can generally get a better coffee at a small cafe down the road that's even cheaper than Starbucks basic coffee. As for the Starbucks 'experience', for me, I'd rather sit in a groovy cafe. But that's just me. As you can see, I'm not a SB fan, and only drink it when there is no alternative, which thankfully isn't often.

What do you guys pay for a coffee at a non Starbucks cafe over there? In Australia, the cost is about A$2.80, and that's for fairtrade cafe late at my fav cafe. From memory, Starbucks is A$3 plus for a standard coffee. not a big difference, but for bad coffee, forget it.

[Pam R]

Does this mean Nickelback will have to change it's name?

I'm not surprised that they're raising prices.. as others have stated prices for everything have gone up and continue to do so. But why 5 cents across the board? It's not like their coffees cost the same everywhere in North America as it is.

I almost always opt for tea at Starbucks - but really, for what they're already charging for drinks I don't think this will be an issue for people.