Starbucks sales tumble as customers reject high-priced coffee

I don’t go to coffee shops but I’m glad patrons are sending a message. Greedy institutions never satisfied.

With the cost of groceries, I’m not sure many can afford a $6 coffee.

It use to be a treat and in a strange way was a special activity to do

The Starbucks that closest to me is constantly over crowded and it takes over 30 mins to get an order. Even if you order in advance. The drive through is backed up too.

It no longer was treat and became a chore. I stopped going.

Good. People need to start rejecting a whole bunch of other consumables that are way over-priced, too. That's the only way price will come down.

Pumpkin spice season starts in a few weeks. Sales will rebound.

And none of this has anything to do with Gen Z boycotting them?

I invested in an espresso machine and Yeti Stainless mug and haven't been back since. I imagine a lot of people are doing the same. The cost really adds up if you go to office every day.

The public ought to boycott cereal.

$6, $7 and $8 for a box of cereal is too goddamn much. This is no longer inflation. It's corporate greed--the manufacturer and the grocery store.

It always was imaginary inflation, aka greedflation.

Besides being over priced, Starbucks coffee tastes like shit.

Starbucks closed a large number of locations in downtown Toronto with some converted into those barely staffed pick-up only joints. Not that they are really missed here, since there are so many local chains who ate their lunch with better coffee and a better selection of drinks and food items. Last time I had anything from Starbucks, last summer, I ordered a matcha latte and they told me that it was sweetened with corn syrup, after I've already paid for it. It tasted like crap and it was as expensive as those vastly better small local chains.

I couldn't believe that they serve this abomination in, of all places, Italy:

I think it was because they got rid of their straws. I hate drinking from the lid and swallowing the melting ice chips or when they hit up against my teeth when I’m taking a sip. I always forget to mention no ice.

They still have straws at the one that’s on the line between my city and another one. Both rough sides of each city where the customers aren’t going to tolerate the no straw policy. They’re definitely too scared at that Starbucks to eliminate them.

Just listen to Espresso instead. It's a lot cheaper.

Um, yeah… it’s the straws and totally not the SIX DOLLAR COFFEE

What's wrong with paper straws? Reminds me of the old days.

I only order a tall (not grande) , tall drip , black . Thats it. But waiting in line for 15 minutes with people in front of me buying ridiculous ice cream coffee frappe dessert drinks with gingersnap flavor and extra foam, and oat milk, but not splenda,blah blah blah broke me of buying a reg coffee from them. It was just not worth it. Exhausting.

The Astor Place Starbucks just closed after almost 30 years in business. I haven’t been there post pandemic, but it was always crazy busy.

Howard Schultz claims that in the thousands of years that coffee has been around, no one else thought of combining it with olive oil. But fans of intermittent fasting have been adding oil to their coffee for years. Granted, it’s not olive oil. It’s MCT oil. But still. He sounds like he’s high on his own farts.

Hey, Howie, why don’t you aerate the coffee with your noxious GAS???

If I'm going to spend that much on a latte I'll do it at a locally owned shop.

R11, that comment above came from reading the New Yorker story you liked to (thanks for that).

Jesus, corn syrup in a matcha latte. That’s disgusting. I buy ceremonial grade matcha 🍵 and make my own lattes at home. With a teaspoon of SUGAR.

I agree, R16. It's ridiculous to have to wait for them to make a bunch of frou-frou drinks before turning around and pouring out a cup of black coffee for me. I get that other people have ordered before me, but it would take about 10 seconds to get my order out of the way and into my hand.

And for a company that used to promote itself as "blue", their union-busting strategies rival those of Amazon. God forbid that some college kid who's working long hours, dealing with difficult customers ("no sharpie on my cup", "is the oat milk organic?") could afford to go see a dentist...

Maybe its high caloric drink addicts are all on semaglutides now

They need to expand their menu.

One can only hope. Those things are ridiculous. Imagine drinking 1000 calories like that on a regular basis.

I live in center city philadelphia, the idea of going to starbucks is like having to go to the bathroom at a random time. sure, you do it, but you never look forward to it.

there just are so many other third wave coffee joints in philly

McDonald’s high prices have also resulted in lower sales.

Lookit: businesses today are unwilling to allow profits to fluctuate when the costs of wholesale or raw materials fluctuate. They raise prices with immediate effect when their cost go up and the prices never go back down, even if the cost to produce declines. The business model is to increase profits at any cost. The only exceptions to this practice seem to be independent or small businesses, which tend to be more agile than publicly traded companies. As a poster above called it, this is simply greedflation. It’s the sad reality of the 21st century.

How much are cake pops these days?

Forgot the link

That one is closing because the workers unionized r17.

But as r6 said there is a currently a boycott that some people are doing of Starbucks as well.

[quote]The Starbucks that closest to me is constantly over crowded and it takes over 30 mins to get an order

Nobody goes there anymore—it’s too crowded.

[quote]ridiculous ice cream coffee frappe dessert drinks with gingersnap flavor and extra foam, and oat milk,

Starbucks has always been in the sugar business, not the coffee business. The ridiculous drinks have always been where they get their profits from. Live by the caramel mocha frappacino, die by the caramel mocha frappacino.

Do "nice" Starbucks locations still exist? I remember in the 90s/early 2000s they were cosier, quieter places, somewhere you could actually read a book in, and that was the brand. Now they feel pretty soulless

Every location in my city is awkward to get in and out of, save for the one in Target.

I drink dark roast coffee, but most Starbucks near me have it brewed only early in the mornings. Others don’t have it at all. That Pike roast is just tinted hot water. The alternative is a three shot americano in a grande cup, but they want >$7.00 for it. No, thank you.

I think they deliberately make them unpleasant in order to prevent customers from lingering there without buying more than an item or two.

I go to Peet's Coffee and hang out.

Dunkin Donuts coffee rules Dixie and it shows

I only go to Dunks (because I'm used to it) and Cumberland Farms (because it's really good coffee and it's cheap).

Even small sized cities have a dozen decent coffee shops around, that make Starbucks and Dunkin seem like garbage.

It's a status symbol to walk around with a Starbucks. But you can mix the same ingredients at home and just reuse your cups.

I'm a New Englander and it's Dunkin for me.

Starbucks Prices REJECTED

I was never a big fan of Starbucks, and would much rather go to a local cafe.

But I went from "sometimes" to "never" when they started treating their employees terribly and were doing union-busting BS. Same reason I won't shop at Kroger stores.

[quote] Jesus, corn syrup in a matcha latte.

When I had a job in a starbucks when I was in college 20 years ago, the matcha latte was just made with some kind of “cream beverage powder” that was already sweetened and then matcha powder and milk and ice. There was no “syrup” added to it.

I vastly prefer Dunkin, but they’re so few of them around here and I have to go way out of my way to reach one. OTOH, I pass five Starbucks just to get on the freeway. Peet’s around here don’t have drive thus and Coffee Bean is, frankly, crap.

I gave up coffee a couple of years ago, but I did enjoy these things from Starbucks:

1. Americano (grande)

2. Red eye (coffee with an added shot of espresso)

3. Airports only: hot matcha latte

4. Scone, heated

I don't live in a big city. But there are at least 3 coffee shops in my town who do it better and cheaper than Starbucks.

The coffee isn't that good. It's priced like it is though.

R46, it’s the exact opposite in Massachusetts; Dunkin’ Donuts on every other corner and 1 Starbucks per town. I blame the DD mafia.

I can't believe anyone would ever go to Dunkin' and drink that coffee flavored urine.

I’ll pay $6 but the taste has suffered, that’s why I go elsewhere for my iced coffee.

I was spending more than $1,000 per year on drip coffee in a shop. Now I only drink one cup of coffee and save $900 per year and my home coffee tastes way better than shitty Starbucks.

You're only spending $100 per year on home coffee?

R54 I haunt the “last chance” section at the grocery store and I typically get a bag of high quality coffee beans that are 1/2 off for $8. I use an Aeropress for one cup of coffee every morning and my partner doesn’t drink coffee. A bag will last me one month.

$8.00 bag x 12 months = $96 per year

Starbucks coffee drinks are mostly milk bombs, and the body needs only so much.

I also really hate watching people gleefully take advantage of being able to boss those workers around. It's not a good side of humanity.

It used to be a place to hang out and now the starbucks I see are as welcoming as the Port Authority.

I hate their coffee anyway.

I hate Starbucks - there are literally 5 Starbucks within 1 mile of me. The lines in the drive-thru in the mornings are insane - and I don't understand it.

Listen - if people love it and it makes their day - who am I to judge? But it doesn't feel like that. It feels culty and something people feel like they want to show off. The coffee isn't that great and the experience is long and meh.

It seems like it's disproportionately women. Of course I don't get what mass culture gets fixated on. But this shit has been going on for like 20-25 years.

Used to go to Starbucks once or twice a month but haven't been in about a year. I didn't like the updated card reader that displays suggested tip amounts. It was almost $8 for a flat white with the tip.

[quote] It seems like it's disproportionately women. Of course I don't get what mass culture gets fixated on. But this shit has been going on for like 20-25 years.

Those are the same people who made Stanley cups a thing. I don't really get the stuff like that which becomes a fucking status thing. Would you brag about shopping at CVS? Because it's just as "special."

I hate their coffee; it's too acidic. I'll only drink it if I'm desperate.

People are getting tired of the 20% suggested tip (and the rudeness or passive aggression if you tip less), which Starbucks has not too.

I support small businesses, so I like unique coffee shops. The coffee is much better. Otherwise, I like Dunkin' and McDonald's.

I liked the blonde roast, when they had some brewing. There used to be a super hot muscle twink barista at a busy store in San Jose. I had to end our 1-sided relationship during the pandemic and just never recovered, but I still drink the blonde roast from the instant can. I doubt I'll visit a store regularly again though.

R58 I think it's all part of the aspirational vibe, the sort of social media/Instagram kind of vibe.

Just like HGTV sells because all that white subway tile and greige everywhere makes those fraus feel like they're Making It, same with Starbucks. And even The Poors can afford a $5 or $6 drink.

Never mind that it's all filled with terrible chemicals and sugar, it's a treat for them, and one they're willing to pay for every day.

I guess R64 DOES know the way to San Jose 😁

I still order Starbucks but it's not a $6 coffee. A couple of coffees and 2 breakfast sandwiches are a bit though. $20 I'd say.

^ R62, "...which Starbucks has NOW too".

Can’t you bitches make coffee at home?

Folgers Crystals, baby.

Yuban, Brim, High Point, International Coffees, Cafe Bustelo, Cafe La Llave, Cafe du Monde …

It was a good "third place" to meet. (There's a British term for this, and I think it's 3rd place.) You could meet to chat a bit and have a coffee. People used to meet for drinks in bars. So, while the Starbucks prices are ridiculous, I preferred this alternative. When I tutored, I held sessions in a comfy Starbucks and tipped well.

Mix coffee, chocolate milk and creamer (hazelnut, french vanilla, etc.). Top with Redi-Whip*

This is not a guilty pleasures thread. But there was a gas station / mini mart on the way to a place where I had regular morning meetings.

I used to buy a large cup of the flavored "cappuccinos" from those large metal urns with the spigot. (Powders with scalding hot water.)

That shit was delicious and I think I maintained my chubby figure from those coffees alone.

R72 - you do know cafes and coffee shops existed before Starbucks and still exist today, right?

R74 - actually, some of that 7-11 and gas station coffee is not bad. Almost all retailers have stepped up their coffee game.

I just don't understand why Starbucks has this strangle hold on the public. It's not a meeting place when you're waiting behind 16-20 cars in the morning on your way to work. I can't imagine waking up early to get in a Starbucks line OR the anxiety about being late to work because some basic bitch said - NO - I want half almond milk, half oat milk, 4 vanilla syrup pumps and only ONE hazelnut pump!

Yes - I look down on these people.