Starbucks thwarts woman’s effort to pay 40 cents less per cup
Posted on December 3rd, 2008 – 11:51 AMBy James Shiffer
Starbucks makes a concoction of espresso, steamed non-fat milk and sugar-free cinnamon syrup that it calls a Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte. Typically, Giselle Matsui needs two of them to make it through her waking hours.
Matsui is an audiologist who lives in Chanhassen. She understands the world of pricing. After forking over $3.90 plus tax for a Skinny Cinnamon Dolce Latte, she figured out a couple of months ago that she could order the same drink off the make-your-own latte list, specifying non-fat milk and a shot of cinnamon syrup. It would save her 40 cents a drink. That’s no small matter when you consider how many times she shows up at Starbucks jonesing for that pungent beverage.
Alas, Starbucks baristas haven’t always cooperated with Matsui’s cost-saving scheme. Despite her protests, they ring the make-your-own latte up as a full-priced specialty drink.
In Matsui’s view, that’s just wrong. She said she had persuaded the baristas at her hometown Starbucks to charge her the make-your-own price. But everywhere else, there’s a fight at the counter.
“They of course get cranky,” Matsui told me. “That isn’t fun. You’re constantly having to explain yourself. I don’t want to pay 40 cents more. I love this drink. I get it every day.”
My investigation into this pricing predicament took much longer than I expected. The folks at the Chanhassen Starbucks referred me to corporate headquarters in Seattle. It took a couple of weeks for a response, and that came from a public relations firm in Atlanta that contracts with Starbucks. I do understand that my inquiry might not have been at the top of Starbucks’ PR concerns. Last month, Starbucks’ quarterly profit dropped 97 percent from the previous year.
As I waited for a response, I did my own undercover buy of the make-your-own cinnamon latte at a Starbucks in downtown Minneapolis. I got the drink at the cheaper price, no questions asked. I actually got it twice. The first one was snatched off the counter by a thief, which is something that happens every so often, the barista told me.
I persisted with the Starbucks public relations people, because retail companies always say they care about their individual customers. After two statements that didn’t address Matsui’s conflict, I got the following statement, attributed to Amy Lemen, Starbucks Local Marketing Manager. An actual interview, I was told, was impossible.
“If the customer is ordering a latte with the addition of Cinnamon Dolce syrup – a premium syrup – then she is essentially ordering a Cinnamon Dolce Latte and should be charged the corresponding premium drink price, as shown on the menuboard.
If she is being charged otherwise, our baristas are charging her incorrectly. We apologize for that oversight.
Starbucks has thousands of drink combinations that allow our customers to truly customize their drinks to fit their personal tastes. As a result, we realize that our menu boards and ordering process can be unclear and sometimes not fit every possible order combination. That is why we are currently working to clarify pricing structures for all of Starbucks many possible drink combinations, with the goal of avoiding similar confusion in the future.”
Matsui estimated she overpaid $180 on the drinks before she figured out the make-your-own scheme. So it looks as if the baristas will be instructed to keep charging her the premium price. Still, the Starbucks corporate people have said they want to talk to Matsui. I hope they don’t try to collect two months of 40-cent undercharges.
88 Responses to “Starbucks thwarts woman’s effort to pay 40 cents less per cup”
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December 3rd, 2008 at 12:46 pm
I actually found this article amusing. It’s too bad they have to argue over a drink. If she really wants to save money, she should learn to make it at home. I’ve figured out how to make my favorite drink at home for only a fraction of what it would cost if I had someone else make it!
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Boo hoo. Let starving slackers eat cake or a cinnamon latte,
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
If someone wants to save a penny on a $10,000 cup of coffee,
that’s their right. I’m sick of all these “what about poor
people”.
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:56 pm
When I was young I worked at a BK. I HATED it when people would come in and order a hamburger with all sort of toppings and then get upset when I rung up a Whopper Jr. I never had sympathy for these people because what they are doing is taking advantage of the “have it you way” effort that BK and it sounds like Starbucks are trying to do. The “intent” of those menus selcections are not a way to overcharge a customer. The intent is customer satisfaction and the alternative is to price the indiviidual ingredients so high that then the customer would have to order something and subtract ingredients. I just think it is a shame that people do these kinds of things and then have the nerve to complain about them. Then, for the article to be slanted like Starbucks is in the wrong? The person should be glad her local Starbucks allows her the discounted price and when a different Starbucks is following policy don’t get mad, just live with it.
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:57 pm
With an indulgance like this you pay what they ask, you then make a value judgement about the item. If the price is too high, don’t buy. I suppose if you find a way to capitalize on a loophole, good for you,if on the other hand some of the Starbucks people follow the rules and don’t let you use the loophole, tough luck, quit whining. The world’s economy is going down the toilet and this is your idea of a problem? Shame on Giselle and shame on Whistleblower for even bringing this up.
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Who cares. The economy always recovers.
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Hey, I just got a 24 ounce cup of coffee for less than $1.50 at one of my local gas stations, and you know what? It takes just about as good as the stuff you can get for a whole lot more at the coffee shops. My wife will get an “out-of-the-machine” hot chocolate or specialty drink there, and that is still less than $2.00. It works just fine for us. It is all about perspective.
December 3rd, 2008 at 1:02 pm
I believe the point here is that Starbucks sells the same drink for two different prices. If you’re smart enough to notice that, you save money, if not, the corporation makes more money. This isn’t life and death but it sure makes you think about how often this happens.
December 3rd, 2008 at 1:02 pm
I buy a big jar of instant coffee from Aldi’s for $2.49.
It tastes great and I get a lot of cups of coffee.
So many people think that they need an expensive cup
and then they wander how they don’t have any money saved.
December 3rd, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Always entertaining that Americano’s, iced or not, cost more than an espresso shot. That added water must be really worth the 20 cents extra. Obviously it it’s to-go, they should charge for taking a paper cup instead of just having it in a demitasse, but still….