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10 Ways to Spend Smarter at Starbucks
You don't have to eliminate your favorite things when spending less is your goal; you just need to spend smarter. Starbucks knows how much you're seeking value these days, and invited me to discover the ultimate insider's tips on how to enjoy your Starbucks experience for less. Deanna, the store manager of a local Starbucks, taught me several awesome tricks I never would have known about otherwise.
Reality Check: Working at Starbucks, Just For the Health Care
Health insurance has become an invaluable benefit — if an accident were to occur and you didn't have coverage, you could be paying off a mountain of medical debt for years to come. A Reuters article highlights just how important insurance is for Americans when considering employment opportunities, and profiles a mother of three in Texas who has taken a part-time job just for the medical benefits.
That's right, full-time real estate agent Lisa DeWaal spends the first four hours of her days serving coffee at a Starbucks before heading to her office.
Starbucks Does Not Owe Its Baristas $105 Million — For Now
More than a year after a California court ordered Starbucks to pay its baristas $105 million in back tips, the 4th District Court of Appeal has reversed the ruling. It all started when former barista Jou Chau filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of the 100,000 current and former baristas in the state of California, arguing that Starbucks was acting unlawfully by permitting shift supervisors to share tips.
The appeals court concluded that Starbucks supervisors should receive their fair share of tips because they "essentially perform the same job as baristas."
Will You Buy Starbucks's New Instant Coffee Packets?
In what Starbucks CEO Howard Schulz calls a "transformational event in the history of the company," packages of the brand's instant coffee will be sold in some stores beginning next month. The line of instant brew will be called Starbucks Via and it will be marketed with the idea that customers will be able to have a cup of Starbucks for under $1 (a pack of three will cost $2.95, and a 12-pack will sell for $9.95).
The move coincides with release of the stereotypically pricey company's version of a value breakfast meal, and it appears Starbucks's momentum to change its image is going strong.
Do Starbucks' New Breakfast Pairings Really Offer Value?
Starbucks didn't make us wait too long for the details of their new value-oriented offerings. In its "Hello to a New Day" campaign beginning on March 3, the struggling coffee chain will roll out its new "food and drink pairing program." Most of us are familiar with the concept from fast food value menus, but Starbucks marketers are steering clear of associating their company with the value menu verbiage.
Losing Job Was Blessing in Disguise For Starbucks Author
When it rains, it pours. After being laid off from his long career as a successful advertising executive (and the six-figure salary), Michael Gates Gill tried to make a living by starting his own consulting business. Within a few years, he was forced to close his business, got divorced, and was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Starbucks Plans to Make Over Its Unaffordable Image
It doesn't take a CEO to come up with smart business ideas. When I asked you if you thought Starbucks would survive the recession, many of you responded that the struggling coffee company might make it through the storm if it introduced lower prices. While the company ended 2008 by announcing a new line of tea lattes, it's already realized that surviving 2009 might take an image overhaul — and that means introducing more value-oriented products.
Will Starbucks Survive the Recession?
Starbucks has never been in so much trouble, financially speaking. The company's same-store sales continue to worsen as consumers visit the chain less frequently, and CEO Howard Schulz admitted, "We're beating ourselves up every day because we've just never seen numbers like this." He predicts that 2009 will be an even bigger challenge than the second half of this year but thinks the company will get by until the economy begins to improve.
Guess How Much Water Starbucks Wastes Every Day
Starbucks' water practices became the target of a recent investigation led by British newspaper The Sun, and if accurate, the findings are disturbing to conservationists. The investigation was prompted when a UK couple alerted a Starbucks employee to a running faucet, and the employee acknowledged its company policy to keep water running throughout the day to prevent germ buildup in the taps. Imagine what the water bills must be like!
McDonald's Ad Tries to Put Down Starbucks: Hit or Miss?
In one of its not-so-subtle new commercials, McDonald's uses a conversation between two women to attack the stereotypical Starbucks culture. Does the commercial succeed in making you want to try McDonald's coffee, or does its snotty portrayal of Starbucks rub you the wrong way? McDonald's Ad Tries to Put Down Starbucks: Hit or Miss?More on SavvySugar
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