Sign of the times: Starbucks no longer wants to be the home of the $4 coffee[SIZE=-1]Starbucks, the company that brought lattes and Frappuccinos to the mainstream, is making a pitch to consumers that its coffee isn't really all that expensive, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal.
The company said Monday that it's selling discounted pairings of coffee and breakfast food for $3.95, a type of promotion long used at fast-food chains. It's the first move in an aggressive campaign to counter the widespread perception that Starbucks is the home of the $4 cup of coffee.
The Seattle-based company is training its baristas to tell customers that the average price of a Starbucks beverage is less than $3, and that 90% of Starbucks drinks cost under $4.
The move shows how premium brands are trying to reposition themselves for a prolonged economic downturn.
Is Starbucks coffee worth the money, even at discounted prices? In March, 2007, Consumer Reports compared the taste of Starbucks coffee to the joe served at some of those fast-food chains--Burger King, Dunkin' Donuts and McDonald's.
Our tasters preferred McDonald's, because it was was cheapest and best. But some advice we gave then is worth repeating in these even-tougher economic times: "make your own coffee--just call it something special."
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