Starbucks' bananas vs. Osco Drugs' bananas

Osco Drugs in Milwaukee is copying Starbucks and tempting customers with bananas next to the cash register. (I bit and bought one.) One difference: Starbucks charges 75-cents per banana; Osco charges a mere quarter. I've noticed, though, that people are grabbing the coffee chain's bananas -- even at that price. Is that what Starbucks employees/SG readers are finding?
> Earlier: Starbucks begin test-marketing banana sales

Comments

[jillian]

.75 for a banana? Are they bananas?

[Madison]

starbucks sells bananas?

since when?

[Esther]

maybe there's caffeine in them

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP webmaster]

You need to start reading STARBUCKS GOSSIP a bit closer.

http://starbucksgossip.typepad.com/_/2005/04/question_for_ba.html

>>> Starbucks sells bananas? Since when?

[zef81]

The price difference is probably because Osco Drug gets bananas at the wholesale price and Starbacks gets them at retail. I work at an independent coffee shop and we also sell bananas for 75 cents and people buy them like crazy. We just get them at the grocery store so we pay retail price, but that's so low that 75 cents is a pretty good markup.

[Sanani]

Yes, we have no bananas:)
At least not in our district.

:::sigh::: Maybe someday.

[Barista]

I sincerely doubt Starbucks pays retail for bananas. Starbucks pays retail for NOTHING! And if they were paying retail, they would not bother selling the product.

[rock-the-bucks]

Ahhh bring on the dreaded fruit flies in the lattes.

[vislandcub]

nothing like that in victoria, bc, yet. we always seem to roll out things at least a year after everyone else. *sigh*

[Lyra]

"I sincerely doubt Starbucks pays retail for bananas. Starbucks pays retail for NOTHING! And if they were paying retail, they would not bother selling the product."

If this bananas thing is regional or up to the store managers, why isn't it conceivable that the store manages or baristas just go out and buy a bunch of bananas from the grocery store and set them next to the counter? Unless this is a nationwide Starbucks policy (which it doesn't seem to be, because many people are reporting that their stores don't do it), I doubt Starbucks would take the time out to specifically wholesale order bananas just for one of out 100 stores.

[Stew]

" I doubt Starbucks would take the time out to specifically wholesale order bananas just for one of out 100 stores."

You people tend to forget about the test markets we have. They choose a few stores to sell test products to see how the customers reacts to it. My store is selling a new test product and no other store in the district has this either.

[zef81]

While there are teset markets for products. This individual product is being test marketed throughout an entire city with 100+ stores. The bananas aren't coming from the supermarket, they are probably coming from the Dairy or Pastry delivery and I am sure they aren't being purchased at the same price I pay for my bananas.

Nonetheless, if for some reason the DM's were going to the supermarket to pickup bananas, which I'm sure they aren't, they would still be selling them at the price they intend to sell them for when the test market is over else the test would be useless.

Starbucks is just marking them sup more. It surely costs more to run a starbucks than a CVS and the margin on all Starbucks products is far higher.

[ZEF81]

Furthermore, all that is required for a "wholesale" order is a 20 or 40 lb order, which isn't too susbsantial anyway.

[STARBUCKS GOSSIP webmaster]

This isn't a case of baristas running to the store and buying retail-priced bananas. I'm told by employees that this test is being watched very closely by the banana-firm reps, who have been stopping by Starbucks stores regularly to monitor sales.

[Boston Starbucks Rebel]

Oh yeah the test market thingy. For the beverage that you are referring to, do you mean the matte latte or something. I heard about that too. I was told it taste very good but is about two years away from nation wide system deploymnet. The primary problem is being bale to produce enough of the concentrate for the thousannd of stores.

[melina]

soon we'll be able to pick up milk (tall, grande or venti?) and a loaf (low-fat of course) of bread on the way *home* from work.

i really like strawberries. think they'll start selling those?

when will the madness end? coffee. blended drink. blended drink + scone. espresso. espresso + muffin. sandwich. music. cookies. music. sandwich. boxed milk for the kiddies. bananas.

i mean, it just used to be yummy drink and perhaps carbohydrate accompaniment with perhaps a souvenirish cup or tumbler or a game (cause you'd play the game during sippage at the store). now it's so "marketing everything". i mean, if i want bananas, i'll go to the market.

plus, how ripe are these bananas? any green? brown spots?

sorry. end rant.

[storm]

Well if people are buying them then what's the problem. Yeah it's 75.cents but if people buy them then why is it such a big deal. I think Starbucks is smart. How can you run a successful business if you don’t test the waters.

[bananaspammer alert!]

Attention, MeMo: Your post has no a-peel.

What makes think that anyone cares, chiquita?

You're nothing but a lame *$ bananaspammer.

HA HA....