Starbucks sales up 10% in September, thanks in part to the Pumpkin Spice Latte

Analysts apparently were surprised by the number. One says: "It is interesting that they kind of lulled us to sleep reporting 7 percent comps over the last four months ... and then they come up with 10 percent." Starbucks also noted that it's opened 1,672 stores so far this year -- exceeding its 2005 target of 1,500. (Reuters)

Comments

[ExSFBarista]

People freaking LOVE that PSL. I never understood why.

[cornfrost]

It's sweet like the white mocha, only a prettier color. The pumpkin spice frapp blended coffee sounds awful. But it's yummy beyond belief.

[canadianbarista]

Speaking of PSL, the Maple latte and the Mapple Macchiato made their debut at Quebec and New England stores (possibly other parts of Canada too, I'm not sure) yesterday. Has anyone tried it yet?

[Jill]

Me neither! EW.

[CGG]

I haven't tried the Pumpkin Spice Latte, but I can understand the bump in sales. Pumpkin spice is a popular flavored coffee. It's the only flavor I've ever wanted in my coffee. The stuff smells amazing.

maple is a test market right now

[Nishi]

Pumpkin Spice Latte I really haven't tried this flavor so far. I should now that Starbucks has seen a gain in sales.
From an earlier post - "It's sweet like the white mocha, only a prettier color." White Mocha, that's one of my favorites @ Starbucks. Probably will try one for sure, next time I step inside a Starbucks.

[Heather]

I love the Pumpkin Spice Latte. I tried it last year and didn't think it was anything special. This year I can't seem to stop ordering it. It even made my list of great hot drinks to enjoy this Fall.

[Lyra]

Is the Peppermint Mocha back yet? Based on what someone here said about them having peppermint syrup year round, I tried to order it a couple times during the year, but they always made it with Creme de Menthe, which just doesn't taste the same.

[Dan]

Tried the new Maple Macchiato yesterday on it launch date.

Super good! Should sell like crazy!

Dan

[beajerry]

It's gonna go up another 10% just as soon as I see that Eggnog latte available!

[Boston Starbucks Rebel]

I tried the maple latte and it is soooooooooo good. I love it! We sampled it even before the launch date. I recommend it for anyone who happens to be in the New England/Canada area. Peppermint mocha is available year round because its just peppermint and mocha put together. PSL is also very good. I just love fall at Starbucks.

[MgrDee]

I don't think this is taking into account the whole bean sales incentive contest that occurred the whole month. At 10 bucks a pop, any increase in poundage as a result helped sales tremendously. PSL is selling the same as last year.

As to Creme de Menthe (which expired months ago and should have been thrown out), stores have peppermint year-round, thus you can get a peppermint mocha anytime you want.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Starbucks-Pumpkin-Spice-syrup-6-jugs-WITH-PUMP_W0QQitemZ4409556450QQcategoryZ38252QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

here are 6 jugs for sale haha

[exSFBarista]

The peppermint syrup for Peppermint Mocha was available year-round at my store. If someone tried making it with Creme de Menthe they were either foolish and/or trying to unload unused stock of a crappy syrup.

Pumpkin spice was out 3 weeks earlier this year so the bump from that is not accounted for from last year.

Whole bean sales I bet didn't change taht much compared to the affect of the coooler weather hitting the US a bit earlier this year too.

[Princess of Power]

I think this is in no small part to me and my friend Jennifer. WE LOVE THE PSL!

[Mia]

I believe it! I'm hooked on the PSL!

[DC Barrista]

Yeah, same hear. My store has had the Peppermint syrup all year. It shouldn’t go out of season (Except for the little read sprinkles). They changed it from an annual drink to an “all year round drink” last year so they should have been able to make it. Maybe it is different by district, not sure. As for the PSL…GREAT DRINK!

[Busy Mom]

I have a bad PSL problem and I'm not even all that wild about lattes. But this one? I can't stop.

[customer]

i can't wait for ginger bread to come out

[ivy]

I tried a PSL today -- toooo sweet for me! I was almost in sugar shock, literally. (Though, I like less sweet flavors, so I know it's just my taste.)

Is there some kind of syrup in the drink? Is there a way to order it without any sweetener?

I think a plain latte with a sprinkle of pumpkin spices and whip cream would make me much happier. :-) Or just a pipin' hot tall mild coffee and a slice of pumpkin pie. mmmmmm

[patrickm]

When I was over in NYC, the boyfriend and I order a Pumpkin spice Green Tea Frap. Bascially we asked for both to be combined, the result......amazing!!!

ugh that is gross
Green Tea and Pumpkin spice together

but I also hate frappuccinos
they are just a gateway drug for real coffee marketed and designed for kids to like

[Tom Brady]

I love pumpkin products but last year didn't enjoy the PSL that much. I'll definitely give it another try. I really enjoy the gingerbread latte..what is the release date on that? Can you get it year round?

[L]

Ooh, now I'm looking forward to my favorite Gingerbread lattes - the first sign of the impending holiday season!

[Kenneth]

Yesterday, I finally tried out the PSL. It was pretty good. Normally, I order mocha.

Guess what.. I ordered PSL again this afternoon. Meanwhile, the cashier gave me a voucher, which good for a tall PSL. Pretty nice.

[Mia]

The "Barnes and Noble Cafe Which Proudly Serves Starbucks Coffee" ran out of Pumpkin Spice this weekend. They said they'd have it Tuesday. So on Wednesday I went back and they were still out, or out again, and they said they'd have it Friday. I wonder if the staff is making off w/ the stuff and selling it on ebay! Have you seen what the stuff is going for one ebay?!? It's nuts! :) ~Mia

[baristaj]

Many of the stores in Milwaukee, WI ran out of PSL...People are hooked like it is crack... so bizzare. I have taken to drinking the samples...they are evil...taste sort of like eggnog which is the most sublime of all the drinks...damnit

[Fawnsy]

VANCOUVER HAS MAPLE LATTE'S

PSL - EW
Maple Latte - ROCKS
Maple Macciato - not so good

Can't wait for gingerbread latte

The "Barnes and Noble Cafe Which Proudly Serves Starbucks Coffee" ran out of Pumpkin Spice this weekend. They said they'd have it Tuesday. So on Wednesday I went back and they were still out, or out again, and they said they'd have it Friday. I wonder if the staff is making off w/ the stuff and selling it on ebay! Have you seen what the stuff is going for one ebay?!? It's nuts! :)

man i hate coffee customers

[Tim]

Anyone have any leads on where I could purchase some Pumpking Spice Syrup, besides eBay. Prices are a little inflated there. If someone might be willing to send some my way, let me know. This is for home brewing and enjoyment not for profit. Thanks.

[canadianbarista]

Maple Latte - ROCKS
Maple Macciato - not so good

Do you realize those two drinks are the same? Tall Maple Latte : 3 pumps Maple Syrup, 1 shot espresso, steamed milk, whipped cream and maple drizzle. Tall Maple Macchiato : 2 pumps Maple Syrup, steamed milk+foam, one shot espresso, maple drizzle. And I'm pretty sure we charge more for the maple macchiato, solely because it has a fancy name. I might be mistaken though.

[Holden McCrank]

Pumpkin Spice? Wasn't that the short-lived fat Spice Girl member?

the pumpkin syrup just came out; I haven't seen anything even near expiring, all the exp dates have been NOV or later.
So it was expired already, huh? right...
even if it was, you were expressly told not to take home expired product; that is stealing too.
thanks for illuminating the reason it is forbidden to take product home, because people will do underhanded things like sell it on ebay. and by the way, if you sold expired product, you have violated the ebay TOS and will probably lose your account there. they and starbucks legal might even press charges...

[joanna]

haha Holden...
i tried the PSL on a trip to philadelphia, i could take it or leave it, and i love all of sbux' lattes..
not sure what the craze is...

[AuntBee]

Eggnog Lattes are coming!!!

[Tom Brady]

Looks like other companies are trying to cash in on the special holiday flavors that Starbucks has. Just saw an ad for new Coffee Mate creamers in these 4 flavors:

Egg Nog
Peppermint Mocha
Gingerbread
Pumpkin Spice

[Lori]

Just bought the Coffee-mate pumpkin spice creamer (Fred Meyers) AWESOME! Personally, I have never tried the Starbucks kind, but the 7-11
mini mart has a PSL and it is so good, that half of the time you can't get it because it is sold out! Besides, for a 24oz, it is a $1.60 compared to whatever actual coffee shops probably charge.

[Linda]

I have always hated lattes; too bitter for me. But I got on PSL's at B&N and it's exactly like someone above said: like crack! I even tried to make my own PSL...not the same, of course. I wish they would keep PSL all year...or do I? I think about it a lot! How ridiculous...I've never had an addiction like this. I'm glad to see I'm not alone.

[Cathy]

OH MY GOSH!!! The PSL is the BEST! I order mine grande with an extra shot of expresso, so it's not too sweet. I'm in heaven. This stuff is the best!!!

[Grace]

Pumkin Spice syrup is delicious! I found a supplier at www.MorningFlavors.com and they have it on sale, along with Cheesecake, Gingerbread, and about 60 other flavors of DaVinci and Torani syrup. They also have a lot of recipes, as Pumpkin Spice and Gingerbread aren't just for coffee, as they say. They're even offering free syrups with purchases, too. How do they come up with all these different flavors of syrup?

[Justin]

I love Coffee Mate! Yeeeeees! Egg Nog flavored!

Just returned from a trip to Canada and got HOOKED on their Maple Latte. I even bought 2 before we left the airport. How come they aren't in the Western US?

[MGR]

They were a test, just like Pumpkin Spice Lattes were tested (in Georgia and Canada) the year before they appeared nationally. There's usually quite a few mini-tests running in markets all the time. From what I hear, the maple one was a huge success, so perhaps you will have your wish.

[Heather]

Absoultely love the Pumpkin Spice Latte. I got used to have one every second day until they started to add up (not $ but lbs).

Anyone know the calorie count on a Gingerbread Latte?

[Debra]

How is the peppermint mocha coffee made? I'd like to make it at home.

[Domenic]

hi...i was recently in the boston area was lucky enough to try the maple macchiato. i was just wondering if it is a pernament beverage in the new england/ canadian area, or just a seasonal drink?

Peppermint Mocha-Brace yourself for syrup overload!
Grande-4 pumps(google the volume translation)mocha syrup, 4 pumps peppermint syrup, two shots espresso, top w/ steamed milk (to the top of a 16 oz mug), whipped cream and cute little red sprinkles. There you have it! YUM!
And at @480 calories it should be delicious.

hi...i was recently in the boston area was lucky enough to try the maple macchiato. i was just wondering if it is a pernament beverage in the new england/ canadian area, or just a seasonal drink?

Unfortunately, the rest of the country does not have the taste for maple that the noreaster's do. It is regional and seasonal. Me? Grew up in the SW and I am the only person I know that LOVES maple candy. I wish everyone shared our appreciation