Starbucks Gossip

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I hang out at Peet's Coffee & Tea (and indie shops) more often than Starbucks these days -- the shitty Wi-Fi that SBUX offers is why -- and no longer have that much interest in Starbucks' doings. Thus, the postings here will end after nearly a decade.

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Starbucks UK starts selling Duffins -- two years after a small chain introduced them

A small London bakery chain has been selling Duffins -- a combo muffin/donut -- since 2011. "Happy customers have been blogging about it, instagramming it, and tweeting about it ever since," reports Channel 4 news.

But now Starbucks UK has come along selling Duffins -- and its factory supplier has trademarked the name. The great #duffingate battle has begun!

* Fight erupts as Starbucks trademarks "Duffin" for its donut-muffin hybrid
* How Starbuck provoked a Duffin backlash in the UK
* Starbucks in a jam over Duffingate

Starbucks gives free brewed coffee to customers who buy a beverage for another customer

From Wednesday (Oct. 9) to Friday (Oct. 11), Starbucks is offering a free tall brewed coffee to any customer who buys another person a beverage at Starbucks.

CEO Howard Schultz says the offer is a way to help fellow citizens "support and connect with one another, even as we wait for our elected officials to do the same for our country."

An ad that's running in major newspapers today (at right) says: "In times like these, a small act of generosity and civility can make a big difference. Let's see what can happen. #payitforward."

* Starbucks promotion prods lawmakers to come together
* Starbucks giving away free coffee in push for shutdown deal
* Some say Starbucks should stay out of politics (not on this issue, I say)

Are you surprised there's no pumpkin in Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte?

* Is there a conspiracy to discredit Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte?

How to make a Starbucks-like Pumpkin Spice Latte at home

I have never tried a Pumpkin Spice Latte -- only brewed coffee for me, thank you -- but I certainly know about the Cult of PSL. That's why I'm posting this copycat recipe; let us know in comments how it tastes, if you happen to make it. (By the way, my "How to Make Starbucks Cake Pops at Home" post -- up for more than two years now -- still gets daily visits. Little did I know those things would be so popular!)

* How to make a Starbucks-like Pumpkin Spice Latte at home
* Recipe of the week: Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Why did she *ever* bother to give her real name at Starbucks?

Mirta Ojito wrote in the Miami Herald over the weekend:

"Two weeks ago, I caved in. I gave a fake name to a Starbucks employee. After years of not even pronouncing my name, but simply spelling it as if I were a robot from out of space — an alien after all — I gave myself a simple but pretty name that happens to have the same vowels as mine: Nina.

"I didn’t think about it, I hadn’t planned it. It just happened. The barista didn’t even look up as she wrote it and took my card. Next. "It turns out I’m not the only one. When I mentioned it in my very diverse class at Columbia University, at least two students told me they have done the same for years. Who knew?" Why do people with a hard-to-pronounce/spell-name bother to give service-industry employees when they know they'll have to repeat it, spell it, repeat it again? Hell, I often give my simple name -- Jim -- and end up having to repeat and spell it. One thing I've noticed is that tellers at Chase bank have been trained to not even try to pronounce difficult names. Rather than trying to pronounce ROMENESKO, the tellers call me "Mr. Jim." And that's fine with me and it ends the transaction promptly without the name dance.

"I gave a fake name to a Starbucks employee"

Starbucks files to trademark the name 'Fizzio' for its new line of carbonated drinks

Starbucks says in a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that the name Fizzio would be for its beverage-making machines, as well as a variety of drinks.

Starbucks has been testing sodas -- Lemon Ale, Original Ginger Ale and Spiced Root Beer.-- in Atlanta and Austin.

"So far the response from customers in the test markets has been positive," says a spokesperson for the coffee chain.

Have you tried the drinks? If so, post your review in comments.

* Starbucks gets "Fizzio" in test of carbonated drinks

Has Starbucks gotten rid of the newspaper-sharing basket at your store?

A journalist writes to Starbucks Gossip:

"At two Starbucks locations I frequent here in LA, it seems like they've removed what seemed to be the standard newspaper-sharing basket, where people would leave newspapers they'd bought to read there.

"I haven't asked anybody, but I wondered if it's some kind of strange move to drive newspaper sales or make stores seem "cleaner" or something."

I suspect that this no-more-baskets edict came from a district manager. Does anyone know more?