Get a free 8 oz. cup of Pike Place Roast coffee on Tuesday, beginning noon ET

The free-drink promotion is supposed to go for a half-hour. (We'll see.) Starbucks calls the launch of Pike Place Roast a "monumental event." The company's press release says: "Howard Schultz will join partners and customers, beginning in New York, to celebrate a passion for coffee in a simultaneous, nationwide, coast-to-coast, coffee tasting conducted by Starbucks coffee experts. Schultz will conclude this historic launch day with an evening ceremony at Seattle's Pike Place Market, home of Starbucks original store." Of course, if you read Starbucks Gossip over the weekend, you already knew this. (Read the Starbucks press release)

Comments

[kayleeray]

Ahh..makes sense. :P

[Professional Coffee]

This is the finest coffee that we can make. ALL of this coffee is in the store within 2 weeks of its roasting date, and is fresh everyday, delivered from our new roasting plant, intended for your satisfaction. Its a mild coffee and is made fresh every 30 minutes, instead of every hour. Starbucks spent alot of money on this.
I just would like to share with you, that we are not just about baristas, and frapps. Its about the farmers as well. We help their children eat, and the farmers take great joy into working with us. I encourage all of you on Tuesday to go to your local store and try the new blend. And when you try it, think of the positives instead of just assuming the coffee sucks. To us, coffee is a goal, and a dream. If anything, work together.
We have gone astray with the values that we used to have, so hang in there as we transform that company back to what it was inteded. Quality service, and great tasting, fresh, coffee.

[Meag]

That's cool, although I already knew about it for awhile... anyway I wonder if this applies to Canada as well or that the launch is going to take place only in the US of A? Hmm Id have to check it out again XD anyway exciting times people :)

[spoodler]

Pike's Place roast is actually a medium coffee and is smooth and nutty. I really like it.

Is this all day after 12, or only for a limited amount of time?

[Jwilk]

A whole 8 ounces? I hope I am thirsty that day. Really whats the point of a free tiny cup of coffee with a half hour window? Make it half off for the week or something or do $1 cups any size for the first week.

Nobody ever mentions the real reason the coffee sucks -- the urns are always filthy!!! Fresh coffee in a filthy urn comes out disgusting -- bitter sour rancid !!!

[COFFEEISLIFE]

Actually, 8 oz. is still bigger than what's traditionally considered a "cup" of coffee. When you're brewing at home on your Mr. Coffee, the "cups" they refer to are actually around 6 ounces. And remember, you are getting it for free. But I guess this is the kind of ungrateful response Starbucks will get from people who have been brainwashed by this Supersized society.

JWilk, are you serious? You are complaining about something that's free? When was the last time your landlord gave you a month free of rent? Or made you only pay half price?
Just wondering...

O Canada, land of ...
well certainly not land of the pike place blend. We will be stuck 365 with House Blend until the end of time... :-(

[sherrie]

Apr 7, 2008 1:15:34 PM

I dunno what urns you're looking at, but my store cleans out our urns every single evening.

[Tallamericanoinagrandecup]

Don't hate me, but I wonder if they will offer a decaf version??

[Stacy]

Pike Place will be offered in reg and decaf all day, every day.

Yes, the daily decaf will be Pike Place Decaf!

And it is a great coffee!

[Tallamericanoinagrandecup]

Woo hoo! Thank you!

Apr 7, 2008 1:15:34 PM

If your urns are filthy, then you need to clean them better and every day! I've noticed some stores think all they have to do is brew the urnex in the urn and rinse it out. Actually it has to be scrubbed-that's what the URN BRUSHES are for!!! If you dont have one, ask your SM to order it-they probably have never heard of it ( if your urns are so filthy...) OR use a blue scrubbie, get you arm in there AND CLEAN IT!

[Melody]

Does anyone know the real skinny on what is happening tomorrow evening?

There was rumour here on SG that Howard will be at store 301 at 6pm. The thing that I'm confused about is that that is a TINY store!

I'm now hearing that "partners and a guest" are allowed to go to something at the Pike Place Store from 6 to 9 pm.

As I think about this, and having been in that store many times, this makes no sense. It's like 300 square feet. And normally it closes at 7:30. Does this mean it is closing early? And how will they know the customers from the guests? Am I over-thinking all of this?

[Lester]

Schultz flying a jet across the country for a "coffee tasting" stunt isn't quite in line with the company's C.A.F.E. Practices of protecting the enviornment.

First, why is Howard wasting my shareholder dollars flying across the continent for some half-baked promotion?

I thought this company was downsizing. Goes to prove the layoffs in the SSC were not to save money so the company could be profitable, but to reallocate some money so Howard could live an extra-plush lifestyle on the company's dime.

Second, if I requested a free venti Pike Place Roast, you'd have to give it to me, right? I mean, Just Say Yes would basically mean you'd have to. Right?

[DuelingDuettos]

I love it how people abuse "Just Say Yes" just because they think it's cute..Just because we want to do every thing we can to make you happy, doesn't mean you get to abuse the philosophy. Remember, if you're doing it, and 10,000 other people do it, eventually that adds up, and that means someone may end up losing their job, merely because you're a jerk.

And, I don't see how Schultz going across country, to push this initiative is in our worst interests. It's not plush, we need the good press, and we need to really push this..Do you really think he's going to fly commercial? Do you think that he would risk this promotion based on the reliability of American, or Northwest?

Regardless of what you think, as an investor, it's completely ridiculous that my portfolio is down, down, down because of SBUX (among other securities, but SBUX is there) and he's wasting cash for some local news-worthy PR stunt?

I want to see profits, and honestly, this stunt will not have any return on investment.

It seems Howard & Co. are all about the expensive gimmicks. It was the "training" where they exuded costs all over the board and now it's the national roll-out of a new coffee, new cups when the old ones were fine and an all-expenses paid tour of both coasts by Howard.

I want to see all that cash invested wisely and see the company turn even more profitable.

Whatevs.

I'm all about meeting Howie tomorrow.

[SEADAVE]

A free 8 ounce cup of drip coffee offered for a 30 minute window on one day (is that right?) seems like a slap in the face to the many loyal customers who come in on a daily basis and spend $4 on a non-drip coffee beverage.

You know the more I think about it the more angry I get with Howard. Things were going along pretty well at the company until a year ago when Howard had his little hissy fit and tanked the company stock. Now he seems to be engaged in silly promotional stunts. I guess he's trying to compete with Dunkin Donuts and McDonald's but my gut instinct is the people who buy their coffee at those places aren't going to come rushing into Starbucks just becase Starbucks now offers Dunkin Donut-like coffee. Those people don't give a hoot about Starbucks. My mom and dad's generation has been buying watered-down coffee out of dirty urns and on the cheap their whole lives and I don't see that changing.

[embean]

this is going to suck in canada.

[Melody]

Here's what I know about tomorrow evening's event at the first store:

It apparently goes from roughly about 6 pm to 7:30 or so.

Pike Place is closed to vehicular traffic from Stewart St. to Virginia St. So in other words, the entire block in front of the original store will be closed to cars.

Apparently there is going to be some sort of live music. And a stage. And Howard on a stage.

That's all I could get out of the baristas at store 301.

I really wanted to know if there would be food (you can see how my mind works) but I got sort of an ambiguous "no" to "I don't know."

[josh]

signs started showing up in Seattle tonight:
http://seattle.metblogs.com/2008/04/07/new-daily-brew/

[Starskills!]

Hey guys... It's a free 8 oz. coffee. If you don't want it, that's okay! and you are more than welcome to buy someting in addition! think of it like a sample!

This is a chance for us parters to share this wonderful blend with our customers! (not joking, it is GOOOD) Let's share our passion!

Get EXCITED!

[Lester]

This better connect with customers. Thats all I have to say

[CT]

When will Pike Place be distributed to the UK and other international stores?

[B]

was this supposed to be mentioned in our training session about ppr? i got all the emails from starbucks.com but never heard from my store management that we were doing any sampling or free short cups. watching howie on the videos is always inspiring, i just wish individual store management would uphold their end of the bargain and communicate ALL promotional aspects to us.

[Jeff]

After a few weeks on SG, it seems as if there is a core cadre of complainers who, regardless of what Starbucks does, find fault with anything anyone associated with SBUX does. "What? ONLY an 8 oz. cup of PPR? I know! I'll abuse the 'Just Say Yes' policy and get a Venti." Of course, they'll come back later and try to point out they "were just kidding," but we all know that's just another line of BS.

To the person who complained their portfolio has been devastated by SBUX's decline in price - here's a word for you...diversification. It's a good think in a portfolio. Try it. I'm sure you'll like it! It's worked for me for over 30 years.

For the baristas, ASMs, SMs, DMs, etc. who get on SG and complain about their jobs, their lives, their company, etc....GROW UP! NO company or organization is going to be everything you want it to be, but I will guarantee you if you look at the list of benefits offered by SBUX, the depth to which they offer those benefits (part-time partners who average 20 hours/week per quarter), the stock you receive that IS and will continue to be of value if you take ownership and work to make it increase in value, then any sane person will acknowledge that SBUX is a unique and special company.

I've been a stockholder since the IPO. I've been a patron of SBUX since I had my first cup on a visit to Seattle in 1978. I've watched as the company expanded (sometimes too fast) and still remained true to its core values while assisting countless farmers and other suppliers in third-world countries. This company is not perfect, but it is a special one.

Howard, like it or not, is the face of SBUX for the moment and it is good marketing to have him out front as we premier PPR today. To make this into an event is a good thing. The buzz around the company is mostly good at this time...as always there are those paragons of negativity that will never be satisfied with anything any company does. For those curmdugeons, let them wallow in their own self-perceived pseudo-intellectual pit of self-satisfaction. For the rest of us, let's stay positive, present that face to our guests and be a part of something special.

For me, personally, I don't like PPR that much but I understand the rationale behind it. I'll drink my Verona and Sumatra and enjoy them, but PPR is NOT that bad, either. It's just not to my taste for coffee. SBUX, however, is my company and I will either support it or, if the day ever comes that I can't continue to do so, I will be honorable and NOT continue to take a paycheck from the company while running it down - I will quit. Then, I can complain to my heart's content and know I will find lots of company from the chronics on SG!

[ben]

My DM refused to give out samples today. I never know whats rumor and true anymore.

[Jeff G]

I went to 2 different Starbucks in my neighborhood today. Neither one knew that the promotion was supposed to include a free 8 oz. cup of brew for the advertised half hour period.

They were trying to pawn off a shotglass sized sample and it took some persuasion to get them to honor the 8 oz. promo. I thought it seemed like a bit of black eye to the company because they appeared very disorganized and had a bit of a "bait and switch" feel to it.

I'd received an e-mail directly from SBUX about the promotion. It was also in the AZ Republic and on last nights news - yet the supervisors at these two stores had to find out from customers about it.

At one of the stores one of the barrista's gave some bs explanation about being out of "that size cup" and as he did someone else came walking out of the back with a big stack of "that size cup".

Does anyone know if this miscommunication was beyond these two stores? I'v been a shareholder since 1997 and also work in the investment business. I considered my trip today good intellegence gathering, but with unfavorable results/oppinions of SBUX operational execution.

I brought a friend/client along who is also a shareholder. Needless to say the impression made on him was very poor too.

Although the stores had "Pike Place Brew" available and signs, they were not really talking about it or offering it. If people asked for it, they would give it (in the shot glass size - unless you negotiated up, like we did).

On the positive side, I did like the coffee a lot and I think the idea of having a consistent style/flavor everyday is a wise move. Still, I'm very tempted to dump my shares and put the money to work somewhere else. Am undecided for now, but SBUX is on my "needs to reprove themselves" watch list!

[Rapunzel]

Our store was dead at noon today. We were all uncertain about how the promotion was actually supposed to be run, and we had our store meeting Sun night and knew nothing about it! I just knew what I had browsed here. My SM is new and a bit scattered right now with all the changes, but it sounds like the lines of communication were weak all around. Very dissappointing. But the coffee was great!

I was a little disheartened by the fact that we were supposed to throw away all the old cups, we are just using ours until they are gone, which will probably be tomorrow or the next day. (we did use the new 8oz cups for the free samples). The new cups are nice, but most people don't even notice, they just want their coffee and could care less about the cup, as long as it is new and clean. It seems like such a waste. And throwing out all the coffee bags with the old logo! Imagine every store throwing away all those cups and bags. We used our bags to give out free 1/4 lb samples of some of our whole bean coffee that was close to expiration. Maybe Starbucks should start concentrating on cutting such wasteful actions done in the name of promotion. Like changing display table cloths every month and throwing the old ones away (I take ours home and make sundresses and stuff out of the fabric). Or how about making recycling the milk jugs mandatory for every store. We recycle at our store, but I have worked at many other stores where the milk jugs go in the trash with everything else. Multiply that a couple hundred times and think of the amount of plastic that could be kept out of the landfills.

I know Starbucks does a lot for the coffee farmers and for the environment that they live in, but how about taking some bigger braver steps here in the land of consumerism and waste. How about making a green commitment and a strong statement here at home too? (And how about finding a supplier of retail merchandise in this country rather than outsourcing to China)Being green (and local)is the newest trend and soon could be our best option for a livable future at all, and many people will start to go to the greenest coffee shop. Maybe Starbucks should get on the ball and fill that niche now, before it is too late, it could be the magic elixir.

Any thoughts?

I hear from Tully's here in Seattle that their green initiative is going pretty great.

I asked just the other day how "true" to the advertising they were being, and they had me sold.

They have bins for recycling the cups that are recyclable and are all about pushing tumblers for re-use to regulars. Two people in line before me were apparently regulars and were sold on the tumbler idea. Yeah, it's extra profit to Tully's, but nice they were "upselling" on an environmental angle.

I can't believe SBUX would be so wasteful. Goes to prove they care little about their shareholders and the profitability of the company.

Why not phase out the old stuff before launching the new? It's just poor planning and laziness on SBUX's part.

Kinda sad.

God give away something free and look at all of you b*******.... as if you are ENTITLED to something free because you regularly buy a drink. You are ENTITLED to having a good drink made to your specifications. Everything free that they give away is gravy. I am starting to believe people that claim that the under 50s are the "entitled generations." Get over yourselves.

[Larry Davenport]

All I got was a 2 0z. sampler cup at the 145th & 15th NE in Shoreline. Was I supposed to go downtown?

[Kelly]

I do NOT like the Pikes Place Roast. I am glad I tried it while they were giving away the free cup. I will not be buying it in the future.