Starbucks believes the Venti size isn't quite big enough for some customers

The 31-ounce Trenta has gotten buzz on Twitter and Facebook, and a Starbucks Gossip reader says a friend just got back from Phoenix, where they were demoing a Trenta iced cup. What's the word on this? A national roll-out coming soon? What are the chances of a Trenta-sized Frappuccino? || Jump to the second page of comments. || UPDATE: This post has now caught the attention of the national press.

Comments

[Randy]

Am I the only person that remembers the MEGA cup fiasco from I think 96' ? They didn't go over well then. I doubt it will work now. I think the cost was the reason mostly.

[Sharon Moore Crescent]

it was PERFECT for iced tea. Go for it!

[tampass]

It isnt actually thirty two ounces...its thirty one. Also when if/when it rolls out the standard moves from sweet to unsweet, meaning that the standard drinks only have about 10 calories in them (except for the lemon-aide.) The recipe is a little stupid but all in all its not a bid deal. If a customer wants a frap in it or something you can just suggest to make and charge them for two grandes and they realize how absurd it is pretty quickly. About the leadership in Florida...I'm in the Tampa market and I have had two DMs and three RDs in the last 4 months so yeah i would say something is up.

[sean]

how fast food can starbucks get if they do this. i do recall starbucks introducing venti bc the grande was not big enough...

[Aaron]

Picture this:

Customer: "I'll have an trenta black iced tea, no water, no ice".

...and there goes half an entire pitcher of iced tea.

[curious customer]

heh, so funny to read all these "lardass customer" complaints. Someone comes in and orders a sweet drink, they're an annoying lardass. Some one comes in and orders a bold coffee after noon, they're an annoying picky coffee drinker.

I go to a few different coffee places, and more and more I go to Starbucks in spite of the attitude of the people behind the counter, not because of it.

Most people behind the target seem to treat the client like a target - what can I sell you - what's the least I can do for you to get your money - etc.

[baristamclane]

Earlier today a random thought popped into my head:

"If Starbucks starts offering beverages in a 'Big Gulp' size, I'm quitting my job."

Irony can be so cruel, and yet so amusing...

[Shrug.]

Those are true because if lets say I went to Applebee's and ordered a grilled chicken salad and it was 1300 calories then I'd expect the waiter to caution me about my upcoming heart attack. Unfortunely Barista's are unable to do that. Call it Lard-ass martial law.

[judge not yet ye be judged]

It is really none of our business as baristas to judge our customers by what they order or the size of their bodies. Our society has become so obsessed with looks and materialism that we no longer judge other people on what is important. Social class and looks are such small traits to a human being that it is such a a shame that all else goes unnoticed. Look in the mirror folks, I am sure that many of you are not perfect creatures either.

[megan]

yes social class and looks are such small traits to human being. I could not agree more. However those customers that frequently and habitually indulge in caloric nightmares are the ones who are increasing health care costs across the spectrum. Obesity and all of the numerous health disasters that arise from a person's irresponsibility is falling in the lap of those who are taking care of themselves and making right decisions. I don't care if you are obese as long as you are trying to do something about your health and NOT ordering a venti peppermint white mocha extra whipped cream extra caramel drizzle. thanks.

[formermanager]

Uh, it's not judgement as much as recognizing an epidemic. you go, megan!

[formermanager]

PS: the volume of the empty stomach is 16 ounces. though it does stretch, which some try to test it's capacity.

[miguel]

I like a lot of people on here was shocked of the posibility of a big gulp at the bux, but after thinking it through I think it would be a good thing.

If it doesn't work out like many other things it will go away.

I think that its great for iced teas and iced coffee because of all the ice it contains. Ultimately the ounces that you get won't be that much more, also you can ask for extra ice and still get a lot of beverage.

We are talking about teas and coffee which has little to no calories. If customers request frapps in trentas that's good for us because we can charge them 7 dollars for it.

[Enlightened Coffee Sage]

Megan and formermanager sum it up nicely. People can drink whatever they want, but at some point you have to consider that it's unhealthy and unwise.

Most people can drink alcohol without it being much of an issue, but for some people, it takes over their lives. At some point, they have to consider the fact that they've gone from being a heavy drinker to being a drunkard and an alcoholic, and should seek to alter their behavior. They can seek help if necessary - and often times, help is necessary.

Same thing with this. Most people can drink venti white mochas and frappuccinos and such and it's just a guilty pleasure. However, there comes a point when it goes from being a guilty pleasure to being a genuine problem. When you weigh 400+ lbs, that time has probably long passed.

I know that not everyone has these massive reserves of self-discipline and inner strength that they can summon up at will. I don't. Hell, I've been telling myself for years that I really need to start exercising again, but so far my attempts have been short-lived and somewhat half-assed. It's way easier to sit on my ass in here and post on the internet. So I can totally sympathize.

The thing is, though, that I'm in halfway decent shape. I'm not a health risk. I can afford to indulge in frappuccinos and get away with not exercising very much. Were I morbidly obese and still sucking down venti mocha frappuccinos and sitting on my ass rather than cutting back and getting on some sort of exercise program, then it'd be time for me to review my lifestyle choices. If I couldn't seem to muster up the willpower to get my ass on a treadmill and not suck down large, high-calorie drinks, then it'd be time for me to get some help.

[C to the B]

Customer enters store and walks briskly to the register while yelling into her cell phone and digging thru her luggage sized purse. The stench of way-too-much perfume overwhelms you as as she stops chomping on her gum just long enough to yell:

"I wanna a quad espresso in a trente cup with some ice."

What is not said but understood is:

"And BTW, I'm probably gonna drain your half and half carafe and fill it to the top at the condiment bar. Then I'll probably come back to the hand-off window and ask you to top it off with tonz of whip and caramel sauce for free."

Just say yes?

[Cafe Nervosa]

Um, if a customer asks me for an iced venti no ice no water black tea, I'll put it in the shaker, fill to just above the syrup line, and put it in the cup. I then politely tell them that they've gotten double the amount of product I would normally use to make their drink, and that if they want more I'm going to have to charge them. Does nobody else do this? I understand that "Just say yes" exists, but I'm not going to give away my store. "Venti strawberries in cream in two tall cups!" "You mean two tall strawberries and cream Frappuccinos, right? Okay, I'll do it for you just this once, but I'm letting you know now that I need to charge you for what you actually get at the handoff station, and the way your order it doesn't change what you're getting. Have a great day!"

I have yet to hear "Grande Americano in a tall cup" yet... Not sure how I'd feel about that, as that one seems like Starbucks' fault.

In other news, I've been playing around with pour over and discovered that a little stir of the grounds and hot water goes a long way in improving the finished cup.

[Ryan]

Cafe Nervosa,

Your iced tea tactic is awful customer service. How much do you think a tea bag costs? More than 50 cents? The bux is still making massive profit off of the venti iced no water no ice tea drinkers. Stop alienating customers.

Also, Americanos are charged by the shots, not the size. If someone asks for a Grande (Triple) Americano in a tall cup, just smile and say okay!

[Cafe Nervosa]

Ryan,

The Bux is still making profit, but what about labor? What about inventory? Do you want me to hand off a Trenta full of tea concentrate? Tall Frappuccino with extra ice in a grande cup? Where do you draw the line?

Also, you don't know me and you've never worked with me. I don't "alienate" anyone. The majority of customers understand where I'm coming from.

[Cafe Nervosa]

And I don't want to dwell on this, but not giving away two drinks for the price of one is not "awful customer service." The phrase "We're out of bold" is awful customer service.

[formermanager]

Starbucks brings the cheapskate out in everyone.

[waltie]

If a customer asks for an iced tea with no water and no ice (which I've never seen anybody order, but for the sake of argument), charge them for a tea and a tea refill. That covers the labor and the inventory. And if they have a registered card, it won't even cost them anything.

As for when people order iced teas either without water or without ice, I give them a little extra tea and a little extra ice or water. I just leave out the igredient they don't want and keep the ratios of the other two the same.

[Shrug.]

Its in the coffee and tea resource manual. Water based beverages are charged for the number of shots or tea bags, not cup size. And you were correct up to that point. You must charge for two talls and if they ask for no ice then fill it up to the line. You also should fill the cup up to the line with no ice.

[?]

Seriously guys... A full pitcher of tea concentrate costs the store 54 cents in product. If you sell one iced tea, you pay for the product.

[me myself and I]

My store gets grande Americanos in tall cups all the time, but as it was mentioned already, we are supposed to charge them the way we charge espresso, by the amount of shots. unfortunately not everyone knows that.

Starbucks trains their customers to look for the cheapest way to get charged. Which unfortunately leads to some store managers training their staff to try and overcharge some of the others...(not my store, but I know places) :-(

[Shrug.]

The product you pay for yes. The labor no.

[bayareabux]

I'd like a trenta iced tea refill, no water, no ice, on my registered card, please. And while you're at it, ring up another refill so I can earn an extra star while I'm here. Thanks so much. :)

[buckaroo]

Hmm.. And as an afterthought, the thing that will really add insult to injury will be me being forced to listen to all my customers butchering the pronounciation of the name, as they are prone to do, if this ever rolls out to my state.
"Gimme TRAIN-tuh twelve pump classic passion tea"
*cry*

[buckaroo]

Yo webmaster, where did my original post go? Can't very well have an afterthought without the preceding thought.

Well as it was oh so important, I'll try again:

I will totally be judging people who come into my store and order a trenta size. I don't care that it's just coffee or tea, it's still ridiculous. Get a hold of yourself. Learn some restraint. Learn to enjoy the huge ass 20+ oz size you already have. Don't just quaff it like some dehydrated animal. And if you are that super thirsty, learn to ask for less ice instead of getting a bigger ass cup.
People in my store OFTEN ask for iced teas with no water and frequently no ice on top of that. I can see that getting old quickly with a trenta size. In the same vein, I am also totally judging you idiots who come in and order a tea or iced coffee with EXTRA ice. Seriously? Even with the correct ratios, there's gotta be only something like 7 cents worth of diluted beverage in that drink that you're paying around 3 bucks for. Now you want me to pack extra ice in so that you can pay around 3 bucks for even LESS tea/iced coffee? Wow. You people amaze me. Is it not cold enough for you? I'm no scientist, but I'd wager that me packing a few more ice cubes in is not going to actually lower the temperature at this point.
The idea of having to holler out some ridiculous name like "trenta" all day and hand out huge ass cups to our piggish customers seems somewhat humiliating to me, even if it is, at the end of the day, the customer's decision, because it makes me feel like my job has become a sloppy joke. If you people are seriously that thirsty, learn to ask for light ice. Blah.

[me myself and I]

buckaroo, I think you might need another job. You've probably had one or two too many of the bad customers coming through your store, but there is still no need to go off like this. Customers read this site too, you know.

[baristamclane]

Just a thought...are we going to be able to order "for-here" Trenta glasses in the near future?

[buckaroo]

Hey You, yourself, and you

I am pretty certain I didn't ask you whether or not I should remain at my current job, so please don't offer your opinion on it in the future.

There are quite a few elements of my job that I thoroughly enjoy.

I *personally* think 31 oz cup sizes are ridiculous, and as that is the topic of this thread, I decided I would say so.

I am very well aware customers read this site and am happy for it.

And yes, I will totally judge people who order this trenta size. And I will smile sweetly at them and connect with them and serve them the best that I can, and allow myself to see other aspects of their personality in addition to their apparent mind boggling thirst/greed/weakness for big cups/whatever. But part of my brain will, at least initially, totally judge them. I think a lot of my customers' requests every single day are ridiculous. I still enjoy most of them for the most part. For example, I think it's ridiculous that some of these people come in four times every day, because I personally would never do that, but I realize that not everybody operates the way I would. I'm still happy to see them most of the time because most of them are good people and pleasant to interact with and they are my paycheck. I can think something you are doing is ridiculous and still be capable of liking you.

The fact that I am susceptible to human nature (ie judging people to some degree) does not mean I am unfit for a job at the bux. Come off it already.

[miguel]

Well said buckaro, why else would we post here if not for customers to know how much they bug at times, some are cool though.

[Broyling Water]

Well, if people are crazy enough to buy the new cup, if they are rolled out nationally, then so be it. But I'm going to say this about people who try to scam the system. I have my limit. I always give our regular customers the benefit of the doubt, especially the first couple of times, after that I will charge you for what you ordered, according to the standards that corporate puts out. I've always felt that as a company, if people weren't afraid to stand up for our stockholders, our fellow partners and our honest customers, you wouldn't have so many people trying to pull this crap. Sometimes, you have to be able to say no, and I have no problem doing that.

[Mike M]

I have not seen the trenta cup but just tried a disposable french press cup. Pretty cool how it worked. that would be much better than this pour over system.

[me myself and I]

buckaroo, you said it yourself: "Get a hold of yourself. Learn some restraint."

I agree with you, this site is to vent. And of course you can personally think people should only drink a certain amount of water/tea/coffee/frappuccinos. I even believe you really offer good customer service to the customer in front of you.

But in your post you generally attacked everyone who would consider buying this by saying to "Get a hold of yourself. Learn some restraint. Learn to enjoy the huge ass 20+ oz size you already have. Don't just quaff it like some dehydrated animal."

This is no customer service at all.

I can see how some customers can be very challenging, and if you would have said, that one customer that walks in every Monday morning and does this or that, I wouldn't have said anything, but you attacked a huge group of customers just because they are considering to buy a trenta sized drink, if available.
In my opinion, this is not helpful.
Starbucks wants more customers to walk through it's doors, so they have to find a way to attract them (especially since they alienate a lot of existing customers lately), this is one attempt. Since it isn't anything really affecting our well-being as baristas we should rather support it. It's not like it is more work for us, or less time or whatever, it's just another cup size.

[Argentius]

Uh, all, isn't iced tea no water no ice your favorite drink in the store?

You put it right in the cup, no shaker no prep nothing wham bam done.

If I have to sacrifice a couple of extra tea bags for those folks... so be it.

The only place I'd draw the line is "iced trenta ... in two grande cups."

That's the same line we had to draw with "Venti hot water, 10 pumps raspberry syrup" squad.

[miguel]

Most customers are assholes because they feel they can talk down to people because they spend 5 dollars on coffee.

[Kristen Lehman]

simply said, this will probably fail. like so many of the oh-so-wonderful ideas this lovely place has. i dont know about all of u but nmy store and the 3 others ive worked at and frankly any store i know doesn't really sell THAT many venti drinks to begin with. cuz lets face it people complain about the price of a venti brewed coffee i cant wait to see the price on that this trenta thing. EPIC FAIL

[MOQ]

I am a bit surprised by the positive reaction to this from customers. But I will happily watch the sales go into the register from it.

[ImChiquita]

I hate "cheating" customers as much as the next Barista. It grates on my nerves that you order a Grande Americano but in a Tall cup (here in Oklahoma, it happens all the time).

Do I know they know they're getting away with it? Yes.

Do I know if THEY know that I know? Who cares? Finish the transaction so they can leave.

And by the way, when did society become the Food Police?

Leave the public to consume whatever the crap they want.

Big Brother is entrenched enough as it is, don't help it along!

[Alex]

Living in Phoenix, I find this a great idea. Unless you live here, you have no idea what it feels like to be in 120°F (~50°C) heat, with 0% humidity and how hard it is to keep cool. A Trenta Passion Shaken Iced Tea Lemonade would be fine, especially in the summer, but a Vivano would just be gross. You think this is bad? How about a Sunkist in a Big Gulp? Tell me how that works out for you.

[sbuxmngr]

Why call it Trenta? What does Trenta mean? More confusing rhetoric for the masses and a new word in Wikipedia!

[buckaroo]

@ me, myself etc

Meh. I think you are taking my post way too seriously. Stop deconstructing it to try to pick it apart and catch me in what you consider some sort of self-contradiction. I'm venting. Expressing a really trivial opinion. Relax. I'm not providing customer service on this site, (so why you are connecting my comments with customer service seems rather odd) I'm voicing my opinion that 31 ounces of any beverage is ridiculous. And yeah, I pretty much don't see that opinion of mine ever changing.

I really don't think you should be so uptight as to construe my remarks as a real, personal attack against everyone in a group of hypothetical people who would ever order a trenta size drink. But maybe that's what I did, and if so, you know what, I'm really not that concerned about it :)
Yes, you hypothetical trenta-drinking group, I think you are silly. All of you. Muwahaha. Take that.
And me thinking that is really not going to make one bit of difference anywhere in the world, by the way.

I mean, I think anyone who wears those UGGs boots looks ridiculous. But I'm sure there are some fabulous people among them. And I don't go ripping them off of people's feet in public because I don't like them :)

[buckaroo]

@ImChiquita

How is ordering a Grande Americano in a Tall cup "cheating"? This is a totally legit request. As per Starbucks policy (one that, I should add, nobody seems to be aware of anymore) Americanos should be charged by number of shots, not cup size. So a grande in a tall cup would be charged as a grande. A customer who orders a grande in a tall cup simply wants a tall sized americano, but with more espresso than the default starbucks recipe calls for. They just want a stronger drink. Grande americano in a tall cup or triple tall americano, however you want to call it, is not cheating anything. Unless you've been ringing it up as simply a tall, which is not the correct way, in which case yeah, you're ripping yourself off I suppose :)

[ex-partner]

The Arizona Coffee Beans have been doing this for years now (where SBUX is now test marketing the idea), the California stores about a year. Next thing you know SBUX will rip off the tea latte too... oh thats right, they tried and failed horribly.
BTW, the 32oz. is almost exclusively used for iced tea and is comparable to what most gas stations cold cups are sized at. We make a few Ice Blended drinks in that size, but its rare. Ultimately if there is money to be made on that size it is the customers choice. If people didn't want it, we wouldn't sell it.

And to any SBUX partners that are wondering if the grass is greener on the other side, it most defiantly is.

[E-dog]

I know our customers would love to get their EXTRA EXTRA caramel macchiatos in a trenta size.... Working in the phoenix area we have been asked tons of times.

However, we could only offer it for the iced teas and coffees. Which half the stores in our area didn't follow policy on.... I had a customer yell at me because he got a trenta americano at another store. So stupid!

I hope Trenta will not be a new size for us permanently. Seems too mcdonalds/gas station like to me. I'd rather not feed into America's already crazy obese culture.

[don'tbeadink]

The tea latte was not a rip off of another coffee house...it's been around for quite some time. And we sell a LOT of them in our cafe.

[i hate starbucks but it pays the bills]

its just going to be another way to confuse Starbucks customers. it really is ridiculous how intelligent some people are. the new trenta is just going to send people over the edge. sweeeeeet i cant wait to explain to every single person what a trenta is and why we have it and why its bigger... blah blah blah

[gooo starbucks]

there are also new frapp options coming our. such as non fat, soy and a think a different type of light. this should be interesting

[Doug Wieboldt]

My understanding is that the trenta is only for iced coffee and iced tea.