Thanks. I didn't realize how much the new system sucks til I looked at the math. Before I was spending $30-40 bucks to earn a free drink. Now I have to spend $63 in the least, not accounting for truncating the cents off each purchase + tax, so more like $70-80 for the same perk.
FAQ indicates you'll get partial stars for the cents.
"What will happen in the new program if I spend an uneven amount? Do I get credit for the change?+
Yes, your change counts towards partial Stars. We’ll keep track of all your partial Stars and apply them to your total Stars.
For example, if you spend $6.20 (i.e., not including tax, tips, alcohol or other exceptions), you will earn 12.40 Stars.
The .40 is not always visible (we like to keep things simple), but you can always view your Stars and purchase history at starbucks.com/rewards or in the mobile app."
This change feels like a bad fumble, even if Starbucks is a great marketing engine.
Under the old program, even that it was kinda dumb, I liked getting the stars and the reward, and it somehow made me feel like a member a my club. This changes seems to bust that.
The last change they made to their reward system decreased the amount of stars required to receive a free drink from 15 to 12 stars, but the big thing was soy milk and additional syrups were no longer free. This really pissed off non-dairy drinkers and I can understand why since soymilk is an extra $0.60.
But now with this new change it seems like they're catering to the customers that already shell out the money for the $5.00+ drinks (frappuccinos, lattes, etc) in their larger size forms. It's like they're just giving the middle finger to the people who only come for regular coffee and teas.
On top of that, they're making it even more complicated to understand. Like how exactly do they think managing hundreds of stars and calculating stars earned based on the amount of money paid is better in terms of simplicity for the ordinary customer vs. the current (soon to be old) system where 1 purchase = 1 star, 12 stars = free food/drink. It's overly complicating an already simple system. Surely there had to be another way to fix the issue of people wanting their orders split up into individual orders to get more stars while still giving more value (in stars) to larger orders.
Their cold brew iced coffee is actually pretty decent. But I myself do mainly go for the lattes, iced tea, and occasionally frappuccinos. But as far as the new rewards system goes, for trying to be a coffee company, especially with the recent drinks like the "flat white" which cater more towards plain coffee drinkers and coffee snobs, they sure gave the middle finger to them with this change.
> but the big thing was soy milk and additional syrups were no longer free. This really pissed off non-dairy drinkers and I can understand why since soymilk is an extra $0.60.
> It's like they're just giving the middle finger to the people who only come for regular coffee and teas.
Cater to your more profitable customers. Business 101.
> It's overly complicating an already simple system.
The previous system could be gamed. A revenue-based system can't be. Airlines learned this a while back.
> Surely there had to be another way to fix the issue of people wanting their orders split up into individual orders to get more stars while still giving more value (in stars) to larger orders.
Circle-K stores (Irving's gas station convenience chain) used to do a deal where you'd get a free coffee every six or ten.
Most of the time, if you hit them in the morning, the cashier would just punch the whole card when you bought one...
It's terrifying the amount of money you can save when you get in the habit of making your own coffee though. It's not quite on the level of movie popcorn, but it's up there.
I'm painfully aware of the cost of my daily large triple-latte habit but I can't seem to motivate to do what it takes to replace my high-quality PNW coffee shop with homemade espresso. These are the obstacles, as I see them:
- The espresso machine. The $150 one you get off Amazon just isn't the same as the La Marzocco that they use at a good coffee shop. Count on spending a minimum of $2,000 for a machine, or as much as $5-6,000 for a commercial-quality machine that will last for years of use. The quality of the grind is one of the most important aspects of good espresso, so figure another $500-1000 on a high-quality grinder, and another hundred or so for accessories and such. Yes, there are cheaper devices but there are reasons that the good stuff cost so much: high-quality all-metal construction, consistent and accurate pressure and temperature, serviceability, etc.
- Learning to be a barista. Operating and maintaining the equipment, pouring technique, knowledge of coffee beans--these are all skills that I lack. I don't know where to learn them, either. I have a busy job and I don't have time to apprentice at a coffee shop. I wish there was some kind of class that I could take over a weekend where I could learn to be as good as the guys and girls working at my local shop.
Still, even with all of the hurdles, it's worth it. I'm spending $35/week--that's almost $1,900 a year--on espresso drinks. I could pay for a nice Faema or La Marzocco in only a few years of drinking at home.
I cultivated a taste for aeropress. You don't need an espresso grind so you can get a good grinder for under $200, and the aeropress itself is under $30 on amazon. With good coffee it tastes great! Not as good as a cortado, but way cheaper. And no need to stock milk.
I spent about $1,100 if you include accessories on a Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine and the doserless Rancilio Rocky grinder. Once you get to the know the machine, you can pull consistently great shots and even do latte art.
I have had this setup for about 5 years now. I drink more coffee than ever, spend much less for it and it's at the point where I would much rather drink my coffee than go out to a cafe.
But yeah, I would love a La Marzocco. When and if my faithful Silvia kicks the bucket I am going to definitely head that route.
You should try it! There is something just so satisfying about making yourself an awesome cappuccino and it's great for guests.
When I go to a cafe, it's really about the space. I pay for a great space to hang out and chat with someone. It's less about the actual beverage if I'm being honest.
That's why I don't particularly care for making coffee at home. I enjoy hanging out at the coffee shops for extended periods of time. I'll read, get some work done or just people watch. It's fun and my way of giving back to the shop is to buy stuff like a bagel and some coffee.
I do have a daily coffee habit, but more so as a pick me up after lunch at work. At work we have multiple ways to make (free) coffee so can't really complain there! I've been trying to drink less coffee though. I should really stop eating so many carbs during lunch. It really slogs down the rest of my day and it makes me need coffee.
Exactly, coffeeshops, for me, are like what bars are for many people. I don't really go there for coffee but just a place where I can relax, read something, get some extra work done, maybe even socialize.
The value I get from any good coffeeshop far exceed what I pay for drinks and food there.
The only reason I got a Starbucks card is for the reward. I actually didn't like the card since it tracked my visits. Now there's less reason to do so. When people are switching back to credit cards, those small transactions are going to hurt more with the per transaction fee.
I'm going to make a push to get my gold status renewed for one more year before the new program goes into effect, but after that I'm not going to worry about it much. I'm one of the people they're not looking for anyway, since I get either a morning blonde roast or a midday Americano when I do go in there.
I also haven't actually been in very much since I got a Zojirushi mug for Christmas - these days I make a pot in the morning, fill up an older mug (for immediate drinking) and the Zojirushi mug for 2-4 hours later (when it'll still be quite hot), and I'm done with it for the day.
I never understand the extent to which people get upset about these programs.
Taking the absolute worst-case scenario: You spend only $1.75 every weekday morning on a plain coffee. This website says you now get a free drink every 36 visits instead of every 12 visits. Assuming you have 240 visits (48 weeks/year), that comes to $408/year instead of $385/year, or a difference of $23. That's only about 5% more. Over time, you'd save much, much more just making your own coffee or even buying a machine for the office.
If you're buying a $3.65 latte everyday (apparently these are much cheaper nationally than in Manhattan), this rewards program change takes it from $832/year to $813/year, or about a 2% change.
24 comments
[ 3.7 ms ] story [ 69.6 ms ] threadGuess it was too good to last; I'm going to stop using the reward system and just drink coffee from the office.
"What will happen in the new program if I spend an uneven amount? Do I get credit for the change?+
Yes, your change counts towards partial Stars. We’ll keep track of all your partial Stars and apply them to your total Stars.
For example, if you spend $6.20 (i.e., not including tax, tips, alcohol or other exceptions), you will earn 12.40 Stars.
The .40 is not always visible (we like to keep things simple), but you can always view your Stars and purchase history at starbucks.com/rewards or in the mobile app."
http://morestars.starbucks.com/#section1
Under the old program, even that it was kinda dumb, I liked getting the stars and the reward, and it somehow made me feel like a member a my club. This changes seems to bust that.
But now with this new change it seems like they're catering to the customers that already shell out the money for the $5.00+ drinks (frappuccinos, lattes, etc) in their larger size forms. It's like they're just giving the middle finger to the people who only come for regular coffee and teas.
On top of that, they're making it even more complicated to understand. Like how exactly do they think managing hundreds of stars and calculating stars earned based on the amount of money paid is better in terms of simplicity for the ordinary customer vs. the current (soon to be old) system where 1 purchase = 1 star, 12 stars = free food/drink. It's overly complicating an already simple system. Surely there had to be another way to fix the issue of people wanting their orders split up into individual orders to get more stars while still giving more value (in stars) to larger orders.
> It's like they're just giving the middle finger to the people who only come for regular coffee and teas.
Cater to your more profitable customers. Business 101.
> It's overly complicating an already simple system.
The previous system could be gamed. A revenue-based system can't be. Airlines learned this a while back.
> Surely there had to be another way to fix the issue of people wanting their orders split up into individual orders to get more stars while still giving more value (in stars) to larger orders.
This is that way.
Most of the time, if you hit them in the morning, the cashier would just punch the whole card when you bought one...
It's terrifying the amount of money you can save when you get in the habit of making your own coffee though. It's not quite on the level of movie popcorn, but it's up there.
- The espresso machine. The $150 one you get off Amazon just isn't the same as the La Marzocco that they use at a good coffee shop. Count on spending a minimum of $2,000 for a machine, or as much as $5-6,000 for a commercial-quality machine that will last for years of use. The quality of the grind is one of the most important aspects of good espresso, so figure another $500-1000 on a high-quality grinder, and another hundred or so for accessories and such. Yes, there are cheaper devices but there are reasons that the good stuff cost so much: high-quality all-metal construction, consistent and accurate pressure and temperature, serviceability, etc.
- Learning to be a barista. Operating and maintaining the equipment, pouring technique, knowledge of coffee beans--these are all skills that I lack. I don't know where to learn them, either. I have a busy job and I don't have time to apprentice at a coffee shop. I wish there was some kind of class that I could take over a weekend where I could learn to be as good as the guys and girls working at my local shop.
Still, even with all of the hurdles, it's worth it. I'm spending $35/week--that's almost $1,900 a year--on espresso drinks. I could pay for a nice Faema or La Marzocco in only a few years of drinking at home.
EDIT: I spoke too soon. Look at this: https://a.zozi.com/#/express/seattlebaristaacademywa/product...
I have had this setup for about 5 years now. I drink more coffee than ever, spend much less for it and it's at the point where I would much rather drink my coffee than go out to a cafe.
But yeah, I would love a La Marzocco. When and if my faithful Silvia kicks the bucket I am going to definitely head that route.
You should try it! There is something just so satisfying about making yourself an awesome cappuccino and it's great for guests.
That's why I don't particularly care for making coffee at home. I enjoy hanging out at the coffee shops for extended periods of time. I'll read, get some work done or just people watch. It's fun and my way of giving back to the shop is to buy stuff like a bagel and some coffee.
I do have a daily coffee habit, but more so as a pick me up after lunch at work. At work we have multiple ways to make (free) coffee so can't really complain there! I've been trying to drink less coffee though. I should really stop eating so many carbs during lunch. It really slogs down the rest of my day and it makes me need coffee.
The value I get from any good coffeeshop far exceed what I pay for drinks and food there.
I also haven't actually been in very much since I got a Zojirushi mug for Christmas - these days I make a pot in the morning, fill up an older mug (for immediate drinking) and the Zojirushi mug for 2-4 hours later (when it'll still be quite hot), and I'm done with it for the day.
Taking the absolute worst-case scenario: You spend only $1.75 every weekday morning on a plain coffee. This website says you now get a free drink every 36 visits instead of every 12 visits. Assuming you have 240 visits (48 weeks/year), that comes to $408/year instead of $385/year, or a difference of $23. That's only about 5% more. Over time, you'd save much, much more just making your own coffee or even buying a machine for the office.
If you're buying a $3.65 latte everyday (apparently these are much cheaper nationally than in Manhattan), this rewards program change takes it from $832/year to $813/year, or about a 2% change.