There goes the neighborhood!
Category: Economy & Business...
Posted Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 03:00 PM [GMT-6]

According to the Wall Street Journal, Starbucks is testing $1 per cup coffee and free refills.

The $1 test undercuts even low-cost coffee purveyors, including McDonald's Corp. and Dunkin' Donuts, a unit of Dunkin' Brands Inc., whose coffees generally start in the low $1-plus range. Although most sit-down restaurants top off customers' coffee free of charge, specialty cafes have largely stayed away from the practice. Starbucks will face increasing competition this year from McDonald's, which plans to start adding a line of espresso drinks at its U.S. restaurants.

We who rely on the conspicuous consumption of overpriced and overhyped luxury items to assure ourselves of our significance are aghast at the prospect of having to mingle with the riff-raff and hoi-polloi that will now flock to our favorite caffeineries, where they will no doubt suck up all the rarefied air as they knock over the plastic stirrers.

Now, if they would only provide free WiFi...

Permalink
Comments

Heh. I AM the riff-raff. I will at least be a much more frequent frequenter if they follow through on this. They just need to put the plastic stirrers in a more sturdy holder. ;-)

Posted by: gwynne at January 23, 2008 04:52 PM

I, too, am riff-raff, but that doesn't keep me from striving for hoi polloi-hood. You should also aim higher. ;-)

Posted by: Eric at January 23, 2008 05:49 PM

My guess is the national stories equating Starbuck's $1 coffee proposal with the supposed oncoming recession/depression/end of civilization ("In the 1930s, it was 'Brother, can you spare a dime?' Now, it's 'Brother, can you spare a buck'.") will be in the papers and on the network newscasts by no later than Friday.

Posted by: John at January 23, 2008 06:29 PM
Post a comment [Take your time...we're in no hurry.]
Note: You must provide either a website URL or an email address...but there's no rule that says you have to tell the truth. If you don't want your email address published on this site, just input a website URL, or make up an email address.









Remember personal info?