Starbucks — Restaurant in Edgeworth

This review serves as a formal declaration of my decision to discontinue all patronage of Starbucks Corporation. My decision stems from a recent, deeply unsatisfactory experience that revealed a profound lack of customer fairness and transparency.

Today, I attempted to purchase a customized beverage for my autistic son: a tall mocha cookie crumble Frappuccino without coffee. This simple modification, intended to accommodate his dietary needs, resulted in an exorbitant charge of $7.05—nearly triple the standard price. Starbucks justified this inflated cost by charging separately for each ingredient, citing the absence of a direct menu equivalent.

This rationale is unacceptable. Imposing such a significant surcharge for a minor alteration, especially one related to dietary accommodations, is commercially unethical and demonstrates a fundamental lack of customer-centricity. The price is drastically higher than comparable offerings from competitors like The Milkshake Factory, which provide significantly better value.

Furthermore, the dismissive response from a corporate supervisor, "Leo," indicated a culture that prioritizes profit over customer satisfaction. His indifference to my dissatisfaction and my decision to cease doing business with Starbucks highlighted a systemic failure to address legitimate customer grievances.

Therefore, I am formally severing all ties with Starbucks Corporation. I will actively discourage others from patronizing this establishment and seek vendors that value fair pricing and customer respect. This review is not merely a complaint; it is a declaration of consumer autonomy and a condemnation of Starbucks' exploitative pricing practices.

It is particularly telling that Starbucks is willing to lose a customer over a $7.05 accommodation. This decision is even more baffling considering their recent financial performance:

Starbucks has reported declining sales and customer traffic for three consecutive quarters, with the latest quarter showing the steepest drop since the pandemic. US comparable sales have fallen 6%. Global transactions have declined 6%, with a 10% drop in the US. Global same-store sales have fallen 4%, and 7% in the US.

These figures underscore a concerning trend and suggest a disconnect between Starbucks' pricing policies and current market realities.

The response from the owner, directing me to the main website, was also inadequate. A more appropriate and customer-focused response would have been an apology and a proactive attempt to resolve the issue, such as informing me of the additional charges before the beverage was made, allowing me to make an informed decision. Instead, I was presented with an expensive beverage I felt compelled to purchase, without prior notification of the inflated cost.

This is my declaration that, from this day forward, I will no longer purchase any drink, treat, gift card, or bag of beans from Starbucks. If you can justify charging $7.05 for a "specialty drink" made without coffee, I can confidently say I have finally had enough and deserve to be treated better. We are...

Normally, I love this Starbucks. Most of the employees are warm and friendly and always polite. I have a large family and usually large orders and a toddler who loves to talk while I’m ordering…he orders his usual sweet cream cold foam and a cake pop. The norm is for the employees to be polite and upbeat. On a few occasions we have been unlucky and yesterday was the worst. The same woman is the culprit each time. She’s rude and snippy and blunt. Yesterday, I was trying to order and there was a lot going on. Instead of being calm and asking me questions nicely or letting me finish my order without constantly interrupting me, she was horribly short and rude. She then had the nerve to tell me I was being very rude to her, after I told her I wanted to just cancel my order. It was very sad bc my kids were disappointed and we had already been waiting in the line a long time. She didn’t care. I’m a loyal customer at this Starbucks. I won’t be going back, however. Kindness and patience are necessary when you work in...

My husband and I frequent this location on our way to work. Normally the service is wonderful. Most of the team is very sweet and have a positive vibe. But there is one that will just sour the experience. I heard my favorite barista on the speaker but as I pull up to the window my least favorite is there. She is always sour, impatient, curt, and just plain unpleasant to interact with. This morning was special though. She relayed a policy about water with inclusions that I was not aware of and felt like she really needed to hammer it in by repeating it multiple times. When I asked her to please just charge my card (so I could move on with my morning) she began to argue with me saying I was rude and there was no reason to be mad at her. I wasn't mad, a bit annoyed...yes....a bit curt....also yes, but certainly not mad. No raised voice, no cussing. But she still needed to act as though I was some crazy, rude customer. Way to make for an awkward morning followed by a rant to my...