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Starbucks Calls Off Decaf--After 12 PM?

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January 28, 2009 RSS Feed Print
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Call me crazy, but I would have thought Starbucks customers switched to decaf in the afternoon or evening, rather than imbibing the beverage before work in the early morn. But I'd be wrong.

Starbucks announced today that they will no longer have a pot of decaf at the ready after 12 p.m. each day. Instead, customers who request the brew will have to wait the four minutes it takes to brew a fresh one.

From a Starbucks statement E-mailed to Bloomberg:

“For many of our stores, the demand for decaf is greatly reduced in the afternoon,” the company said in the statement. “With our current standard of continually brewing decaf after 12 p.m. regardless of demand, we have seen a high amount of waste.”

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I stopped at a Target Starbucks at 8am today and was informed they do not have decaf at all. At all! Amazing. There are plenty other coffee shops, and good ones, that I'll be happy to patronize instead.

This is just a weird "cost" move. Many people cut back on regular in the afternoon and switch to decaf. MANY, due to medical conditions, can only have decaf. Seems to me they'll be losing a large chunk of business. Mine, for one.

Decaf only for me of MD 9:58AM February 20, 2009

For a long time i've been told to brew decaf on demand by some shift managers. I never did, i hate seeing a customer get mad because he/she has to wait for coffee (even though it is only 4 minutes). This new rule makes me sad, but is probably necessary with the current ecenomic crisis. Starbucks coffee is a luxury and ppl are going to stop comming as often.

P.S. you won't get coffee that's been sitting all day, we rebrew every 30 min. That's how the coffee got wasted.

William Butler of AL 2:23PM February 18, 2009

I have been a Starbucks manager for almost 4 years, I left January 2 of this year to pursue other opportunities. I can confidently state that while, yes, many drip coffee drinkers switch to decaf after 12pm, the overall demand for drip coffee sharply drops off the later it becomes. If all standards are followed as they always were at my Starbucks, coffee will be brewed and dumped out every 30 minutes. My business actually lost money on drip coffee every day.

I understand why decaf drinkers are upset by this new policy, but if you look at the company's overall profitability this year, you too will understand why they are initiating this new policy.

If you have to have that dark roasty coffee flavor in a decaf variety after 12pm, I suggest trying a decaf Americano.

Chris B. of FL 8:40AM January 31, 2009

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