The recession hits Starbucks
You know times are bad when Starbucks starts closing down - 600 shops have been given the boot and 12,000 jobs will be lost, according to LA Observed. Now I am not a big Starbux fan at all, but my sister is - big time, so this post is in honor of her. To soften the blow, Starbux will be introducing new Pinkberry-esque drinks:
"Along with the lost jobs and store closures is the introduction of something called the Sorbetto. It’s a Pinkberry-inspired drinkable yogurt that comes in three flavors - Tangy, Citrus Ice and Tangy Citrus Ice - and is being pushed as a mid-afternoon snack (keep in mind that foot-traffic slows by the afternoon). The Sorbetto makes its debut today at 313 stores in Orange and Los Angeles counties. The company is also rolling out a protein-and-banana smoothie called the Vivanno."
Also Starbux is now offering FREE wifi to those who join their rewards program. It’s a free program but you have to pay for drinks with money you put on their card. There are more perks too such as free drink modifiers, refills, and beverages.
So if the economy has got you down, you can still have that Starbucks treat but just milk it for all its worth. I wonder if they’ll be bothered if I just scoot in there to use their wifi, escape the heat, and drink water out of one of their nice clear cups. Starbucks has never been stingy about giving out water, I’ll give them that.
Here’s an LATimes article on the new drinks.
*** UPDATE ***
I’ve tried the Vivanno - the banana chocolate flavor - and I love it! I’ve also tried the Sorbetto and think I liked it. It’s a kind of an odd drink - a Pinkberry-slushie of sorts. I think the Sorbetto has more dairy in it than the Vivanno. The Vivanno is very filling. I wonder if it could be considered a meal replacement - if it’s healthy enough for that. There’s been a lot of blogosphere ruckus about how bad the Vivanno is and that it pales in comparison with a Jamba Juice. Personally, I love the Vivanno because it’s not as ovewhelming as a Jamba Juice drink and not as sweet. I’ve never been a fan of JJ.
