‘Prices have gone up’ fume Starbucks customers as surging costs make the brand ‘luxury’ – and some save $150 elsewhere

SOME customers at Starbucks have been upset over the current prices of their favorite beverages.

The coffeehouse chain’s fanbase is strong, and its reach is far, with over 17,000 locations nationwide.

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Still, along with many food and drink establishments, Starbucks has faced struggles since 2023 with inflation rates and changes in consumer habits.

About 62% of customers said they were eating out less in 2024, per a survey conducted by Yahoo! Finance.

While Starbucks seemingly shares the battle to bring select customers back in with other chains, it still caught other criticisms from several fans.

They cited frustrations not only with alleged menu price increases, but also long lines, wait times, and disagreements with Starbucks’ political affiliations, per The Wall Street Journal .

Starbucks’s US-based orders dropped 6% at the end of the second fiscal quarter on June 30.

The down-tick comes alongside grievances from customers like Chicago resident Dan Palmer, who said the cost of his daily Mango Dragonfruit Refresher is too much.

JUST TOO MUCH

“The prices have gone up — a lot,” Palmer claimed while speaking with WSJ.

He added that cups cost him over $6 a pop, making them “not a deal in any sense of the word.”

Brad Pearl, a fellow Starbucks devotee from Spokane, Washington, also noted a decision to head to competitors over alleged price surges and long wait times.

Pearl called Starbucks a “luxury” coffeehouse chain compared to local shops, where he supposedly saves $150 per month by spending less on drinks.

Customers who have continued to head to Starbucks anyway still claim they face long lines and waits whenever they go to locations to order.

A few problems earlier this month.

“I don’t think Starbucks’ problem is demand,” a fan wrote in a post to X.

“It has been mostly customers getting frustrated with long wait times, outdated stores etc.”

Starbucks Fall Flavors

Starbucks fans can score a taste of the company's fall flavors with its lineup of new and returning fall coffees and creamers.

The lineup of ready-to-drink beverages, ground coffee, and creamers includes the following products:

• Iced Espresso Pumpkin Spice Latte
• Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino Chilled Coffee Drink
• Pumpkin Spice Flavored Coffee
• Pumpkin Spice Cold Brew Concentrate
• Pumpkin Spice Flavored Creamer
• Pumpkin Spice Flavored Non-Dairy Creamer
• Fall Blend Coffee
• New Smoked Butterscotch Flavored Coffee

“Starbucks has a major problem with wait times,” another wrote .

CEO SWITCH-UP

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz noted complications with the chain’s mobile ordering system while speaking on the Acquired podcast in June.

“Everyone shows up, and all of a sudden we’ve got a mosh pit, and that’s not Starbucks,” he said.

Schultz stepped down in March 2023 after serving as interim CEO before bringing Laxman Narasimhan to take over, per The Guardian .

Narasimhan stepped down in August , with current Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol set to take his place on September 9, 2024.

STILL FIGHTING

Additionally, Starbucks bounced back after its second-quarter earnings report.

Its stock has increased by 20% since announcing it would take Niccol from Chipotle, according to Fortune .

Autumn is also coming fast, and Starbucks thrives on its pumpkin-spice-flavored offerings, which are set to draw in some customers who want specialty drinks no matter the price.

Starbucks employees recently revealed to The U.S. Sun the exact date the pumpkin drinks are set to hit locations.

Costco members have also spotted certain Starbucks drinks they can now get in-store .