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My favorite coffee shop actually charges less for iced coffee than hot, but: -They brew hot coffee one cup at a time with very high quality coffee -They use an

by wanderr 16y ago

My favorite coffee shop actually charges less for iced coffee than hot, but: -They brew hot coffee one cup at a time with very high quality coffee -They use an admittedly lower quality coffee for iced so that it tastes stronger. It's still good, but their cost of supply is lower. -They brew iced coffee in batches, so the labor involved in making 40 cups of iced coffee is significantly lower than 40 cups of hot coffee. Side tangent: It annoys the crap out of me that Starbucks makes it /cheaper/ to get a large iced americano with 4 shots compared to a medium with 4 shots. Obviously a large americano costs them slightly more (bigger cup, more ice), but they should at least be the same price. Absolutely ridiculous that I have to pay more to get it in a smaller cup and have it be less diluted.

pasbesoin 16y ago
It used to be that, in some of these situations at Starbucks, you could request the cheaper drink with a modification that made it essentially into the more expensive drink. For example, ask for the large but with only so much ice. The experienced baristas often knew what you were about, but never seemed to mind. A bit of a waste of a larger cup, but then... Maybe you could order the large drink in a medium cup? If you order a hot tea with only one bag but in a grande (medium) cup, they are supposed to only charge you for a tall (small) (or were supposed to, at one point). (Some staff knew this; others did not.) I feel a bit silly, making this comment. On the other hand, it is another aspect of Starbucks allowing the customer to customize/"hack" their drink. It seems to accomplish a certain level of customer "engagement" with the purchase activity and product offerings.
- wanderr 16y ago
  My girlfriend was a barista in college, so I know about the hacks but I feel like enough of a dork ordering a "tall quad iced americano with a splash of soy" without making it even more complicated. Honestly I'd rather just pay the extra at that point. :P
  - pasbesoin 16y ago
    Ah, yes, the "splash of soy". And, will they charge you the soy upcharge, or not? ;-) (Back when I was a more regular customer, it seemed to depend on the staff and/or attitude/directive of the management at the particular store.)
    - wanderr 16y ago
      Yeah, entirely depends on the barista, unfortunately. Oddly if I ask them to leave room and then ask for soy after they make my drink they have no problem giving it to me...but all this is way too much interaction to just get a damn coffee. :P

by wanderr 16y ago

pasbesoin 16y ago

It used to be that, in some of these situations at Starbucks, you could request the cheaper drink with a modification that made it essentially into the more expensive drink. For example, ask for the large but with only so much ice. The experienced baristas often knew what you were about, but never seemed to mind. A bit of a waste of a larger cup, but then... Maybe you could order the large drink in a medium cup? If you order a hot tea with only one bag but in a grande (medium) cup, they are supposed to only charge you for a tall (small) (or were supposed to, at one point). (Some staff knew this; others did not.) I feel a bit silly, making this comment. On the other hand, it is another aspect of Starbucks allowing the customer to customize/"hack" their drink. It seems to accomplish a certain level of customer "engagement" with the purchase activity and product offerings.

wanderr 16y ago
My girlfriend was a barista in college, so I know about the hacks but I feel like enough of a dork ordering a "tall quad iced americano with a splash of soy" without making it even more complicated. Honestly I'd rather just pay the extra at that point. :P
- pasbesoin 16y ago
  Ah, yes, the "splash of soy". And, will they charge you the soy upcharge, or not? ;-) (Back when I was a more regular customer, it seemed to depend on the staff and/or attitude/directive of the management at the particular store.)
  - wanderr 16y ago
    Yeah, entirely depends on the barista, unfortunately. Oddly if I ask them to leave room and then ask for soy after they make my drink they have no problem giving it to me...but all this is way too much interaction to just get a damn coffee. :P