Below is a picture of me, back in my Starbucks days, donning the “Mercury Man” out-of-store sampling tank (Version 2.0) The backpack contraption contains a pressurized, thermal container used to sample fresh brewed coffee in crowds and at special events.

Version 1.0 of this backpack was more uncomfortable (lacking proper padding) and the silver tank was [...]

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In the oldest part of Athens, Greece called The Plaka, the guidelines for commercial signage requires that signs be hand-crafted.

So Starbucks had a wooden, hand-painted sign created locally. The slight (and I mean slight) imperfections make it cooler.
[click for larger view]

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You probably heard the news yesterday that Starbucks is closing around 600 of their least profitable locations. The Associated Press story on CNN Money has the best details.
While your first reaction might be “yikes!” - good or bad economy - I think this is a good for Starbucks.
But before I get into that, let [...]

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The holiday promotion has launched at Starbucks… marked with a coordinated effort…

the ringing of the market bell on Wall St.,

in NYC, baristas handing out more than 8,000 “acts of cheer” from complimentary subway MetroCards, free New York Times, bags of Starbucks Christmas Blend coffee, and $5 Starbucks Cards. Each surprise accompanied by a Cheer Pass [...]

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Starbucks has been criticized for excessiveness and offering ‘too many options’ in their drink offerings. It’s been calculated that Starbucks can prepare between 19,000 and 55,000 different combinations of beverages… I ranted about this in a recent post….
But wait a minute…

Take a look at this vending machine in Italy at the Pisa airport. Pisa’s airport [...]

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-about-

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My recent posts about postage stamps with personalized images AND my post mentioning Howard Schultz’s passion for Starbucks Holiday promotion caused Darrin to suggest “How about Howard Schultz in a Santa costume for Starbucks Christmas cards?!”
It would look something like this…

I know… I know… it looks totally unrealistic… Howard is not fat!
Here’s the original image [...]

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