Starbucks To Allow Customers To Bring Reusable Cups ($0.1 Discount + 25 Bonus Stars)

Starbucks has announced it will allow customers to bring reusable cups for Drive-thru and Mobile Orders. Customers that do so will receive a $0.1 discount and also 25 bonus stars.
    William Charles
  • On January 4, 2024, 15:59
Tags: starbucks

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  • Well a week into this I apparently was the first customer to do the mobile personal cup order, at least for this team's shift. They make the drink into a clear tumbler, then pour it out into your cup. The tumbler sits in the area where the mobile orders are, this is a fairly high volume store so it is separated out by first letter of the name on the order.

  • They do something similar every earth day.

    You walk in a Starbucks and want to use your own mug you get treated like you have three heads and probably don’t get the discount either.

    I only drink Starbucks if I am danger of getting a caffeine withdrawal headache.

  • Like McDonald's selling salad and Coke offering tiny cans of sugary beverages, this move is incompatible with the core business model of Starbucks but a mere signal to fool consumers by pretending to care about social/environmental issues.

  • I think this defeats the purpose and convenience of the mobile order. For example, you would place the order e.g. 10 minutes before you arrive at the store and you just pickup your order and you are on your way with zero time wait. Now you will have to wait to give your cup and wait 5-10 minutes anyway. This discount + stars is not worth the wait for me.

    • The only possible mitigating factor is that the drinks will be prepared in pre-marked containers based on drink size and then poured into the customer’s cup. Except for things like whipped cream, those could be prepared and queued to quickly pour in. Yes, it will increase times but not as much as if the whole recipe had to be concocted in the customer’s own cup.

      • I highly doubt that a starbucks would keep around all pending mobile orders in those pre-marked containers (which would be plastic cups after all, in turn defeating the purpose of this initiative, i.e. to reduce plastic waste). The only way I see it working is that a barista would put the reusable cup mobile order at the top of the priority queue after receiving the reusable cup from the customer (which would reduce waiting from 5-10 minutes down to 2-3 minutes).

        • Any time a customer cup isn't clearly labeled the exact sizes of Starbucks orders (12/16/20oz) they make it in a paper cup and dump it in. I'd expect mobile ordering would do the same. At least you're saving the plastic lid?

          Many people are really using their own cup to keep it hot longer or have a straw/no-spill lid. It's not all about waste reduction.

          • The stores are getting new, reusable shakers to hold drinks while waiting for your cup to arrive

    • Truly mobile order? Yes, but half the time I order upon showing up when there's a line. That still pushes it through much faster and no need to queue.

    • You're trading in the convenience of pick up and go on mobile to waiting 5 mins to save .1 and get 25 stars. I don't see the problem with mobile order as it seems like there are more baristas working mobile orders than actual walk up orders.

      What I do see happening - the drive thru lines will likely get longer as it takes a few more minutes to give the cup to the person at the window, make your drink and give it back. Rather, the cup is ready when you eventually get to the window.

      I do the personal cup only when I have time and a walk in order.

  • I would have brewed my own coffee at home if I had to clean the reusable cup and drive to Starbucks.

    • Some people still work in offices. I don't go to Starbucks much, but on those rare occasions when I do it would be a lot easier to grab a (clean) reusable cup from my office shelf and head across the street to Starbucks than it would be for me to go all the way home, brew a cup of coffee, and go all the way back to work.

    • I stopped applying any logic to US consumer behavior. Consumers here are completely brainwashed into spending huge amount of money (which they don't have) on things they can have at home for almost free with better quality and lesser efforts.

  • This still doesn't explain why people are paying $200+ for those Starbucks Stanley cups.

  • Do you get the +25 points each time? That's not too bad considering the free drink is 200 points.

    Anyone know if you can put a frap into a reusable cup?

    • Max 3x per day it says to get +25 pts.
      I can't imagine the +25 pts last very long. That would basically equate to 20% off - buy 4, get 1 free.

      My guess is it only lasts long enough for people to catch on and regularly do it, then will change to only $.10 off per drink, then $.05 off, then they will start charging $.10 per disposable cup.

      • They've been doing at least a couple of years for walk up customers. Logistics are much easier there since you hand them the cup at the time you tell the barista what you want.

        Yes, you can put frap in your reusable cup/glass and get 25 pts.

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