Business & Tech

POLL: Will Starbucks' Price Hike Change Your Coffee-Drinking Habits?

Prices reportedly will increase only on some drinks. And only in certain parts of the country.

My tall, black extra-bold coffee is going to cost me 10-cents more.

Word from the Seattle-based coffee company today is that prices will increase 1 percent. The AP quotes a company spokesman as saying higher costs are the reason. That same story says the last across-the-board price increase was in 2007.

But only some drinks will be pricier — apparently the next size up, 'grande,' or  medium — remains unchanged.

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And the higher prices are taking effect only in the Northeast — including the Boston area — and the Southwest. Florida, California and the Midwest apparently had their prices raised in the fall.

The Christian Science Monitor says the increase comes at a time when inflation appears to be heating up. The Monitor quotes US Bureau of Labor Statistics: During the past 12 months, food prices in the US increased an average of 4.6 percent, and overall consumer prices went up 3.4 percent.

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So, given that context, how will you respond to Starbucks' price hikes?


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