Starbucks Regulars Abandon Chain Over Price Hikes

Andrew Buckley, a "mocha guy," recently swore off his Starbucks habit, reeling after the firm's latest price increase sent the cost of his drink higher than $6.

The company's latest price increase has crossed a line.

The 50-year-old, who works in tech sales in Idaho, had been a loyal customer for decades, treasuring his near-daily venti mocha as a little luxury that allowed him to stretch his legs during the workday, Natalie Sherman reported for BBC.

But the company's latest price increase crossed a line.

"It was the straw that broke the camel's back on my feelings of inflation in general. It's like, 'That's it. I can't do it anymore,'" says Buckley, who rang up customer service with complaints before heading to social media to vent.

"I just lost it," he said. "I don't plan to be back either." Buckley now brews coffee at home or goes to The Human Bean, a smaller chain.

The decision was a sign of the bigger troubles brewing at Starbucks, which is hitting new resistance from inflation-weary customers just as fights over unionization and protests against the company cast as a way to oppose Israel's war in Gaza are sparking boycott calls and tarnishing the brand.

Sales at the company slumped 1.8% year-on-year globally at the start of 2024. In the US, by far the firm's biggest and most important market, sales at stores open at least a year dropped 3% - the biggest fall in years outside the pandemic and Great Recession.

Among those jumping ship were some of the firm's most committed customers - rewards members, whose active numbers marked a rare 4% fall compared with the prior quarter.