Today is a big Starbucks day! The new Verismo machine by Starbucks launches, and all the new MyStarbucksRewards start today. For those who don’t recall, about a month ago Starbucks announced a major changes to their loyalty rewards program known as MyStarbucksRewards. As of today, (October 16, 2012) customers earn a free drink (or free food item with limited exclusions) every 12 stars. Soy milk and syrups are no longer free. And rewards go 100% digital today – no more postcards in the mail. Those are the major changes, though for all the details, check the official website.
A large number of Starbucks stores begin selling the Verismo machine today. This is an ultra-simplified way to be able to make a latte, cup of coffee, shot of espresso, or an Americano at home. The entry level machine is priced at $199.00. There are only three buttons for three different functions: The top button is for a shot of espresso. The middle button is for a cup of brewed coffee. And the third is for milk. You simply drop in an espresso pod, a milk pod, or coffee pod, depending on what it is you want.
Here’s the machine making a cup of Verona. You can see the middle button is lit up:
Today (October 15, 2012), I caught the tail-end of an in-store demonstration of the machine at the Olive Way Starbucks here in Seattle. Today really was the first time that I got to experience this new machine. So here’s my review of what I tried:
The latte:
It takes just a couple of quick steps to make a latte. You just use one milk pod, and one espresso pod, and in what seemed like less than one minute, you’ve got a latte. I was pleasantly surprised with this. I was suspicious that the milk would taste odd, but the milk pod really does make a very nice steamed milk. I liked the temperature quite a bit also. It was definitely a hot latte, but not too hot. The milk pod and the espresso pod pair together very nicely – of course they do, that’s a latte! This was two thumbs up.
The thing that I’d be very tempted to try is combining the steamed milk pod with a packet of Pumpkin Spice Via Ready Brew. I have a feeling that would be delicious.
I can see that there is something to the idea of having an incredibly easy way to produce a nice cup of milk at home – whether to combine with your favorite chocolate sauce, or what have you. Just taking a cup of milk and throwing it in the microwave won’t produce this. For Chai Latte drinkers, I would think this would be an incredibly easy way to make a Chai Latte at home. Starbucks sells their Chai mix, and you just pour a little bit of that with your steamed milk, and I bet you have something delicious and very fast.
The solo shot of espresso:
I drank a solo shot of espresso too. This was interesting. It was good. Was it great? I’m not too sure about that. Here’s my espresso shot:
It wasn’t quite as caramelly and sweet as I wanted. I am puzzled because I have no idea what gets lost in the translation between this brew method and the store. It IS good, but a nice freshly-pulled espresso shot from the Mastrena at Starbucks is better. Before I left Olive Way, I ordered a solo shot in a demitasse cup, just to refresh my memory of what that is like. The Starbucks espresso shot is better. My solo shot was truly perfect.
I inquired with the barista at the Mastrena, asking if he’d done anything special to my shot. The bar barista was “Josh” and it turns out he’s a fairly new partner. We’d never met before. I could tell he was puzzled when I was pressing him for details about my shot. He looked at me funny and said that he’d ‘pressed the button and made it with love.‘ I kid you not. As a new partner, he’s already got Starbucks down pat.
My review – one thumb up, one thumb down. If only it were just a tad bit caramelly-ier. (Sorry, not really sure if that’s a real word, but you know what I mean.)
By the way, I noticed in the booklet brochure about the machine that you can buy Guatemala Antigua as an espresso pod at other retailers and/or at StarbucksStore.com. I have to wonder if that produces a nicer shot of espresso! I doubt I will ever know. Those pods aren’t in the Starbucks stores, and unless Santa Claus is super generous, I doubt I’ll get a Verismo for Christmas.
The cup of brewed coffee:
Last but not least, I tried Verona brewed coffee from the Verismo:
One can get Pike Place Roast, Caffe Verona, House Blend, or Veranda Blend as coffee pods. I’m quite a closet fan of House Blend too. I still buy Starbucks House Blend now and then at the stores. And of course, I love Verona. The cup of coffee was quite good. It was nice size cup of coffee – I normally only order a short brewed coffee. And it was delicious. There really can’t be an easier way to make brewed coffee.
Two thumbs up for brewed coffee.
******
This is an open thread. Feel free to weigh in on the Verismo home brewing machine. I know that some of my readers have already got one (or will have one shortly). Or, feel free to weigh in on anything Starbucks-related. As mentioned earlier, today is the big day for the new rewards launch too.
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@DadC…..yes, I have been to the reward calender etc. and I agree with you re: the lack of training. Mostly, they don’t know JACK about what to do, or need to got and find the papers or maybe one partner who DOES understand the process. It’s not their fault…but, as often, it’s a big fail on the (lack of) training. amazing.
and, kind of sad news: recvd some word that those free Verismo’s may not be shipped out for 8-10weeks!!!!! 🙁 merry Christmas.
I actually don’t know what you guys mean by a lack of training getting the reward. So far, I’ve redeemed 3 free drink/food coupons. Each time, I’ve just handed the barista my Starbucks card and said, “I’m using a reward coupon for this” and they press a button, and it magically is free.
Denise was told this morning that my local store had no training whatsoever on processing the new rewards on the register. No paperwork, etc. So strange if you ask me! As much as I like the extra rewards put in my account I also wonder if SB is totally doing it out of a positive customer service gesture or because they fear too many customers will leave so they added some rewards. As you indicated Dad Cooks- when they were testing the digital rewards system, why didn’t they work out the kinks before launching it nationally? Denise why such a delay in getting the free Verismo?
Melody I have too redeemed my rewards through the digital system, however, I have seen a hit and miss situation with partners not understanding the new process. I think it depends on the store, the partner, etc. I also get a sense that there is no real direction from higher up as to how to handle the new system. BTW I have not received any emails from SB to let me know I have rewards on my account. Any idea when they are starting that system?
@Melody – That one store you visited with Denise in suburban Chicago, has no idea how the new rewards work. Thank God I go very early before the crowds come in, but the partners I have dealt with since the 16th have told me they know of the reward changes, but have not been trained how to redeem the reward at the register. I kid you not.
I was able to redeem one reward yesterday, but not today. I haven’t had the time to read through all the comments, but I was surprised yesterday to learn that the receipt for a redeemed reward, does not show what your balance is on your card.
@Purple1 – My guess on the Verismo is that they probably wanted to launch and demonstrate them in stores, before sending the free ones out. It wouldn’t make sense to receive one for free before the pods were made available for those who received one as a gift from msi.
@Melody: I thought I read you writing somewhere on here about having some difficulty with using your app, not feeling the ‘rewards’ were accurate on what you did see…etc. or was that someone else.
For some reason I was lead to believe…from somewhere….that we would be able to tell by a swipe of our cards in the stores what rewards we had, Obviously that part was not accurate. Also, I have used ‘rewards’ (am not crazy about how it has to be rung thru to find out if there’s even one there) BUT, I have only recvd ONE email about any earned or available rewards….so that part is not working, at least not for me and I do find that ‘bothersome’.
I agree with Denise as usual. If Panera can tell you what your rewards are and reflect it on a receipt, it shouldn’t be hard for Starbucks to do the same. I wanted to use another reward today, but today’s shift / opener had no idea how to redeem the reward at the register. She loaded up her app on her phone and asked me what it all meant. They are not prepared for the changes. At least not the ones I have dealt with since the 16th.
I redeemed with no issues today. I asked the barista and he said they have ringing instructions, they just have to be read until they get used to the new procedure. He said the instructions were sent out early but that few of his stores partners looked at them until they had to do a redemption. Give them a few days to iron it out.
So my thoughts/ experiences with the new rewards so far:
1. As to actually redeeming them in the store, I haven’t had a problem. I just say, “I am redeeming a reward” and it works. The baristas in the stores know what they’re doing.
2. The Android app is frustrating in that it doesn’t tell me how many free drinks I have on it. I wonder if there is something wrong with my app.
3. I had thought that the website had some huge glitch in it because I discovered I had a far larger number of available rewards than what I expected. The reality is that the website IS correct. Many people started with more rewards than expected. Starbucks essentially gifted double rewards for many. Many people who received and used free drink coupons in September re-received those same rewards digitally. This is such a nice gift from Starbucks!! Starbucks decided that rewards shouldn’t be “lost” and so some people ended up with extra.
That’s about it. My only frustration is that the Android app seems not very helpful. By the way, one of my questions when I met with Rosann Williams was would there be the functionality to swipe a card and have a barista tell a customer how many rewards are available – that, as I recall, got an answer like, “we’re working on it.” That would be an incredibly helpful functionality. If you can swipe a card and get a balance, you should be able to swipe a card and get a available reward balance. I assume Starbucks will get there some day.
@jotaylor – You got to admit though….. It is a bit lame that the partners can’t see the rewards that are available to customers upon swiping their card? Starbucks is giving the reward, but their own people have no idea what customers have coming. It’s as if Starbucks left hand has no idea what the right hand is doing.
@Melody – I mentioned it earlier, but upon receiving your reward(s), were you given a receipt that reflected your balance? I got a receipt, but it didn’t show my balance. They couldn’t tell me why. Since I am new to the rewards anyway, can you redeem two rewards at the same time, or must they be redeemed one transaction at a time?
Hard me to characterize getting free stuff as lame; that said it would be nice, but I can see my rewards on my app and in my account, so as long as the redemption works – and it did – I’m not overly concerned. And sounds like they’re working on it.
As to balance, I believe that if you’re using your card to buy something – say using a reward for a drink and buying a sandwich, you’ll get a balance. If just redeeming a reward, not. I think there are actually multiple systems involved, one for the card stuff and another for MSR stuff. I’m a systems consultant for several other retailers; this stuff isn’t as easy as you might think, especially for a company with volumes like they have. They’ll work it out.
Also, I read on starbucksgossip that you can redeem multiple rewards in a single transaction – up to as many as you have.
Next round on Melody? 🙂
When redeeming JUST a reward, there is no balance at the bottom of the receipt. I would like to have the barista swipe a card, and have a print out that says, ‘you have xyz number of rewards.’
@JoTaylor – Sure! 😉 When I was in Denver, I tried very hard to get as many Denver Starbucks as possible in one day. I had an incredible day. My September was much higher than normal in terms of earning rewards! Fortuitous indeed!
I tried redeeming two at once today – it worked.
@jotaylor – Not everybody is relying on their app. Not everybody has a smartphone. I understand what you’re saying, but you are missing something. You can walk into Starbucks with an app on your smartphone all day. If the partners don’t know how to redeem the reward at the register, what good is the app going to do?
If you are not having this problem, then you’ve been lucky. I don’t know where you live, but I can tell you that the stores I have been to, most partners don’t know yet how to redeem them. If you can’t get your reward because they haven’t been properly trained prior to the changes, then for some, it’s very lame. You can only consider receiving something free as great only after you are able to actually redeem it. I have rewards, and couldn’t couldn’t take advantage of using one because they didn’t know how to give it to me. Very lame IMO!!
chgo – seems like you just want to be upset?
no app, fine – log into your account on starbucks.com, see your rewards there
and they’re going to email you when you earn one, and they say they’re working on displaying them to the store baristas
today is day three; if they’re still having problems redeeming in a week, whine away
its a gift horse; you appear to be looking it in the mouth?
@jotaylor:
In defense of chgo a bit here, the point that Starbucks should have this sorted out by now is completely valid. A rewards system in which many baristas have no clue how to process rewards is useless. I’ve had mixed results since this change happened. One store gave me a free drink after trying, and failing, to redeem my reward; another couldn’t do it and said I had to pay. That’s unacceptable.
It’s not like Starbucks didn’t run a trial of this system. The bugs should have been worked out there, but it seems as if they learned nothing at all in Pittsburgh. Customers honestly shouldn’t have to ‘wait it out’ – if the service isn’t ready, don’t launch it!
Two stores yesterday, two rewards successfully redeemed. It’s all working out just fine.
@jotaylor – I guess it’s going to be your way or the highway! Anybody that doesn’t agree with you or your opinion or experience is basically a whiner. Then I guess I’m a whiner! You are like a one way street about it. It doesn’t change the fact that just because you see your rewards in an app or online, that you will be able to redeem them in a store by untrained partners. Those would be the untrained partners who have told me with their own mouths, that they don’t know how to redeem the reward at the register. That isn’t an opinion! That is a matter of fact.
That gift horse you spoke of is earned. If the horse is deaf, dumb and blind, then it isn’t much of a gift now is it? If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it isn’t a horse, it’s a duck! Can’t wait for the Verismo to arrive. Gee I hope they actually put the machine in the box, instead of giving me just an empty box! I wouldn’t want to whine about an empty box arriving that was given to me free as a gift, because somebody didn’t know how to put the darn machine in the box. GEEZ!!!
Last night at my local SB such confusion with a partner trying to redeem a reward for a customer. I tried to help her with the transaction and she finally got another partner and it took a bit to resolve but yea finally success. I really hope SB does some more formal training with partners.
Chgo. Here’s the deal. We have different philosophies on life; I don’t expect perfection, the world seldom delivers on it. I’m seldom frustrated, I expect bumps in the road, they happen, you can’t argue that they don’t.
I think you feel differently, for example it appears that you don’t feel that the program properly values you unless you experience flawless execution. If that’s true, you’re bound to be disappointed, frustrated, however you’d like to characterize what you frequently express here.
I’m happy to almost never be unhappy.
Here’s another way to look at it. I think loyalty means putting up with less than perfection at times. Starbucks partners put up with at times a ridiculous amount of crap from customers, rudeness, yelling, belittling, etc. in my experirience they nearly always handle it with grace and class. Maybe behind the scenes they vent, I don’t know. But they almost universally demonstrate loyalty in the form of quality products and services to customers. It’s one if the things I think makes Starbucks special.
I believe the loyalty bit is a two way street; we’re talking about humans here, either on the front lines trying to provide great service in a challenging environment or behind the scenes designing processes, programming systems etc. Clearly humans aren’t perfect and it often shows; to me to expect perfection is illogical as well as setting you up for frustration, anger, disappointment.
I don’t expect my spouse to be perfect and to be exactly what I want and need 100% of the time, nor does he of me. But we’re 100% committed to each other. Loyal to each other.
Re Pittsburg I have a sister there; she experienced similar issues there when they first started the test but after a week or two, all smooth. While you seem to feel its my way or the highway, all I’m suggesting is that you cut them some slack while they learn the new procedures. Let’s try to remember that loading rewards on your card was a huge ask from members like us, not something that Starbucks is forcing down our throats. And that it looks like at least some of us got some extra rewards.
I’m unapologetically happy about the changes.
Brett, I have to respectfully disagree. IMO if they tried to redeem your reward and it failed AND that resulted in you losing the reward, that’s unacceptable.
Store partners make relatively low pay, have to learn literally hundreds of things (somewhere I read that there are something like 30,000 possible beverages when you factor all of the customization), endure extremely busy shifts in what often appears to be understaffed times, are expected to know details about things like the new machine (which by the way launched the same day as the reward changes), and are almost all part-timers which only complicates trying to train them properly.
I’d like to suggest that we try to cut them a bit of slack. Please?
Whoa. I think no one going to persuade another here. If a reward was lost due to badly trained partners, that’s worth a call to customer service. It’s not an ideal scenario at Starbucks. I haven’t seen any problems redeeming rewards, but I can admit that it’s a system with some growing pains. Let’s just have a Zen moment here and appreciate both sides of the coin. On the plus side, there are free pananis now and many have a few extra rewards because of the back filling of rewards. on the other hand, some baristas are getting used to new rewards.
@jotaylor – Everything you’ve said…… I have totally respected it. I am happy that the changes have gone smoothly for you and that you like it. There is a story about my first Starbucks experience that I will not bore you with. It happened when Starbucks first came to Chicago (somewhere around 1990 if I remember correctly). I never stepped foot into Starbucks again until about 2001, and I have been going back almost everyday since 2001. Up until 2 years ago, I was a 3 X a day + customer. Would you believe I never registered a card until about 2 months ago? I haven’t had Gold Status or a registered card long enough to feel entitled or disappointed by the rewards or changes. My wife will miss the syrup on weekends, but the changes mean little to me. I drink coffee and I appreciate any reward, but don’t expect it. So what could I possibly be whining about if I haven’t lost anything?
I don’t understand why you think I’m whining, when all I am trying to do, is express my experience with the reward changes and lack of training leading up to the 16th. They had a month to prepare. It’s not as if my experience has been okay with a few bumps in the road since the 16th. That would be expected. I read what you said to Brett about the partners having to know all this stuff, and guess what? I know all this and agree with you! I don’t blame the partners for not being prepared, I blame Starbucks. I love and have the utmost respect for almost every partner I have ever known. I have a great customer / partner relationship with so many of them. I can say that I am personal friends with some outside of Starbucks. I have appreciated so many other rewards (outside of being a Gold Card holder) long before I received my first reward in the mail last month. So I have nothing to complain about. I have done just fine without any rewards since 2001 from a card.
Melody creates these threads so we can discuss them. I’m trying to express what I have experienced. As far as our philosophies on life go, you don’t know me personally to say for sure that you know my view of life or my expectations. Jo…. If you could walk in my shoes for one day, you would see that not only do I not expect perfection, but I don’t even know what the word means. I expect nothing to be perfect, because I know first hand, that perfection doesn’t really exist. I just wish I could understand why 2 different people like you and myself have 2 different experiences, and my experience makes me a whiner. The fact that Starbucks launched these changes on the 16th, and that their partners where unprepared or untrained, is nothing more than a stated fact of my experience. I’m expressing it, and not complaining about. When the barista or the shift confides that they don’t know how to redeem a reward, how am I at fault? I never blamed them. I tried to help them because they don’t even know what to do.When I wasn’t able to redeem my reward yesterday, I told them to take the money off my card, and I will use the reward another day. I’m totally bewildered by what you’re reading into what I say. I agree with so much of what you said, so I don’t understand what the problem is, but I’m at least entitled to an opinion. You seem to have a problem with everything I say. I don’t see how my opinion or experience affects anybody else.
jotaylor: You’ll notice that I didn’t blame the store partners anywhere in my post. Not once.
I don’t think I’m out of line to say that not being able to redeem heavily advertised rewards, especially after a test period to supposedly figure out how to implement such a program, is a unacceptable failure on the part of Starbucks corporate. They screwed this launch up, plain and simple. Between baristas not knowing how to redeem, and customers not knowing how many rewards they have available, there’s really no other way to spin it.
chgo – i think you perhaps misundersood – i said if they were still having problems in a week or two, whine away; sorry if you took that differently than it was meant, and happy to hear that you have such good relationships with your starbucks partners
brett, i just don’t know what “unacceptable failure” means – you’re going to stop going? if not, then i would humbly suggest that it is in fact acceptable, because if you keep going, you’re accepting it
one other think people may not know, but they told me at the store i go to – part of the problem with the training was that all of the store managers were at some big meeting for the entire week before this went live, and that impacted their ability to disseminate the information about how to ring the rewards
i think we all agree a lot more than perhaps any of us think – good luck everyone in redeeming your rewards, the new program imo really is better (not a soy or syrup person) and it won’t take them long to shake the bugs out
@Brett – Neither you or I blamed the partners for Starbucks lack of preparedness. There is nothing to argue about. Starbucks screwed up. You know it and I know it. Will they fix it? Sure they will! It doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, even if it only happened to some of us that we couldn’t redeem a reward.
@jotaylor – I didn’t see your last comment until after I posted mine. No argument here. I think we agree more than we probably understand.
Weren’t the Managers and shifts out of town for something? Did they have their convention or something else going on? I remember they were all down in the “Big Easy” a few years back. I thought they had something coming up, but didn’t know it was last week. Can we agree that it was poor timing launching Verismo, the Reward Change, and this pow wow at the same time?
It’s been a long day. Peace everybody!
We *were* all way the week this action item came out (or rather, we faced a choice – we could work our admin Monday *and* the five days of the conference and take an extra day off in lieu, or arrange someone else to do our payroll – my district has one asm who would’ve had to do all the stores, soooo most of us opted to do the six day thing…and *that* is the day the action item came out). One can see how it slipped through the cracks – not acceptable IMO, but at least understandable.
There was a company communication yesterday that we were getting overwhelming feedback from customers that partners did not understand how to ring in the new rewards, complete with a link to the action item, so hopefully you should see much improvement in this arena moving forward 🙂
@chgo: I agree 100% with you…about all of it. Maybe we’re too similar but I didn’t see anything you EVER said as “whining”. We are expecting what we were told by Sbux, one way or other. As I have repeated many times before: I really do not consider the “rewards” as free. I feel we earn them by loaning Sbux that pre-loaded $ that they get to use on all those millions of gold cards…until redeemed. It’s not “free”. Before ‘registered’ cards, I always pd with cash. I expected nothing more than what I paid for. Sbux began this ‘reward’ program and I feel, needs to take responsibility of making it work.
PLUS, just from what I know of you (@chgo), I can tell you: you do not strike me as a ‘whiner’…in fact, just the opposite! as you’ve referred to before, maybe it’s the neighborhood 🙂
RE: reward retrieval: I have many receipts (since the 16th) right here i front of me: if I used a ‘reward’ ONLY, no balance appears on the bottom. If I used the ‘reward’ AND something else, a balance does appear…as it used to.
@purple1: I don’t know why the HUGE delay in the Verismo’s……that is a long time. As I think I mentioned: I ordered over $100. of Verismo products in preparation, as soon as this was confirmed and now…..????? I cannot imagine they cannot take a very few of the machines that are all over the place and send them out to those of us who were told in SEPT that we would receive one in October. (btw, @jot……that I consider as “FREE” and am very grateful…as I have expressed to everyone involved. )
re: reward retrieval again: I do hope they manage to eventually (besides being able to use the function) become able to tell from one’s card the # of rewards available. I DID notice (@purple), as of yesterday one can now go to one’s account, go to that rewards *stars* calendar and it shows rewards available on any day, exp. date and whether availalble or ‘redeemed’.
Denise I have seen that if you go to the calendar page of your account you can see when rewards expire, etc. I think it would help if they do something related to this on the home page where they list the number of rewards you have. I look forward to the time when you get a receipt you can see at the bottom how many rewards you have and the time frame also left to redeem them. Sure hope you get your Verismo soon or at least an updated email from SB to let you know the status of its arrival. I guess as some have said everything new takes some time to get going. Perhaps there were too many hands involved in launching this on the national level!
@purple1: agree about the hopes re: the rewards and their details etc.
I did get an email…after sending them one….. about the Verismo shipping. At first I was told (as I think we all were) it would be Oct., then it became towards the end of the mnth and now, the latest was 8-10 MORE weeks. I realize this is a GIFT but come on: I know the machines are out there….and I know they’re not selling off the shelves in Sbux…….how about if they take a few of those and send them out to us (since this was a GIFT we were told of, never ASKED for…but excited? YES!) and the replace the ones aloted to us with the stores?
@DeniseR – Those machines are selling here. And what a great gift you got. Can I tell you again that I was jealous that MSI didn’t include me, when so many other regulars were included? And I guarantee, Cecile reached out to you guys working her magic ways, and the PR department didn’t know what was happening. When I wrote to PR asking for more clarification, I got this:
(I was asking about trying the Verismo) –
Hi Melody,
All participating stores are hosting the 4-6 event, so perhaps there is a store closer to your office or home that you could check out. I’ve attached a few Seattle locations that I think might be close to your work or home.
Also, folks below that you mentioned received a Verismo might have entered our Pinterest contest and won.
It wasn’t even, “We’re sorry you didn’t get selected,” which would’ve been the kinder answer. Whatever, that’s the way the cookie crumbles. Cecile can’t include everyone and that is a HUGE gift.
Spot on, Denise!
@Melody: I have never ever intended (and I have walked lightly…) to even IMPLY that I did not totally appreciate and was blown away by being told by Cecile of receiving this gift. (the Verismo) Personally, I never would’ve blogged about it but since it was already put out there, I (originally) quietly added my voice.
I know you are saddened not to have been ‘chosen’ or however they did this. and I know, as I think chgo pointed out to you, you’ve been “blessed’ with many gifts from Sbux. and I’m glad for you. You deserve it all. and do I think I deserve this? well, yes, I guess if anyone does, I’ll say yes. ??? who is to say. and believe me, I immediately “poured my heart” out in gratitude to Cecile and a few other people. Then I ordered all this Verismo product ($100.+) to be ready….then all these date changes about shipment. ??? THAT I don’t get. I know they exist. I believe they did not choose too many people from MSI so how many??? and as I said, I am sure every store as more than one to spare.
I’m guessing you might be referring to downtown Seattle? I have no idea how (if) they’re seling ‘downtown’ here, or in the business district. (the ‘loop’)
This is probably going nowhere so I’ll just be quiet.
The second time I tried the Verismo and I am still impressed. I tried a latte, Verona, and we even made a hot Chai latte (at my suggestion) and they were all pretty good. I signed up for Pinterest too late to participate in the Starbucks contest to win one. Boo 🙁
I am quite fond of that little machine!
Went to the ‘bux near my house yesterday; told them if there was a reward in the card I would like to redeem it, but if not, I wouldn’t be getting anything. They said it was actually the first time they’d tried to do a reward on the new system but if it ended up taking the money off the card they’d refund it. I said , no problem, I understand completely, and they fiddled with the register and it looked like it charged my bucket-sized toffee nut soylatte as a reward. So I was happy. 🙂
Revisited a little Ethiopian coffee joint a few towns over where they roast the beans in store; damn good. And cheaper than ‘bux. Think I’ll be stopping in more often. 🙂
Ooooh that Verismo, it’s calling my name. I can hear it, every time I walk by……
@Hayley and SuzanneC – I want one too!
@denise – that’s some serious interest rate you’re “charging” on that money you’re loaning them!
i agree that it’s a trade-off, you follow what they want, they give you rewards; but if you do the math, equating the rewards to interest will yield an interest rate that would be illegal in all 50 states
re balance, if you’re only redeeming a reward then there is no card transaction; no card transaction, no balance back – they are two separate systems, one for card transactions, one for loyalty
i believe you can ask them to check your balance if you’d like to know, and as you probably know you can get it online or on the app if you use one
@jotay….: is it me you are referring to? (there are 2 “Denise’s” on here….me, as ‘denise r’ and then another ‘Denise’, that I’ve seen).
So, if it’s me…..am not sure what you are talking about? could you clarify? “charging interest rate” etc?
In case it is addressed “@” me: the balance on the card? I see that, never questioned it, think I wrote somewhere in response to someone’s post that: redeeming ONLY a reward, no balance on receipt. redeeming a reward WITH a purchase, yes balance on receipt.
other than that, don’t know what you’re talking about???
I have yet to see anyone buy a Verismo at my local SB but I have seen people looking at it. Denise R there certainly are boxes around here that could be sent to you. I did see my first tv commercial for a Verismo. Has anyone else seen it in their area?
I’ve seen the Verismo commercials on t.v. It’s always a surprise to me to see Starbucks ads on t.v. That was just unheard of for so long. It appears to be this video, as a t.v. commercial –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUNz5bTw7N8&feature=share&list=UUj4nCgtjKJppK_IZeY8TUJg
By the way, I do like the commercial. It’s clever.
@purple1 and @Melody: lots of (relative) commercials for Sbux and the Verismo on tv here….past few weeks. and I agree, they’re clever, cool. They’ve only been on around here recently too…but over the past couple yrs….I think the whole Tribute launch, VIAs for sure, and now the Verismo.
I saw just yesterday, in a Sbux, the new little V-cup holder….little drawers in a box….3 shelves worth I think in about an 8 X 10″ ? box. It sells for $60.!!!! Everyone seems to find that a really lot (overpriced) and I agree. I’m guessing they either already have, or soon will, offer all kinds of little pod holders, same as Keurig has done. Personally, I don’t have any space for any box or any drawer for the tray-type like Keurig has. For now, my pods will stay in their boxes and eventually in a basket and/or antique wooden bowl….stuff like that.
My Starbucks iPhone app says I have 6 free rewards, online it says I have 4. I tried using one of them today and was told that I have to bring in an e-mail that says I have a free drink in addition to telling the barista I have a free drink. I have not received a single e-mail about my rewards nor was I aware I had to do this. I was under the impression that all I had to do was tell the barista I had a free drink.
Disappointed, to be honest. Bring back the postcards and free soy milk 🙁
@Alex: You need to talk to the sm of that Sbux. No, you do not need to bring in any email! (I have, at this time, 11 or so rewards on my card and I’ve recvd one email telling me I had any) Plus no, that’s not part of the deal. Supposedly, we would be alerted to a new earned reward via email but it should already be on your card. NO email printing up or bringing in. If it doesn’t help talking to your sm, as for your dm’s (district) email address or phone. Someone in that store needs to get it straight. Good luck!
I desperately need a new Verismo thread. I will get to it soon! Now that I’ve had a Verismo at home for a while, I have a lot more thoughts about it. One thing I find really curious is that when it comes to pods dropping through, so far I’ve only had the Espresso Pods drop through – no others. Seems so curious to me. Makes me wonder if there is something different about the Espresso pods.
@Melody: that’s weird about your pod ‘experience”. I think I may have had one (don’t remember which?) of all (quite a few) that didn’t drop through…..and of course when I pulled the lever then that ONE dropped, too. interesting.
im a barista at starbucks and the reason it aint the same is cause after you grind coffe beans in sevin days they go bad they still work but it loses the carmelly taste there would be know way to replicate that. without the beans going through our expresso machines and also it has to pull out a shot between 178 and 23 seconds fori to be considered a perfect shot. hopefully that explains it a little better