Starbucks apologizes, brings back holiday drinks after outcry
Nov 6, 2014, 6:24 AM | Updated: 6:24 am
Starbucks says it's sorry and will sell popular holiday drinks like the eggnog and gingerbread latte after all. (Starbucks)
(Starbucks)
Facing a big huff from heartbroken holiday coffee drink lovers, Starbucks has reversed course and will bring back several iconic favorites it planned to shelve this holiday season.
The company was bombarded with complaints after announcing it would no longer offer the Gingerbread Latte in the Pacific Northwest, and Eggnog Lattes around the rest of the country.
@Starbucks what?!!!! No eggnog lattes this year?! I can't believe you would do this to your loyal customers! #pissoff
— Sonya Edwards (@LanaisEN) November 6, 2014
Starbucks had quietly pulled the plug on the holiday drinks because they weren’t big sellers – although Eggnog was continued in the Pacific Northwest because of its popularity in the region, while Gingerbread was less popular in our part of the world.
On Wednesday, the company acknowledged it didn’t want to be the Grinch and announced a change of heart on the Starbucks blog:
This week you lit MSI [My Starbucks Ideas] up and let us know through email, tweets, and phone calls that these drinks, served up in the iconic red Starbucks cup, are an indispensable part of your holiday traditions. These messages were emotional, personal. They told of times connecting with loved ones over an Eggnog Latte, how the Eggnog Latte became a tradition. We’re honored you care so much—and chagrined we risked dimming your holiday brightness, even a little.
We heard you, and we’re taking action.
Today, we are pleased to announce we’re bringing back the Eggnog Latte just in time for the holidays. It should begin arriving in most stores beginning the week of Nov. 17. And to our customers in the Pacific Northwest who also made it known you wanted your Gingerbread Latte back, we also are working quickly to deliver.
Bringing these beverages back isn’t as simple as it might sound. They’re going to be available in different stores at slightly different times. Please be patient with us as we work through the supply and operational complexities. We’re going to make it happen, and we thank you for sharing your feedback and stories with us, in this amazing MSI community and beyond!
“We made a mistake,” spokeswoman Linda Mills told USA Today. “We are very sorry.”
