Your Starbucks Coffee Might Cost More Tomorrow

Starbucks says it's hiking prices again starting tomorrow, with the increases ranging from 5 to 20 cents for most affected drinks. What the AP terms "small and large" (tall and venti?) brewed coffee will each go up by 10 cents in most areas of the country, Starbucks says. That would bring the price of a "large" coffee to $2.45 in most US stores. The Seattle-based company also raised prices nationally about a year ago, and the Seattle Times notes such increases are "doled out" each summer, with the bumps hitting individual markets differently. To wit, a rep predicts only 20% of US customers will experience a higher cost; frappuccinos and cold beverages in most areas won't see a price hike.

Some other coffee sellers are cutting prices. Last week, The JM Smucker Co. said it would cut prices for most of its coffee products ("primarily consisting of items sold under the Folgers and Dunkin' Donuts brand names," per a press release) because of declines in future prices for unroasted coffee beans. In an emailed statement today, Starbucks Corp. said coffee costs are only part of its expenses, which also include rent, labor, marketing, and equipment. (More Starbucks stories.)