Whether you enjoy a plain black coffee or an iced sugary drink, Starbucks has been people’s go-to coffee shop for decades, which has helped it become the most popular and largest coffee shop globally.
Starbucks is also one of the most accommodating coffee shop companies due to its highly customizable menu with offerings to suit all dietary preferences and restrictions.
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This coffee shop giant has over 170,000 different ways to customize beverages. Customers can choose from a dizzying variety of syrups, drizzles, toppings, sweeteners, coffee and non-coffee bases, coffee types, crafting styles, and multiple dairy or non-dairy milk options.
Starbucks offers so many customizations that its customers have taken advantage of this perk by creating extremely customized drink orders and secret menu beverages that have gone viral on multiple social media platforms.
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Substituting non-dairy milk is the second most requested customization by Starbucks customers since adding an extra shot of espresso takes the number one spot, which is why the coffee company has expanded its dairy-free options over the last few years by offering soy, oat, almond, and coconut milk.
Related: Starbucks makes major announcement amid falling sales
However, for non-dairy and lactose-intolerant sippers, this customization increases the price of each drink, and although it might just be by a few cents, it certainly adds up in the end.
This surcharge can be especially frustrating to most American customers since Starbucks locations in the UK and some parts of Europe don’t charge clients for substituting their dairy-based milk for a dairy-free alternative.
Veronika Bondarenko
Starbucks suffers the dissatisfaction of its once loyal customers
Customers’ dissatisfaction might have caught up with Starbucks as it reported declining sales for the last few quarters.
According to Starbucks’ Q4 earnings report for 2024, comparable store sales declined by 7% compared to the same time last year, with North America’s down by 6%.
Related: Starbucks sends hard-nosed message to corporate employees
Since starting his role as Starbucks’ new CEO, Brian Niccol has stated his plan to reverse the company’s declining sales by returning to Starbucks’ roots and making visits to the coffee shop a more personal experience.
“I made a commitment that we’d get back to Starbucks, focusing on what has always set Starbucks apart – a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather and we serve the finest coffee handcrafted by our skilled baristas,” said Niccol.
The spike in Starbucks’ prices has also been a huge factor in its declining sales and lower store traffic, leading customers to opt for more affordable options by purchasing their coffee from Starbucks’ less costly rivals.
To show Starbucks customers he’s a man of his word, Niccol made a huge announcement that aims to target two of the company’s biggest complaints with one simple solution.
Starbucks makes an announcement to solve two huge problems
On Wednesday, Starbucks (SBUX) announced that it would be removing extra fees for non-dairy milk alternatives in all U.S. locations starting Nov. 7, the same day as the launch of its Holiday menu.
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This extra charge removal will save customers over 10% on their favorite drinks since the non-dairy substitution usually costs around 70 to 90 cents per drink, depending on the location.
“Core to the Starbucks Experience is the ability to customize your beverage to make it yours. By removing the extra charge for non-dairy milks we’re embracing all the ways our customers enjoy their Starbucks,” said Niccol.
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