4 - 1 - Screen cap of key words - taken on the 20 Sept 2014We’ve all done it. We sit down at our computer and we ask Google a question.

Google will search for any site that seems to have the right answer.  Through a wordpress plug in, I can see some of those search words that lead people to StarbucksMelody blog. I can’t see all of them, because Google hides some of them. (Also, the list the wordpress plug in shows me is ever-changing. It seems to gather only so many.. As new searches appear, old ones drop off. I’m sure I miss a lot too). (And I’m sure I’m also only seeing a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of these kinds of searches. I have no idea what words lead people to other Starbucks sites).

But the bottom line is that I can see a few of the questions about Starbucks that people type into Google.

Some of these questions below might make you chuckle a little.

Here you go. Some of the best “questions” over the past few days (I’ve made no corrections in terms of grammar and spelling). Melody answers your questions:

howard schultz why came back to starbucks

Howard returned to Starbucks in January 2008. He wanted refocus the direction Starbucks was going, to be more competitive in the modern business market and to refocus on the core of the business. Things like Pike Place Roast and Thanksgiving Blend coffees were developed during the Onward era, as well as the introduction of the first Starbucks card rewards, the introduction of MyStarbucksIdea.com, and the move to improve the quality of espresso in the stores but removing some older machines and installing the Mastrena espresso machines. This barely touches on it. You can read the whole story in his book Onward.

why is starbuck’s morning joe coffee only come in ground and not whole bean?

Morning Joe was the same coffee as Starbucks Gold Coast Blend. When sold in grocery stores, it was (for a while) labeled as Morning Joe. If you go to a Starbucks store (or to StarbucksStore.com), just pick up a pound of Gold Coast Blend – it’s the same coffee.

can i get a free refills at starbucks if i forgot my gold card

Sure. All of your MyStarbucksRewards benefits are associated with your profile, not a specific card. You are never even required to use your gold card. And free refills are a perk even at the Green Level of MyStarbucksRewards benefits.

You will need something so that the register knows that you are part of MyStarbucksRewards at the Green Level or the Gold Level. If you have the mobile phone app installed, you can just use that. Or if you have any other Starbucks card registered to your profile, that will work.

You will need at either the mobile phone app with your cards on it or a physical card – any card registered to your Starbucks.com/rewards profile.

does starbucks send you a free reward when gold is reached?

The answer to this is “no.” When the version of the program involving stars was new (there have been several versions of card rewards), I think there was a time that you got your physical gold card wrapped in a coupon that was good for one free beverage, but I’m nearly positive that coupon was discontinued a long time ago.

how late can you get a starbucks breakfast sandwich

You can get a breakfast sandwich any time of the day, assuming your store has not yet run out of them.

is there a drink at starbuck with no coffee

You can get lots of drinks with no coffee.

Iced tea. Hot tea (including Chai drinks). Creme based Frappuccinos. Hot steamed milk with a syrup flavor (called a Steamer – try a vanilla steamer). Smoothies. Hot apple spice. Blended strawberry lemonade.  Hot chocolate. In select Starbucks stores, you can get root beer, ginger ale, and lemon ale.

what it means to be how to become a starbucks partner

what does ssc at starbucks stand for

Starbucks calls their employees “partners”. If you work for Starbucks, you are called a partner. If you want to work for Starbucks, the first thing to do is take a look at the Starbucks career center website.

Starbucks calls their headquarters (located in Seattle, Washington) the “SSC”. The acronym SSC stands for Starbucks Support Center.

does starbucks rent trucks for birthdays?

I’m sorry. You can’t rent a Starbucks truck at all, as far as I know. You might want to call Starbucks customer service (1-800-782-7282) but I’m pretty sure they’re going to tell you that Starbucks doesn’t rent any Starbucks trucks.

why doesnt starbucks serve starbucks decaf iced coffee?

Most Starbucks don’t have the demand for iced coffee to make selling decaf iced coffee a good idea. In other words, if Starbucks finds that they’re selling so little that they’re just throwing a lot of it down the drain, they won’t sell it at all.

You have some options. You can visit any Clover – Reserve Starbucks, and your baristas will make an iced coffee for you easily. The Clover brewer is a special single cup brewer, making it easy to make any cup of coffee.  You could try an iced Americano. I’ve heard it said that the New England region of the U.S. sells so much iced coffee that it is worthwhile to sell decaf iced coffee: it may be a limited regional menu item in some New England Starbucks.

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I didn’t make the screen caps for all of the questions above, but you get the picture the kinds of things I get asked.

And now, ask me anything about Starbucks! I’ll do my best to answer it.

3 - 1- Untitled-1 Words that led people to my blog for 18 Sept 14