20160313_085352 lisa's starbucks on chapman and tustin in orangeSince the beginning of this website, every September 9th, I take a moment to thank my readers and take a look at the year gone by. This blog launched brand new on September 9, 2009, and so my annual anniversary post every September 9th. It is the only time I talk about numbers and events over the course of the previous year.

One thing that has been consistent for several years in a row is that the majority of my readers come from California. It is a big state with a lot of Starbucks. This year, 23% of you read this site from California. The lead photo in this article is one of my favorite Orange County Starbucks. Following California, Texas comes in with 8.3% of readers, followed by Washington State.

So what are you reading on this site? Without any question, past refill policy articles consistently perform extremely well. Year after year, lots and lots of people find me via Google searches with words related to the Starbucks refill policy, and they land on this 2013 article. Here we are in 2016 and I find that the refill policy confuses people. There are 2 problem areas. Both are problems. To focus on one or the other would be a disservice in trying to improve the Starbucks experience. The first problem is that many customers don’t realize that there’s never a refill perk in the drive thru and that once you leave the store, your refill perks come to an end. Many partners don’t realize that the refill policy is flexible in allowing you to switch drinks. There’s no reason why a person can’t order a Grande Mocha and then ask for a Grande Iced Passion Tea as a refill (assuming he or she stayed in the store).

As for articles and stories written within the past 12 months, you were fired up about these stories, at least with respect to having the very highest page views:

Star treatment: Frappuccino Happy Hour

When partners don’t have enough time: Labor

Thank you to the 1,192,141 people who visited this site over the past 12 months!

Earlier this year, I signed a syndication agreement with ThisIsInsider.com. You will find select StarbucksMelody stories here:

ThisIsInsider.com/category/starbucksmelody

Some big surprises this year were a few stories that elevated to a larger audience. GrubStreet picked up a story on weekend brunch which later was picked up by several other news sources. This Delish.com article on the Starbucks undertow was inspired by one of my stories! I had no idea that the undertow would be so interesting to so many.

One of my favorite stories this year involved Caffè Verona and whiskey: I strongly suggest that every coffee master or aspiring coffee master read this. It’s a  part of the Verona story that is real and accurate, and untold by Starbucks:

The Untold Caffè Verona Story: Just add whiskey.

 

This year the subscription system changed. You no longer receive an email each time something is new. You receive an email once a week on Tuesdays. On your mobile phone view, scroll to the bottom to find the box to subscribe. Or click here to subscribe.

Of course, when all is said and done, it’s all about you – thank you for dropping by and reading. You would make my day by saying hello in the comments! And please tell a friend and / or a barista about this site. I’ve managed this site for 7 years with very little spent on marketing. I genuinely count on you telling a friend that you like StarbucksMelody. The ad revenue on this site doesn’t even cover the web hosting. I pursue this website because I enjoy it. But since it’s a hobby, and not earning any profit in any way, I simply can’t afford to spend a lot on marketing.

So thank you again! Back to your regularly scheduled programming tomorrow!