Maybe they're missing the point?

[yendi]

I went out for drinks and dinner in honor of a departing co-worker last night, and ended up on the 556 bus, getting off in Newton. I walked up Galen, and since I had a free coffee coming my way*, I stopped at the Newton Corner Starbucks to grab something less alcoholic than I'd been consuming.

Me: I'd like a tall decaf, please.

Barista: We actually don't brew decaf after 5PM.

Seriously.

Fortunately, they were able to make me a decaf americano, but still, what the heck? Surely more decaf gets drunk in the evening than in the morning, right?


*Y'all know that the 12-oz bags of Starbucks coffee you buy in the supermarket will get you a free tall coffee when you bring them into a Starbucks store for recycling, right?

Comments

[greylistening.livejournal.com]

I did NOT know that! Thanks for the good word.

And, yeah, wtf no decaf after 5. P. M. ????????????

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

Us decaf drinkers kind of get tired of being treated like the red-head stepchild. :P

[yendi]

I assume it's a store policy and not a chain one. But yeah, what the hell?

[yendi]

I'm just surprised to be treated like that in the evening. I figure that even regular coffee drinkers are more likely to want decaf at night.

[haikujaguar.livejournal.com]

I think we are both taking the wrong tack: we are thinking like normal people with daily responsibilities. Students, gamers and people young enough to have social lives are often nocturnal and need the stimulants to keep going through the long hours.

[yendi]

True; certainly when I was in college, coffee was a nighttime drink in general (although ubiquitous coffeehouses were only just cropping up back then).

File under

[taura-g.livejournal.com]

"Unclear on the Concept"

I am far more likely to drink decaf AFTER 5pm then before it.

[arielstarshadow.livejournal.com]

-.-

I mean, as haikujaguar says, I get the thinking behind providing caffeine late at night - but not providing non-caffeine drinks at that time of night is just ridiculous.

What sucks for me is that the only coffee I like to drink is the French Vanilla flavor of General Foods now-called Maxwell House International Cafe (sorry, not wanting to to seek out the accented "e" this morning) - which used to be made as a Decaf version, but after the re-branding, redecorating, re-whatever-ing, now is only made as a Sugar-Free Decaf version, and I can't tolerate the artificial sweetener they use.

So I've been drinking the caffeinated version. *le sigh*

[greylistening.livejournal.com]

No, it's a chain thing. They do it here, too.

[ultra-lilac.livejournal.com]

They maybe sell less decaf, and don't want to be left with a lot of wasted coffee each night?
It does seem a bit odd.

[emilytheslayer.livejournal.com]

That's why, but it's stupid, because as a former employee I'm pretty sure I remember that it's not actually expensive enough to matter.

'Course, if you find one of the stores with the Clover machines, they'll make you whatever you want whenever.

[djeu.livejournal.com]

No, it's a store thing. And a chain thing. But more a store thing.

Chain-wide, they don't brew decaf to have ready in the afternoons/evenings. HOWEVER, they SHOULD have offered to brew a single cup of decaf fresh. (which doesn't really take that long, and considering how long the coffee can sit after the timer expires, is probably a better option anyways.)

[yendi]

Ooh! This one doesn't have a Clover, but the Belmont one on Trapelo does. I should remember that for the future.

[yendi]

Ack. That's frustrating. Surely people want various combos of caffeinated/sugared or their opposites.

[yendi]

Hunh. I figured the Americano offer was their standard alternative. Which was fine, too.

[djeu.livejournal.com]

It's an option, but they *should* be offering the single brew first.

[emilytheslayer.livejournal.com]

I mean, don't quote me on that or anything, but my understanding is that it's the whole point of the Clovers.