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Poll: Few Know Why Starbucks Closed Last Month

A Starbucks’ head-scratcher last month that involved very well-publicized nationwide store-closings may have been lost on consumers.

Starbucks did a truly wonderful job letting people know it would be closed on February 25 - but most consumers were not clear on the rationale. And while an investment in employee training is truly laudable, it seemed a little odd for a retailer to go so out its way to tell customers it would be closed for a few hours of barista training. One wondered if customers might have some confusion about the closing and retain only the message that the their favorite latte haunt was shuttered - perhaps a poor leave-behind message.

The closings were so well advertised and reported that an Aegis Group survey found that 75 percent of 1000 consumers surveyed knew the java giant was closed, but fewer than half knew why.

Dunkin’ Donuts was smart enough to offer a 99-cent latte promotion for the day, a move that resulted in a significant increase in traffic and sales, according to AdAge.

The D.D. move is reminiscent of one made by Caribou Coffee in the fall of 2006. At that time, Starbucks had voided a promotion that it had sent to employees and invited them to share with friends. The promotion went viral, reaching far beyond the company’s intent, and Starbucks stopped accepting the coupon. Rival Caribou Coffee took advantage by honoring the Starbucks coupon and, at the same time, providing a free drink offer to email subscribers.