Starbucks Marking items as on sale when they are not, and inconsistent pricing for identical beverages, ripoff Springfield Missouri

Starbucks does not franchisee but any Starbucks that is not free standing(Target, Albertsons, Barnes and Noble) and not corporate owned Starbucks.

Paying $4.50 to $6.00 for a cup of coffee IS a rip off. You can get a GOOD cup of coffee elsewhere for 99 cents. Course it's not from starbucks.

Whether or not your complaint is valid, the "Starbucks" indide of a Barnes & Noble store is not a "Starbucks" but a "Barnes & Noble Cafe featuring Starbucks Coffee". Other than licensing the starbucks logo and purchasing a limited assortment of wholesale and retail coffee from Starbucks, Barnes & Noble Cafes are a division of the bookstores in which they reside and have nothing to do with Starbucks.

They sell their own merchandise, set their own prices, feature different drink recipes, and employees work for Barnes & Noble. Many hotels, airlines, and restaurants also license and brew Starbucks coffee (known by the comany as "We Proudly Brew", or WPB), and you probably would not complain about Starbucks if your room was dirty, your flight was delayed, or your waiter was rude in one of these establishments.

It is really not fair to complain about Starbucks when your issue should be directed at Barnes & Noble. The next time you are in this Barnes & Noble Cafe, look around and you'll notice that the Barnes & Noble branding image is much more prominent than the Starbucks logo (and their drinks are not nearly as good IMO).

There is often confusion among customers in differentiating true Starbucks stores from establishments that simply brew Starbucks coffee (like Barnes & Noble). To further complicate matters, their are many "true" Starbucks stores that are not company owned (e.g., airport locations (owned by Host Marriott), locations within Target stores (owned by Target) and grocery stores, as well as Starbucks stores in hotel lobbies (which are owned by the particular hotel)).

If you have an issue at one of these licensed Starbucks stores, your best remedy would be to complain to the management of the Target, grocery store, hotel, etc. (as well as starbucks.com). While employees at Licensed Concepts Stores (Starbucks terminology) are supposed to be given the same training as actual Starbucks baristas (although they are rarely as well paid or receive the same benefits) and the stores are held to the same standard as company owned stores, many (especially at Airports) seem to be sub-par.

Unfortunately, customers can't be expected to tell the difference (a Starbucks is a Starbucks) and the poor performance of licensees sometimes reflects badly on the brand as a whole.

A simple test to see if you are in a "real" company owned Starbucks: look for a nametag on the employee's apron. If your Barista is wearing a nametag, you are NOT in a company owned store. I repeat, BARISTAS EMPLOYED BY STARBUCKS DO NOT WEAR NAMETAGS. Also, when the barista is wearing a nametag (as they do at over 90% of licensed locations), it will usually have the name of their empoyer on it (e.g., Target, Host Marriott, Westin Hotel, etc.) so you will know who to complain to. Thanks.