starbucks prices going up....

......i'm gonna need a raise!

(copied from www.msn.ca)
Starbucks jacks up prices of coffee, beans in U.S. and Canada
Posted 9/22/2006

SEATTLE (AP) - Starbucks Corp. said Thursday it plans to raise prices of its lattes, cappuccinos, drip coffee and other drinks by five cents, or an average of 1.9 per cent.

The increase, which goes into effect Oct. 3 at all company-operated stores in the U.S. and Canada, will mark the first time the company has boosted drink prices in two years. Starbucks also is increasing the price of its coffee beans by about 50 cents a pound, or an average of 3.9 per cent. That's the first price increase for whole beans in nine years, spokeswoman Valerie O'Neil said.

Starbucks isn't raising prices on the prepared drinks it sells in refrigerated cases.
O'Neil said the company decided to charge more because costs, including fuel and energy, are going up
.
"It's not one specific thing. It's part of our ongoing evaluation of business costs," O'Neil said.
Starbucks' pricing varies based on the market, but the five-cent price increase will be across the board, regardless of drink or part of the country, O'Neil said.

Currently, a tall, or 355 millilitre, cup of Starbucks coffee costs between US$1.40 and $1.65. The same sized lattes cost between US$2.40 and $3.10, depending on the market and a tall mocha costs between $2.70 and $3.40.

Seattle-based Starbucks had 8,624 stores in the United States as of Aug. 30, about 5,500 of which are company-operated. O'Neil said the company does not break out how many stores it has in Canada.

The coffee retailer has said it expects to open as many as 30,000 stores worldwide.