Starbucks says it will raise the price of its regular drip coffee by up to 20 cents this week in most US stores.
The price hike will vary depending on the locations, meaning the new cost of a tall or 12 ounce cup will now be between $1.95 and $2.15.
The company said on Thursday prices remain unchanged on drinks such as lattes and iced coffees in most stores.
Overall, Starbucks Corp. says it has hiked prices by an average of 1 to 2 percent in the past year, though the hike may be higher for particular drinks.
A spokeswoman for the coffee franchise told the Wall Street Journal the price hike is due to a recent increase in operating costs.
Starbucks will raise the price of its regular drip coffee by 10 to 20 cents this week
The company says a small brewed coffee is now $1.95 to $2.15 in the majority of locations
There was a nine per cent increase in general operating costs compared to last year, and the total cost of sales, which includes rent on their storefronts, rose 13 per cent.
The price increase comes little more than a week after Starbucks admitted they lost $12million by closing 8,000 stores in the US for racial-bias training.
The training was announced two weeks after an employee had two black men arrested for sitting in the shop without buying anything.
The spokeswoman told WSJ the price hike was not related to the sizable loss.
Regardless of the reason, customers are furious at the idea of paying more for a brew.
Starbucks lost $12 million about two weeks ago when it closed 8,000 stores across the country to hold racial bias training, but a spokeswoman says they are unrelated issues
One woman’s calculations showed she was now paying more for her coffee than her train ticket – something she could not abide by.
‘Time to move on’, she wrote, adding the hashtag ‘it’s not me it’s you’.
And while one man was just angry nobody had warned him – and noted the staff seemed equally unaware – another was sharing his way of making up the difference.
‘Is Starbucks assuming there is no limit on what people are willing to pay for a coffee?’ he wrote.
‘I’ve been a loyal customer for years but have reduced frequency of visits at every price hike. 20 cents more, less trips.’
