Starbucks May Charge You $1 Extra For Your Next Refresher
Starbucks is hiking prices even higher, and Refreshers fans are feeling anything but "refreshed." Refreshers are reportedly among Starbucks' most popular drinks, with electric colors and playful flavor names like Pink Drink, Dragon Drink, and Paradise Drink. The drink is typically made with fruit juices, lemonade or iced tea, dried fruit, sometimes coconut milk, and water.
Since Refreshers made their debut in 2012, fans have invented their own secret menu flavors like key lime pie, chocolate-covered strawberry, gummy bear, and a lava lamp flavor that is reminiscent of the '90s. However, some customers have adopted the thrifty menu hack of ordering their regular Refreshers customized "without water" to get a stronger fruity flavor. And unfortunately, these no-water Refreshers now come with a $1 upcharge, according to Insider. Where does that leave customers? For now, at least, ordering a Refresher with light or no ice doesn't come with any added fee.
The upcharge is due to using extra ingredients
A Starbucks representative told the New York Post that this upcharge is the same deal as adding an extra shot of espresso or flavored syrup to a hot drink: Extra ingredients come with an extra charge. Logistically, baristas have to use more Refresher concentrate base per drink when they skip the water, which means a higher operating cost for Starbucks. Still, whether the charge is realistic or not, many fans are taking issue with a deeper company problem.
Other fans argue that a full dollar seems steep for a little extra juice concentrate; a 50-cent upcharge might've been a little easier to digest. A closer look at the menu prices only further complicates Starbucks' alleged justification for the upcharge. At a Starbucks in Brooklyn, NY, a 12-ounce Grande Paradise Refresher runs for $6.65. A 16-ounce Venti costs $6.75 — just 10 cents more for 4 full fluid ounces of beverage. This new $1 price increase just doesn't add up.