Starbucks Corp. Chief Technology Officer Chris Bruzzo holds hand-written comment cards as he stands in front of a live screen of the new Web site "mystarbucksidea.com" Wednesday, March 19, 2008 at Starbucks' annual shareholders meeting in Seattle. Coffee-obsessed consumers started chiming in as soon as the Web site inviting customers to pitch ideas for reviving its struggling U.S. business went live.
By ELIZABETH M. GILLESPIE -- AP Business Writer (Published April 8‚ 2008)
SEATTLE (AP) Hundreds of coffee-obsessed consumers chimed in moments after Starbucks Corp. launched a Web site asking customers to pitch changes the company should make to revive its struggling U.S. business.
And they've kept those thoughts coming, by the thousands: Create a punch-card system with a free drink after so many purchases. Give people a free cup of birthday joe or discounts for using their own mugs. Let customers forgo long lines by ordering their usual with the swipe of a card when they walk in the door. Full Story
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