Starbucks Raising Prices Although Coffee Bean Costs are Down

By Natalie Stevens 

Those who frequent the Starbucks locations in Wheaton and elsewhere had to start forking over a few more cents for coffee this past week.

Starbucks rose prices on average by 1 percent nationally starting on Tuesday, June 25, according to the Associated Press.

A small brewed coffee was expected to increase by 10 cents at most while other drinks were projected for possibly higher increases. 

However, Starbucks said its medium and large-brewed coffees and Frappuccinos won't change in most its 11,000 U.S. cafes.

There are five Starbucks location in Wheaton, including 101 E. Front St. downtown, 31 Town Square, 115 W. Geneva Road, inside Dominick's at 91 Danada Square East and at Target on 601 S. County Farm Road.

The price increase comes even though bean prices are dropping, according to the Associated Press. An analyst estimated that this year Starbucks will spend about half the $1.4 billion it did for coffee in 2012.

Starbucks said that coffee represents just one of its many costs, and tends to account for less than 10 percent of overall store expenses.