Memoirs of Beijing

Summer has officially begun at Starbucks with the launch of the summer merchandise, pastries and beverages.  Read through and see what Starbucks has to offer this summer.

My Frappuccino Moment

The summer frappuccino (Soy Strawberry & Cream, Extra Coffee Caramel and Low Fat Mocha) trio are back.  You can opt for low fat, healthy or strong frappuccinos to suit your lifestyle.  For healthy option, you can try the Soy Strawberry & Cream which is made up of strawberry syrup, soy milk, ice topped with whipped cream.  For a strong, pick me up, you can try the Extra Coffee Caramel which is made up of Starbucks Frappuccino Roast coffee with whole milk, ice topped with whipped cream swirled with caramel syrup.  The Low Fat option is the Low Fat Mocha which is made up of Starbucks Frappuccino Roast coffee, light milk and ice.

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Starbucks opened its first door in mainland China in January 1999.  Since then, the company has been expanding aggressively in different tier 1 and 2 cities across China.  Ten years after their opening, they followed their US branches’ bandwagon and introduced Starbucks cards to their loyal customers.

Starbucks card introduced in China are different from other countries.  They can’t be given as gift cards as they don’t hold any value.  Cards are purchased and comes with a matching sleeve.

Here’s a look of the different cards which were issued and how it evolved since they were introduced:

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It’s been a year since Starbucks launched it’s loyalty program, My Starbucks Rewards (MSR), to their regular customers.  It was met with mixed reactions albeit very successful.  In the first month alone, the regular MSR cards were gone so fast even with a price tag of RMB 88.  For a couple of months, these cards can nowhere be found in stores and not until their December event did they launch the Christmas MSR Card.  Not a month after the Christmas MSR card launch, they issued the Dragon MSR card to celebrate Chinese New Year.

As they celebrate their first year anniversary, different promotions abound their most loyal customers and they are as follows:

• For gold MSR cardholders who registered their account in February, you will be able to receive a free tall beverage e-coupon to celebrate your account anniversary.
• From Feb 15 to 21, if you registered your current MSR card between Feb 15, 2011 to Feb 14, 2012, go to http://starbucks.com.cn, click on the “我要喝咖啡” in green button and click on “登陆” in green button to register.  You will get a free tall latte beverage coupon on the month you registered your card.
• From Feb 15 to Mar 31, when you purchase a new MSR card, you will get a free tall latte.
• From Feb 15 to 29, you can get your own Starbucks China app on your mobile phone.

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Happy New Year to all my readers and with the new year comes the Chinese New Year merchandise.  2012 is the year of the Dragon so the most prominent theme will be the character “龍” or the dragon itself.  The first batch of the Valentines series will also be released as well as the new Dragon bearista.

Have a look at the new mugs, coin bank, candy holder, tea holder and tumblers released today.

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Christmas is just around the corner and what better way to warm yourself up than sip the Christmas beverages at Starbucks.  Furthermore, to make it merrier, Starbucks is launching the 12 Days of Christmas promo.

12 Days of Gifting

For 12 days starting from December 1, Starbucks store in mainland China will have a daily promo for their customers.  Here are some of the promos that they’re having based from conversations with the baristas.

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As of today, there’s 67 more days till Christmas. No more Halloween, let’s go straight to Christmas. This year’s Christmas items will be launched on November 8. Mark your calendars and choose from the items below for Christmas presents to your friends and loved ones.

My Starbucks Rewards VIP Night

Loyal customers will be given a chance to be one of the 500 people to get a first glimpse of the new Christmas merchandise. From now till October 31, MSR card members who would like to participate the VIP night must register online for a slot. On November 4, an SMS message invite will be sent to your registered phone which will be your ticket to the VIP night. Five hundred members of Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Shenzhen will be pampered on the night of November 7.

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First and foremost, I’d like to wish all my readers a belated Happy Mid-autumn festival!  I would also like to thank Starbucks for the delicious box of Starbucks mooncake which they gave me for free!  The box of mooncake came with 2 each of Espresso Coffee Cheese & Orange, Espresso Coffee Milk Chocolate, Green Tea Toffee Cheese and Espresso Blueberry Cheese mooncakes.  They also included a buy one get one coupon for you to enjoy the mooncake with a friend drinking a cup of your favorite beverage.  The box of mooncake was then placed in a recycled cloth bag in brown.  This mooncake retails at RMB 298.  Another box of mooncake retails at RMB 398 and has drawers in it.  Thank you Starbucks!

Anniversary Collection

Every year in September, Starbucks releases their Anniversary collection aka The Mermaid.  The Anniversary collection includes new tumblers, mugs and coffee blend.

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As autumn officially kicks off in China, Starbucks launched today the autumn 2011 beverage, food and merchandise.  The rabbits are back to celebrate the mid-autumn festival on September 12. 

Beverage

One new frappuccino and two new ice cold drinks were launched to suit the palate of fruit lovers.  For a bit of sweet and sour taste almost similar to a smoothie, opt for the Strawberry Lemon Frappuccino blended juice drink (RMB 30/33/36).  For a perfect blend of two types of berries, try the Iced Black Currant and Raspberry Juiced Tea (RMB 24/27/30).  For a flowery and fruity taste, the Iced Hibiscus Mango Juiced Tea (RMB 24/27/30) will be perfect.

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To those planning to travel to Hefei in Anhui province, you can now avail of your daily dose of Starbucks coffee as Starbucks had a soft opening yesterday morning.  In the first two hours of their opening, news reports indicated that they have already sold 100 global icon city mugs and tumblers.  They have also launched the mid-autumn items ahead of other cities. 

The icon for Hefei’s city mug and tumbler is Lord Bao or Bao Zheng.  A famous government official in the Northern Song Dynasty who was renowned for his filial piety, stern demeanor and intolerance for injustice and corruption.  The mug and tumbler has a red lid or inner mug color. 

Note:  This Starbucks store is not yet officially in the list of stores on Starbucks China website. 

Photos:  Hefei mug from ebay and other Hefei items from various Chinese news website.

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Summer is just right around the corner and tomorrow, new merchandise and products will be launched at Starbucks.  What are they?  Here’s a short list of items.

However You Want It Frappuccino

Starbucks in China introduced three new frappuccino flavors: Soy Strawberry and Cream, Extra Coffee Caramel and Low Fat Mocha.  Moreover, from May 24 to June 5, when you order the new frappuccino, you will get a free coupon for additional syrup or cream on your next frappuccino.  I wonder how will the Soy Strawberry and Cream will taste.

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