Mommy Review Monday: Starbucks App

Before I start I’m going to go ahead and admit that this post makes me seem super-spoiled. I’ll refute that by saying that: 

1. I work hard for my over-priced caffeinated beverages 
2. I use them to treat myself or wake myself up (whichever type of day it might be)
3. I don’t have a daily habit (most weeks) and we do brew our own coffee at home most days to save money
4. We have budgeted fluff like this into our budget

Now, onto my review of the Starbucks app…

Why I use it:

• It’s a free app (until you buy something)
• You can use mobile order to pre-order your coffee. Imagine that there’s a long line in the drive-thru, so you go in to find there’s more people in line inside than there are outside. But wait, you ordered yours before you left and now it’s waiting for you to pick it up on the counter. You walk over to pick it up, smiling a sympathetic smile at the poor suckers waiting in line. (Then you smile to yourself, thinking how grateful you are to me for telling you about this app)
• It remembers your orders, meaning you can simply click to reorder that special Skinny Mocha Frappachino you like with the extra shot, cinnamon, light on the cream, and light on the ice. And they get the order right because it comes through the computer from your app and you don’t have to remember exactly what to tell the barista to put in it. Or you can slightly tweak it for next time. You can also save your favorite drinks for next time. 
• You can pay from the app in-store too, which is convenient. It’s prepaid so you just reload when you need to. I’ve got my card saved to it to make it easier. 
• You earn points when you order on the app or use the app to pay in the store. When you get to 125, you get a free drink or food item. I always get the most expensive drink I can. Thanks Starbucks!
• If you get a gift card, you can load it onto your app to pay, therefore making it easier to earn points. 
• You get a double points day once a month. Ironically, today was mine so I earned double the points for my frappachino that was much needed after walking a jobsite in the heat!
• There’s a map to tell you where your nearest Starbucks is. 
• When you get ready to place an order and choose your location it tells you how far you are vs. how long it will take for your order to be ready.
• There are periodic specials that they email you. For example: right now between 7/4-7/10 if I had bought 4 frappachinos I would’ve earned extra 50 points. I didn’t but sometimes if I’m on the road the “challenge” will work out and I’ll earn a few extra points to get a free drink sooner. I do not just buy drinks/food just to earn points. (Just making that clear.)
• Sometimes after you’ve visited a store, they’ll send a request for a review or survey for extra points. If I have an extra 2 minutes I will do it because I like the extra points and I think feedback is important. 

What I don’t love:

• Sometimes I order something only to find out once I get there that it was out of stock. 
• This isn’t a huge concern for me…but I think there are some people that it does concern- this enables Starbucks to track my purchases and patterns. For me it’s almost a good thing because I buy things I like when they’re on sale- win-win. 
• It doesn’t work for mobile ordering at some of the airport Starbucks. Spoiled. I know…
• You don’t “get to know” your baristas if you are a regular as easily. Not that this is an issue for me because I’m all over the place but it might be for others who regularly go to a certain store. 
• I’d love to see if there was a feature that would tell you whether there was seating available or not. I use the store to work periodically on my laptop and it’s a bummer when you show up after you purchase a drink only to find there are only two tables and both are occupied. 

I do love a good cup of coffee. It makes everything seem better. And this app makes it even better because it’s easier for me being on the road as much as I am. If you haven’t tried it yet, maybe you should try it out. If you hate it, you can always delete it!