5 Ways Starbucks Is Robbing You

5 Ways Starbucks Is Robbing You
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Starbucks: Can't live with it, can't live without it.

The international coffee chain, which, as of 2012, boasted 17,651 locations, is beloved -- but also polarizing. High prices are offset by cult-like obsessions with certain drinks. Add to that the sheer convenience of the store -- it seems as though there's one on every corner -- and it's no surprise that, despite the cost efficiency of brewing your own coffee, the chain is still one of America's most popular stores.

Thanks to new, rising prices, however, one thing has never been more obvious: Starbucks is robbing you blind. Not just of your money, but of your dignity, too.

Here's how:

1. The Trenta. The Trenta, which can hold the equivalent of an entire bottle of wine, rings in at $3.45. A stark difference from the approximately seventeen cents it costs to make your own at home.
2. Fancy Rice Krispies Treats. Why pay $2.45 for an artisanal Rice Krispies Treat when you can buy a box of Rice Krispies and some marshmallows and have (a seemingly endless) supply of homemade treats for approximately the same amount of money?
3. Iced Tea Lemonade. A mega can of Arizona Arnold Palmer is 99 cents. The same concept at 'bucks? $3.75.
4. Soy milk. A half-gallon of soy milk costs $3.59 on Fresh Direct. Adding soy milk to your coffee at Starbucks costs fifty cents. By those measurements, you should be getting more than one cup's worth for that price. Chances are, though, you're just getting "a splash."
5. Sorry excuses for snack boxes. Three grapes, an apple slice and one piece of cold brie? That will be half your paycheck, please. Not to mention mediocre muffins and pastries that would taste better if you made 'em yourself, anyway.
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