Free Frappucchino
 

No, it's not a troll post :)

Here is the yahoo link:

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/040628/285951_1.html

It says Starbucks will be introducing new product tomorrow, June 30, in North America, and it will be free.

How big do you suppose a "sample" size light frappuccino is?

I rarely get very angry with strangers who are not bothering me. But today at Starbucks where the Yankee and I were getting our coffee ground, I watched a moron, excuse me, woman, dipping her straw into her mochajavawhatever and feeding it to a 6 month old baby.
Of course, the little guy loved it, sweet and flavorful and he was probably already high as a kite on caffeine.
I wish the people working behind the counter had said something to her :(

Faina, I looove Frappacinos, thanks!
They give the Yankee Brain Freeze :D

What would you suggest the clerks at Starbucks say to criticize the parenting methods of a customer? That hardly seems like something that would be in their job description.

How about "Excuse me ma'am, I'm sure you probably didn't realize this but all that caffeine and sugar in the frappucchino may over load your infant's system and make him very sick".

Prediction 1: The next generation of tort lawyers will find a way to line their pockets off caffeine law.

Prediction 2: They will get to buy more private jets and that makes my prediction travel related.

Ah, your sweet story reminds me of the day at the Seattle Space Needle (see travel related!) when I learned my baby (almost 1 year old) knew how to use a straw. She'd grabbed my iced latte cup and began sucking the straw. She managed to actually drink some and liked it! I was just so excited she knew how to use the straw it never occurred to me to care she'd just had (gasp!) caffeine.

LOL, How did lawyers find their way into Fodors?

I will repeat what I wrote..
I WISH the people behind the counter had said something to her..
I wish they, who sold her the drink, could have said, maybe something about the amount of sugar and caffeine in a mochachino and that it is more for adults than infants.
I wish that I could have said something, like, do you realize how bad that is for a 5-6 month old baby?
But I , like the counter people, watched, shook our heads and felt helpless and sorry for the baby.
It is not anyones "job description" to tell someone that they are doing something harmful to a child, I think it is more like "compassionate" or still having a heart to want to protect children.

To keep lawyers busy, I suggest we propose a Constitutional Amendment barring any drink masquerading as real coffee whose name ends in "chino."

<i>It is not anyones &quot;job description&quot; to tell someone that they are doing something harmful to a child, I think it is more like &quot;compassionate&quot; or still having a heart to want to protect children.</i>

Then I have to wonder why you didn't tell her?

I can't speak for Scarlett but I know I've been in uncomfortable situations and not said or done anything.

Afterwards I replay it over and over again with what I should have said or what I should have done.

The regret of having done nothing at the time just makes me want to kick my own back end.

It's times like these when we just know what WE would have said and done...

Maybe if I see such a thing I would say to the mom (or dad) &quot;Gee, you sure are going to have your hands full later with an extremely hyper baby!&quot;

I think most employers would tell counter-clerks who dispensed unsolicated child-rearing tips to customers where the door is.

It's the clerks jobs to sell product to customers, not to be ticking off customers. I have to agree with Grasshopper on saying anything that NEEDS to be said to the parent.

I don't think a few &quot;dribbles&quot; from a straw is gonna hurt the baby anymore than a lot of other junk people feed kids -- she wasn't injecting mouthfuls of the drink, was she?

But then what does all of this have to do with TRAVEL? (other than the OP, but even then, I wouldn't go out of my way on vacation for a free drink; but thanks for the tip anyway, Faina)

... ah, where were the Bros. Crane! Next time, put down your lattes and speak up! I cannot believe Starbucks staff would be so socially irresponsible.

This whole thread is non-travel related, but I think it demonstrates what a recent poster said about the attitudes of some veteran posters here that turn off newbies.

It is not up to any of us, nor certainly any of the Starbucks employees who are paid $5.15 an hour to sling capuccinos, to advise people how to feed their children. When my now grown children were young, I also gave them some treats that were probably not the best for them. No one ever hung me out to dry for it, and I would not presume to do it to anyone else. As parents and people, we are hardly perfect.

Just my opinion.

I stick by my no-chino-suffix edict.

... ah, k9, you dog, you! But really, I'm thrilled by all the perfect parenting tips. Thank goodness some of our kids never developed that awful frappuccino-fit habit.

One last word on this, and Thanks to FainaAgain for the link!

<i>&quot;I wish that I could have said something, like, do you realize how bad that is for a 5-6 month old baby? <i>

Well, &quot;Grasshopper&quot; , ( who I am sure would step right up and say something, wouldn't you?)
I, like most people,( as Austin and GoTravel so nicely put it), knew it was not my business to say anything to her, as it was not the responsibility of the clerk at the counter either. That is why I WISHED I could have said something.
I don't know what newbies etc has to do with this, but Leona was right, few of us have many rights, when it comes to being the observer of child neglect, however benign some of us consider it.


Yes, rb, she was pouring the stuff down the little tikes throat..filling the straw then pouring it into his little open bird mouth..(can you picture it :(
she might have been a grandmother or baby-sitter, whatever, it was an observation, not meant to start a debate.
</i></i>

No Scarlett, I wouldn't have said a word. Because frankly, I don't think it would have been any of my business. If she'd been wacking the kid, or left them locked in a hot car it would have been a different matter. But really, I think a little frappacino is blowing things out of perspective.

To each his own.

There was an article in the 6/29/04 Boston Globe about how many calories those Frappaccino and other &quot;chinos&quot; really have -- Starbuck Grande Caramel Frappaccino 430 calories, 10 grams saturated fat. McDonald's double cheeseburger 490 calories, 12 grams saturated fat.

Exactly, Grasshopper, you got my meaning perfectly! It was none of my business, I didn't say anything But boy, did I wish I could have.

It'll all blow as nothing. There's nothing like anger and cold caffeine rush, early morn. Starbucks is intense anyway. It's all that grinding noise.

Or you could have shouted out:

&quot;Hey you lame ass redneck stop giving the kid stuff that'll jack him up before I call the poe-leece man!&quot;.

Dear SoBe &amp; GoT,
thank you for the laughs ~
Lightly and Fluffily yours,
Scarlett
((F))

What I want to know is if anyone went into Starbucks today for their free sample taste!

Reply to dln,
Yes thanks to <font color="blue">FainaAgain</font>=D&gt; I just had my free mocha&quot;light&quot; frappacino sample, or at least a whole 2oz(medicine cup). The grumpy manager appeared reluctant to give out samples, but the nice lady working the register managed to conspire with a coworker to send one ~o) my way, which I briefly enjoyed! :S-

DLN: no :)

I went, and yes they were tiny, as I suspected. The article states &quot;samples&quot; so I didn't expect a &quot;tall&quot; or anything. It was tasty, but there was no sign in sight indicating free anything. When I asked the cashier, they made a batch. The cafe vanilla light frappuccino was yummy! Trish

Not to jump in the fray and I don't mean to restart the debate but I had to put in my 2 cents worth.

It's not just a little bit of frappuccino. Have you guys forgotten just how little a 6-month old is? Not to forget that their little digestive systems are sooo fragile at that age. Remember a 6-month old isn't even walking yet. When my kids were babies it was RIGHT at 6 months that they FINALLY graduated from baby cereal to real baby food, i.e. veggies. They weren't even allowed to have fruit and meat just yet. I'd read back then that doctors were theorizing that certain foods introduced too early to a baby's system could cause allergies to such things as flour, eggs, cow or goat milk, chocolate. I didn't want to risk my children not being able to enjoy something as an adult because I lacked discretion as a parent. Thankfully, neither of my kids have allergies. My aunt Mary (who is SUCH a redneck in the very worst sense) used to belittle me and harrass me because I wouldn't give my kids things like biscuits &amp; gravy &amp; eggs at that tender age. It caused a lot of friction in our family. But I stood my ground and I'm glad I did. Her daughter is allergic to milk, eggs, Chocolate and flour!!

Oh, and another point, if you consider that an average 6-month old is about 12-15 pounds compared to say an adult weight of 120-150 pounds then basically an adult can handle 10 times more than an infant. Basically an 8-ounce frappuccino serving equates to less than just 1 ounce (.8) for an infant. Not much at all. Wouldn't take too many strawfuls to equal that, would it? Or to exceed it? And when you factor in the delicate underdeveloped system, well...

I've gotten flack from parents when I suggest something to them, so I understand Scarlett's reluctance to do so, despite her greatest wish. I'll never forget the response I got when I saw someone carrying an infant in her arms in the front seat of a Corvette, no seatbelt for either. And this was only about 13 years ago when one couldn't even leave a hospital with an infant without a proper baby seat.

&gt; I'll never forget the response I got when I saw someone carrying an infant in her arms in the front seat of a Corvette, no seatbelt for either.&lt;

I am confused by this sentence. Did you say something to the Covette driver?

No, not the driver, the passenger who was his girlfriend. She was carrying a baby in her arms and neither she nor the baby had any type of restraint on.

... whoops, I may have to take this seriously, and gasp, join the red team. I am a great uncle, suddenly. I see the light!!! I just dare those parents to force any Starbucks product than the kid's gullet. And, yes, I will go over the counter and frappe those caffeine purveyors! The next grinding sound you hear will be their beans! I shall of course offer them medium, or my preference, fine ground. I love the smell of espresso in the morning!

The &quot;light&quot; frappucino has 13 grams of fat vs. 3.5 grams in the regular one. The sugar is less, but it actually works out to a few more calories because of all the cals from fat.

There's always money to be made off of people's stupidity.

Thank you for enlightening us Beatchik. )&lt;

For what I like to drink (Tall 12 oz. coffee frappacino with whole milk)~o) the calories have been reduced from 190 to 110, and the fat reduced from 2g to 1g, and the light frappacino actually tasted good, yesterday!

Please see <font color="blue">www.starbucks.com</font> for comparison. :S-

Ha ha SoBe, from now on I'm drinking SOBE only!

And I'm going back to Fanta again. Have a good one!

If you &quot;travel&quot; to a Coffee Bean &amp; Tea Leaf they have non-fat non-sweetened iced &amp; hot mochas...they are delish and only 1.5 fat grams and 118 calories...still wouldn't suggest it for a 6 month old! The last time I was there the clerk was cleaning up the wreckage of some 5 year old kid who had climbed the glass display counter, breaking the shelves and all of the mugs on display. His mother was comforting him and saying the shelves shouldn't be glass!!! She was probably feeding him Frappacinos at 6 months also!