Help me get legit Starbucks cups
January 28, 2018 3:44 PM   Subscribe

So I have some mugs that "happened" to come to me from a Starbucks cafe for internal store use, the 20oz and 16oz venti and grande size plain white internal use ones... they are my favourite daily use mugs for everything. I can't ethically source more alas, and Starbucks only sells them up to 14oz pathetic size. I want the same heavyweight ceramic with plain solid construction (not novelty giant mugs or pointless teacup flare), and am willing to pay up to $20 a cup. I have spent HOURS searching for this. Help me, hivemind!
posted by dorothyisunderwood to Shopping (14 answers total)
 
Do you have a photo of the mugs?
posted by kindall at 4:16 PM on January 28, 2018 [2 favorites]


Have you looked at restaurant supply companies? Example.
posted by amanda at 5:03 PM on January 28, 2018 [1 favorite]


your best bet is probably to start hitting local Sbux cafes in the last hour they're open and trying to bribe the closers into just giving you some. The store manager's less likely to be there in the evening. Tip generously.
posted by floweringjudas at 5:05 PM on January 28, 2018 [3 favorites]


Is this close to what you want?
posted by metahawk at 5:30 PM on January 28, 2018 [1 favorite]


This is not a response that takes ethics into consideration, but: Starbucks is a huge multinational corporation. The attrition of their internal use mugs is built into the budget.
posted by tapir-whorf at 6:48 PM on January 28, 2018 [6 favorites]


For what it's worth, I was given a pair of this cup for Christmas a year or two ago. They hold 20 ounces, and are made of heavy porcelain. When one of them broke, I tracked the brand name - Mayfair & Jackson - down to Walmart. When I went to the store to see if I could get a replacement, I found that the cups had different images on them that seem to vary by season. (i.e. the snowflake image was not available during the summer.) Depending on how you feel about their images, or trolling Walmart until you find one you like, this may be an option.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 9:20 PM on January 28, 2018


Response by poster: This is exactly the mug, but as you can see they don't ship globally, and $50 per mug seems a wee bit. Although I am getting closer... It's the shape of the mug, the nearly bowl like proportions and heavy ceramic heft of it that make it so wonderful. You can have hot coffee for an hour, make oatmeal or soup in it, put a smoothie in it, they're sturdy workhorses. I have Starbucks connections, but I don't like asking them to take a risk that might get them fired over something so trivial as my mug dreams.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 10:15 PM on January 28, 2018


Goodwill has two lots of Starbucks mugs that look like they might include the one you want:
Lot 1
Lot 2
posted by Fish, fish, are you doing your duty? at 12:02 AM on January 29, 2018


Best answer: Sent you an (im)modest proposal MeMail!
posted by tapir-whorf at 1:16 AM on January 29, 2018 [1 favorite]


Okay fine, I'll say it. I have one of those mugs and it's also my favorite. (It IS a really excellent mug!)

I got mine by asking if I could PLEASE keep it, the barista pretended not to hear me, and now I use it every damn day.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 3:09 AM on January 29, 2018


Best answer: Found it on ebay for $22, searching for "instore starbucks ceramic mug venti" on google : https://www.ebay.com/itm/Starbucks-In-Store-Porcelain-Coffee-Mug-DEMI-SHORT-TALL-GRAND-VENTI-Ceramic-Cup-/262870667210
posted by bCat at 4:58 AM on January 29, 2018


you could ask your friends to save you chipped mugs - they can't use them with customers, but still are safe for home.
posted by jb at 6:09 AM on January 29, 2018 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: I have a very fine collection of mugs now. And tapir-whorf would make a fine understudy to Sandra Bullock in Ocean's 8.

Thank you for magical mefites!
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 6:14 AM on January 29, 2018 [6 favorites]


Here's a budget option from a very reputable fine china brand:

Villeroy and Boch 16.25 oz latte mug I used to work in one of their stores over 10 years ago and got free stuff from them and it's heavily used and still looks brand new.
posted by WeekendJen at 8:09 AM on January 29, 2018


« Older Oversleeping and Inertia   |   I am experiencing major anxiety towards a simple... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.