Consumer Confidential: Instant Starbucks, trust and a day at Disney
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Here’s your Totally Tuesday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:
-- We’re not out of the woods yet. Consumer confidence took an unexpected dive last month as Americans continued to fret about whether the job market would ever improve. Chances are, consumers will once again feel some love for the economy as employers slowly (oh so slowly) expand the workforce, but this could be a dark cloud for the holiday shopping season. Or, looked at another way, I’m thinking big sales coming down the pike to lure us into stores.
-- Starbucks has taken the lid off its new Via Ready Brew instant coffee. The company hopes this will give it a taste of the $21-billion global market for morning pick-me-ups made from freeze-dried beans. Starbucks is pumping big bucks into the North American rollout of Via. We’ll just have to see whether this is a shrewd brand extension on the company’s part or whether adding instant to the mix just cheapens everyone’s favorite caffeine fix.
-- Do you trust the safety of the food you eat? Many of us don’t, or so we’re led to believe in a new survey from our friends at IBM (who I never thought of foodies, but so be it). The tech giant found that about 60% of consumers said they were concerned about the food they purchased, and only 20% trusted food companies to develop and sell safe products. The survey indicates that a steady stream of food recalls has made consumers safer, but it’s also raised awareness that not everything you find in the supermarket is safe to eat.
-- Who says giving is its own reward? Disney is upping the ante by offering free admission to a Disney park for anyone who completes a day of volunteer work. The offer will be extended to 1 million do-gooders and is being made in conjunction with HandsOn Network, a clearinghouse for volunteer activities. See you on the Matterhorn.
-- David Lazarus
