It doesn’t bother me, they make sense. :)
At least, Venti does.

I don’t pay attention to it, you learn the language of whatever restaurant you’re at. If I wanted a Gordita at Taco Bell I wouldn’t order a fluffy soft taco, fried, with chicken.

It doesn’t bug me, I don’t go to 4 bucks anyway because they are too expensive.

@asmo: Makes sense, really? Would you describe Billy Barty as “tall?” But it’s not a menu item they’re describing, it’s a container. There are standards that are much more descriptive (like “small,” “medium,” and “large”).

How does Tall being the smallest make sense? That’s not just a Starbucks thing though, is it?

What does bother me is “Venti” being trademarked, and other chains avoiding using the word and even coming up with stupid derived trademarks – there is a company which calls their 20-ounce drink size “Veinti” – which appalls me. “Venti” is Italian for “twenty” – people who want that to be trademark-able should be exiled, or exile me to Italy or something, please.

The reason it’s a Tall is because there’s a smaller size, called a Short. :)

Basically, it’s Short, Tall, Grande, Venti.

Short, Tall, Bigger, Best.

I think it was devised as a marketing bandwagoning technique. Once you learn the lingo, you’re part of the club.

“Gimme a tall half-caff, double-pump, soy lattè with a mocha whip in a grande cup so there’s room for it to breathe”

It ends up translating into this pseudo-hipster, class-based demarcation. It’s a bunch of horse hockey.

@cprevite: I think that’s almost exactly my friend’s order it’s at the very least just as complicated. I slap her on the arm every time we go. For making me look like an ass by association.

I think the naming conventions are ridiculous and I demonstrate my control issues when ordering by using the words “small,” “medium” or “large.”

Also, a macchiato is an espresso with the teensiest amount of milk. It doesn’t have all that crap in it. Hello Starbucks? Are you listening?

99% of the time I get my coffee at Peet’s, which uses accurate terminology, and has far better coffee.

My main problem with starbucks is the lack of eggnog latte’s in the UK.

In the UK at least most of the staff have the sense not to correct you when you ask for a ‘small’ or what ever.

I just go to The Daily Grind and order a Mocha Freeze. It’s a mocha, that is frozen. Simple delicious, OH and it comes in one size. :)

@Megan64: I’m with you. On the rare occasion I go there (my wife loves their ice tea), I’ll say small, medium, or large. You can hear the hipster-sheep sighing and huffing about my apparent lack of cool.

@asmonet: I admire your control – I’d have to resist the urge to do more than slap her.

I don’t mind it, but I just hate it when they correct me (like when I’m ordering a “small” coffee and they say “oh do you mean a tall coffee?”.) Ugh, I hate that! The prices are bad enough, I don’t need a “baristo/a” giving me lip.

I went to Starbucks once, all I wanted was a Large(Grande) coffee with cream and sugar, the nice lady gave me a empty cup and lid (charged $2.50) and pointed me toward the little table with luke warm coffee, cream, and sugar, to make my own coffee(they don’t make reg coffee)
so…ya Starbucks can go @#!!%$# themselves.
only Tim Hortons from then on

On the few occasions that I give in and actually buy the overpriced, over-processed, over-roasted stuff that they call coffee, I ignore their designations and just ask for what I want (small cafe au lait).

I hear you, Dave. For the longest time I would only order using small, medium or large. Grande didn’t bother me as much since it means large in Italian, and cappucinos are from Italy. But “tall” and “venti” are just stupid. That being said, I must admit I now use their jargon when ordering.

@asmonet: Oh, right, Short, which isn’t offered by Starbucks… I hadn’t had my coffee this morning.

@Zaku: Actually, “Short” is offered by Starbucks, they just don’t show it on the menus. :)

@asmonet: Oh! I feel much more accurate now about what bugs me – thank you! :-D

Yes they do bug me. That’s why Caribou is the way to go. Better coffee too, and the place doesn’t seem stuck up like Starbucks.

In all the starbucks near me, the sizes start at meduim and work their way up to large then grand then etc…
no small :(

Yes, it bugs the heck out of me. Whenever I go to Starbucks I order small, medium, or large. What really annoys me is how every single time I order a medium coffee they answer back “ok, a grande’ coffee” like it is company policy for them to correct my order. I do my best to stay way from Starbucks these days, Scooters has it all over them.

@zaku: Haha, anytime. ;)

No it doesn’t bother me. Starbucks is in their own world. It’s just like going to another country and asking for water in their own language.

@seekingwolf : I work at one and I guess it’s the brainwashing that does that to us.

Yes I hate it and have never taken it on board—I always ask for a medium-sized coffee.