you've obviously never been to Starbucks. The prices are the same, only Starbucks is more confusing because instead of Caribou's system of Small, Medium, and Large...they use Tall, Grande, and Venti...no to mention every drink name is in pseudo-french and I guess adding the word "Cafe" to the beginning of every drink makes it sound more fancy...such as Cafe Mocha. Caribou keeps it simple, plain english, plenty of choices and if you need help picking out a drink they'd be happy to lend a hand.