Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for March 10, 2025

Consider yourself fortunate, Rat—you’ll never again be talked into overpaying for coffee.

We were visiting New York City, and I told the kids, “If we get separated, we’ll just meet up at the Starbuck’s.”

Another chain your banned from Rat? Must be a record!

Eh big deals. Me never goes to steenky starbucks anyways.

Good on ya, Rat.

Go to Australia, Rat. Starbucks failed completely there.

I usually get my coffee at McD’s. Today i went to Timmy’s. Choices are small, medium, lrg and xl at each but my large felt smaller. I looked it up At Tim’sA small coffee is 9.7 fl ozA medium coffee is 14.4 fl ozA large coffee is 19.0 fl ozAn extra-large coffee 22.9 fl oz

At McD’s, small is small 12oz, med 18oz, large 21ml, xl 32oz So, Tims, smaller sizes, higher prices.

One of the few times I agree with rat.

“Friends don’t let friends drink Starbucks.” – The owner of the Blue Moose coffee shop in Morgantown, WV to me long ago.

The CEO got a big raise, and 11,000 Starbucks employees got laid off within a month of each other. There’s no way in heck I’d put so much as a dime into Starbucks pockets.

You’re not missing much!

I have probably saved (compared to people in my job category and locale) (estimating madly) Wow maybe as much as $25,000 by never ever buying anything at $tarbuck$ or equivalent. Ever. ($25 per week is about $1250 per year, for 20 years). I have consumed perhaps as many as a half dozen things from such places, but never on my own dime.

PS: On the other hand, I spend far more on books and cookies than most folks. Probably.

Totally worth it.

Ha, I have permanently banned myself from all Starbucks. And much happier for it.

Banned from Starbucket, the US Empire, Wall Street etc. Whatever.

I have never understood the popularity of Starbucks. I’ve tried it, it tasted bitter. And it was expensive. I have no idea of what Starbucks’ prices are today. My preferred coffee is from Gallop’s truck stop at the Michigan City limits. $2.19 for a 24-ounce cup. It’s self-service, so no tip jar trying to guilt me into donating. And no waiting.

20+ Starbucks here in Phnom Penh. Selling $4 coffees in a country where the average annual income is $1,500….

Ah, so just the ones in Manhattan?

Rat probably doesn’t work in that department store anymore….

And the lawyers from star$$ will be arriving shortly.

Love it.

Banned from Starbucks…That’s a win for Rat and all sane people.

I’m banned from Starbucks too. Not by Starbucks, by me.

Oh big deal; they’re listed in order of size. It’s not that hard to figure out.

I used to drink coffee.

They really didn’t get too creative when they named the largest one venti as it is a 20oz coffee.

I gave up on Starbucks when l kept receiving tepid mocha despite always asking for extra hot.

I was given a ‘health & safety’ lecture and asked why in that case did the plastic lid read ‘Caution – contents are hot.’???

They didn’t answer. They just told me l was a trouble maker.

Being banned from starbucks is a blessing.

You da Rat, Rat

No matter what coffee shop I go into, I just ask for a 12 ounce coffee. That saves me the effort of trying to decipher the arcane descriptions of their coffee sizes.

Although, sometimes in Starbucks, I will ask for a “short pour.” That is an 8 ounce that they do not advertise.

That’s what Rat gets for being a smart mouth. Then again, I don’t go to Starbucks, so I wouldn’t mind getting banned.

I wonder how long the meeting of Starbucks marketing drones lasted while they sat around dreaming up those ridiculous names.

Wow! Difficult decision trying to side between the lesser of the two evils in today’s strip…

…Been drinking Maxwell House since I worked for General Foods Kool-Aid plant back in the 70’s and 80’s, and could get it cheaply in the company store. It’s still pretty good.

38,000 Starbucks?? Heck, that’s just LA!

Rat’s correct answer in panel 1 is “Am I supposed to be impressed?”

Actually “tall” is the only Italian word I know.

Never purchased anything at a Starbucks; never wanted anything from a Starbucks… Never plan to, either…

I always wonder how “getting banned” is enforced for a normal looking person.

The world works better that way, Rat.

Their coffee isn’t worth it, anyway. Give me a Timmy’s any time!

No big deal… The coffee isn’t that great anyway. I’d rather make it at home.

301 Likes by the time I got here while drinking coffee after breakfast tells me this is a crowd favorite!!!!

I have a nice cappuccino machine at home.

I went to a Starbucks in Las Vegas and paid for a Venti. The barista said, “Sorry, the house has vent’uno,” and pocketed the money.

Seriously, “venti” is Italian for 20. No bonus points for guessing what vent’uno means.

I’m with Rat. Those size names are very confusing, especially for people like me who need certain things spelled out for them.

Rat is right, though. Could it be any more confusing?

Never been in a Starbucks, or any other “coffee shop”. Since I like plain, black coffee, I brew it at home in my $24 coffee maker.

I’ve only been to a Starbucks once. I asked the guy behind the counter, “How do you say, large black coffee?” ;)

I think you dropped a “ 0 “ or maybe 2.

I banned myself from Starbucks, those union busting SOB’s.

is stephan so lame that he doesn’t know Foamy the squirrel . Since hearing from the starbuck lawyers 2 decades ago the chain has been called StarSchmucks ever since . Now they don’t bother Foamy for fear of being associated with that altered name . Foamy also covered this size thing then with the small medium large cartoon.

Someone had to say it. Just not Rat.

I’m not a regular at any cafe but I do occasionally find myself in a Starbucks, or in the cafes in Target or Barnes and Noble, both of which are more or less operated by Starbucks. I use the small/medium/large scale and have never once been either “corrected” or misunderstood.