Sharpies are making a comeback at Starbucks. Here's what you should know

“We're going to go find the Sharpies and we're going to go back to writing little notes on the cups,” newly appointed Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol told CNBC.

After a dip in summer sales, Starbucks is hoping a return to its roots will be the comeback it needs.

For the first time in more than four years, Sharpies are returning to Starbucks stores.

“We're going to go find the Sharpies and we're going to go back to writing little notes on the cups,” Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol told CNBC on Thursday. “It may not be everyone’s name… but we’ll definitely be writing on mugs here again in the not too distant future.”

For years, Starbucks baristas wrote customer orders and names on individual cups. But in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company decided to put the practice on hold. Today, customer orders – whether in person or via mobile order – are identified by a printed sticker on the side of the cup.

The surcharge for non-dairy milk should be abolished

In addition to the return of Sharpies, Starbucks announced Wednesday that it would remove the surcharge for non-dairy milk substitutes, including almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk and soy milk. This will be implemented on November 7th when the Starbucks Christmas menu launches.

The current cost of customizing a drink with a non-dairy substitute is between 70 and 80 cents, depending on the market.

Sales fell 25% worldwide

In its fourth-quarter and full-year financial results released Wednesday, Starbucks reported fourth-quarter net income of $909.3 million. This is a 25% decrease from $1.22 billion compared to the same quarter last year.

At locations in the US and North America alone, Starbucks sales fell 6% between July and September.

The number of individual transactions fell even more sharply. In North America, customer transactions fell 10% in the fourth quarter. However, this figure was partially offset by a 4% increase in the average customer ticket.

Niccol, former CEO of Chipotle, was named CEO of Starbucks in August, replacing Laxman Narasimhan.

Last week, Niccol discussed his “Back to Starbucks” strategy, with the goal of simplifying Starbucks' menu, improving pricing architecture and “ensuring every customer feels like Starbucks is worth it every time they visit.”

This story has been updated since Starbucks submitted comment to USA TODAY.

Mike Snider contributed to this reporting.

Greta Cross is a national trends reporter for USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].

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