Pumpkin Spice Lattes are again arriving in the dead of summer.There was a time the drink actually launched in September.Starbucks is hoping to turn around sales on the heels of a CEO shakeup.
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It’s that time of year when retailers drag us kicking and screaming into fall while it’s still summertime, with Halloween countdowns and holiday wares start creeping onto store shelves.This year, Starbucks is getting an earlier start than ever. The company said that baristas will begin brewing Pumpkin Spice Lattes and serving the rest of its fall menu on Thursday, “marking what many consider the unofficial start of the season.”
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Technically, summer doesn’t end until September 22 with the autumn solstice.And Axios notes the 21-year-old “PSL” hasn’t always arrived so early. In 2015, the drink debuted on September 8 — though release dates have mostly accelerated ever since. Last year, it dropped on August 24.Starbucks’ fall menu also features a new Apple Crisp Nondairy Cream Chai and a cake pop shaped like a raccoon.The Pumpkin Spice Latte returns at a trying moment for the struggling chain.CEO Laxman Narasimhan was replaced by former Chipotle chief Brian Niccol in a surprising shakeup earlier this month as the chain deals with sluggish sales and operational issues.Some have speculated Niccol will change up the Starbucks menu, as he did during his turnaround efforts at Chipotle with new protein options. At least the world’s newest supercommuter will have the old reliable PSL to lean on until then.
