# Do you avoid using Starbucks' silly size names? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 26, 2006, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681 "2006-01-26T11:40:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carlotta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@carlotta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlotta)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/1 "2006-01-26T11:40:03Z")
I’m not a huge coffee drinker, nor a big fan a Starbucks when I do want one, but occasionally I find myself there, maybe once every three months or so. I canNOT bring myself to call a small coffee a “tall” and I definitely can’t say “venti” I always just say small, medium or large and the counter person seems to be able to handle it. I heard a bit on Prairie Home Companion last weekend where the waiter kept trying to get Garrison Keilor to say “venti” and he kept avoiding it and I had to laugh out loud. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/2 "2006-01-26T11:43:55Z")
“Caramel steamed milk in whatever the biggest one you have is.” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/3 "2006-01-26T11:56:21Z")
I’m not sure if I’ve ever patronised Starbucks, but there are a number of other coffee house chains around the place; one of them (I can’t recall which) has reversed size terms; ‘regular’ is their biggest cup - a sneaky way of tricking people into buying the more expensive one. ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/4 "2006-01-26T12:00:46Z")
Another “small, mediium, large” orderer. I really don’t get the need for cutesie size names… GT ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/5 "2006-01-26T12:38:55Z")
Meh. I used to order just a small, medium or large, just to show Starbucks who was boss. Then I realized that was pretty lame, especially since tall and grande have become the standard terminology in nearly every coffeehouse in the country. So now I just use their terms. Seems easier for everyone. Now Coldstone is a different story…I refuse to use their terms because those are truly ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/6 "2006-01-26T12:42:52Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > Meh. I used to order just a small, medium or large, just to show Starbucks who was boss. Then I realized that was pretty lame, especially since tall and grande have become the standard terminology in nearly every coffeehouse in the country. So now I just use their terms. Seems easier for everyone. Now Coldstone is a different story…I refuse to use their terms because those are truly ridiculous. I’m trying to remember Coldstone terms - assuming of course you mean Cold Stone creamery… did they have silly terms? (I miss their ice cream in the worst way) ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/7 "2006-01-26T12:47:15Z")
It is very old hat to be pissed off by this. Yet I am. My own particular pissed off slant is that they use Italian sounding sizing. Nowhere in Italy does coffee come in big buckets. It comes in cup sized real cups of either espresso or cappuccino size. I once ordered a double espresso in Italy and they nearly fell over in the restaurant, though after some looking they found me a nice double-espresso-sized cup. But I’d say that would be the absolute limit to their size variation. Okay, if Americans want to do it differently that’s fine by me but stop this let’s pretend it’s Italian thing, please. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/8 "2006-01-26T13:42:38Z")
Easy: I don’t drink coffee. If you do like coffee, order the [short versions](http://www.slate.com/id/2133754/) of the drink – it’s cheaper and better. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/9 "2006-01-26T13:47:18Z")
> [@gardentraveler](#): > > Another “small, mediium, large” orderer. I really don’t get the need for cutesie size names… > > GT I also eschew cutesie names, regardless of venue. Then I also question the propriety of size names in fast food restaurants: “I’ll have a small drink, please…no, what’s that? 20 ounces? I mean small… what’s the smallest cup you have? Sure, the kid’s one is fine.” When did 20 ounces become “small”? When I was a kid that would have been larger than the largest bottle of soda pop you could buy to drink. [/Cranky Old Man] ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/10 "2006-01-26T14:14:56Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > I also eschew cutesie names, regardless of venue. Then I also question the propriety of size names in fast food restaurants: “I’ll have a small drink, please…no, what’s that? 20 ounces? I mean small… what’s the smallest cup you have? Sure, the kid’s one is fine.” > > When did 20 ounces become “small”? When I was a kid that would have been larger than the largest bottle of soda pop you could buy to drink. > > [/Cranky Old Man] Unless you were just being humorous, 20 ounces is their “large”, aka “venti.” (Italian for 20.) And like **Pookah** mentioned, not only do Italians not have gigantic cups of coffee, last time I was there - several years ago, admittedly - they didn’t even have coffee _to go_. So yeah, the seeming pretention at Italian-style coffee service is a bit annoying. I get something from Starbucks maybe 4 times a year, but that’s only because I’m not a big coffee drinker and don’t really get coffee anywhere else that much, either. If I’m confused about size names (I need new glasses and noticed that part of the menu is a bit tiny) I’ll just say “small,” but I no longer avoid using the terms out of sheer annoyance. After all, it’s not the employees’ doing, it’s a corporate decision, and if I can make their day a little bit easier instead of acting like a coffee snob to them, that’s a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/11 "2006-01-26T14:17:36Z")
:smack: You meant at fast food places, not Starbucks. Got it. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/12 "2006-01-26T14:20:28Z")
There’s no Starbucks around here, but the local bagel shop has switched to the stupid names. I have to admit, I get great loads of evil pleasure when I order a “large”, get a “small” and give it back to them and point at the large cup I wanted. Yes, I know I’m supposed to order a grande or venti or some other horrible name, but I refuse to give in to the idiocy of redefining normal words. “Large” indicates the biggest size. It’s descriptive. Throw this small thing away and bring me a vat o’ coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/13 "2006-01-26T14:26:31Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > I’m trying to remember Coldstone terms - assuming of course you mean Cold Stone creamery… did they have silly terms? (I miss their ice cream in the worst way) Yes - “Like It,” “Love It,” “Gotta Have It.” Their ice cream is positively wonderful, but their sizes (and the singing) have to go. > [@Athena](#): > > I have to admit, I get great loads of evil pleasure when I order a “large”, get a “small” and give it back to them and point at the large cup I wanted. So you deliberately make their jobs difficult, even though the naming of things isn’t their fault? There’s a word for people like that… ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/14 "2006-01-26T14:33:01Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > So you deliberately make their jobs difficult, even though the naming of things isn’t their fault? There’s a word for people like that… Yup. Sue me. Most of the time the person behind the counter rolls her eyes and says “Yeah, I know it’s sooooo stupid.” ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/15 "2006-01-26T14:42:42Z")
YES! I don’t even like saying Grande! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/16 "2006-01-26T14:44:09Z")
I simplify the whole thing: I do not got to Starbucks. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/17 "2006-01-26T14:47:54Z")
Another vote for “small, medium, large.” It has never seemed to cause any confusion with any “barista” (another annoying term) I have dealt with. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/18 "2006-01-26T14:52:54Z")
Burger King is the one that pisses me off. I order a small fries and they say, “we don’t have small…only medium and large”, at which point I always have to say, “Give me an “11”.” ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/19 "2006-01-26T15:05:53Z")
I just say the silly faux-Italian names, because I figure the poor wage-slave behind the counter will get shitcanned if he doesn’t use the faux-Italian names. Why make it difficult or embarrassing for someone else to do their job when I’m going to get the same cup of coffee either way? (setting aside, of course, the possibility of unknowingly receiving a dollop of spit in your half-double-twist-whatever). ---
**Author:** ![clnilsen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecccb3/32.png) [@clnilsen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clnilsen)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2006, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681/20 "2006-01-26T15:13:16Z")
> [@carlotta](#): > > I canNOT bring myself to call a small coffee a “tall” and I definitely can’t say “venti” > > I always just say small, medium or large and the counter person seems to be able to handle it. Except “Tall” is NOT small for starbucks… there are two sizes smaller (dopio) and “Short”. Tall, grande, and venti are just the three most popular sizes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-avoid-using-starbucks-silly-size-names/341681.md?page=2)