News this summer that Starbucks would be pulling print copies of The New York Times and other publications from its cafes landed like a cup of spilled coffee on our favorite section of the newspaper. This week, the Seattle-based coffee giant announced steps to win back readers with free digital access to several news websites.
Starbucks said complimentary digital news will be accessible — for a limited time — through its free in-store Wi-Fi at all company-operated locations in the U.S. The news sites include:
- The Wall Street Journal
- USA Today
- The Seattle Times
- Chicago Tribune
- The Baltimore Sun
- Orlando Sentinel
- New York Daily News
Through a partnership with The Wall Street Journal, Starbucks will also offer special subscription levels for print and digital subscribers.
“This is just the beginning,” Starbucks said in its blog post. “We will continue to listen and learn from our customers, looking for new opportunities to deliver news, content and experiences that are relevant to our customers, inspiring to our partners and meaningful to our communities.”
Strabucks said back in July that it would be removing select fixtures, including newspaper racks, from retail outlets in September in an effort to “enhance the overall experience for both partners and customers.”
The company began selling The New York Times in stores nearly 20 years ago and added the WSJ and USA Today in 2010.
