Saturday, December 22, 2007

Pass the Cheer

It's red again! Christmas season is upon us and this means one thing for Starbucks afficionados, time to load up on the stickers! If you haven't claimed your Starbucks planner, let Peppermint Kiss be the one to do a planner review for you.


It would be very hard not to compare this year's planner to the previous ones so I hope you'd bear with me as I refer to the previous planners as I review the `08 planner. Now, let's begin analyzing this year's much awaited planner. The `08 planner is not as bulky as last year's planner.


It still has the leather case and it's still ring-bound. Although Starbucks removed the memo pad, they've put the Notes part (before or after each month) back!

Now, what about my reservations? Let me see, I wasn't pleased with the noticeable decrease of the inspiring quotes on life. The planner still had quotes but the quotes were mostly about coffee. Sure, it's a coffee-company produced planner but they forgot that coffee-drinkers who love to chill at their stores are the ones who are going to use the planner. They need inspiring and relaxing reads. The quotes they put were too trivial, and it somehow defeats the planner's real intent.

Another change that seems irrelevant they made is that they placed the important dates on the monthly markers instead of under each respective date. I do not like this because it would be such an effort for the users to constantly check the monthly marker for the national holidays or feasts.

Finally, the pen that saved the `07 planner from shame (a lot of people found it to be too bulky and masculine) has been removed and replaced! Maybe changing the gorgeous pen to an ordinary pencil was an economic move but they should've thought hard about it first. They could've still added a pen to the planner, just a cheaper one. But opting for a pencil? Wrong move Starbucks-planner people! Sadly, the pencil doesn't add to the planner's flair.


Well, enough with the negativity. At least the free space for the daily part is still spacious. And at least you still get to do a hole-in-1 thing: drink coffee, get the planner for free (hmm....well, as long as you collect the 21 stickers), and donate to SparkHope Foundation. ;)

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