Price
Usually price and quality determines the value of the product. Starbucks always tried to deliver high value to the consumers by buying quality beans, assuring that their staff got effective & efficient training, and mostly, creating an environment to enjoy coffee. For this, Starbucks's customer had to pay more; it was expensive.
To keep the competitive edge, the company also began to offer $1 bottomless cup of coffee, which can be refilled any number of times and 50 cents less than any other Starbucks products (Nico, H., 2008). As the Starbucks news site sates, the company is also trying to implement other value added services like, introducing $3.95 "breakfast pairings," which includes breakfast items along with a coffee (2010). This is to target the price conscious customers.
In China, by local standards, Starbucks is a luxury. They never wanted to decrease their prices to China when they started. Coffee is not grown in China at large scales - at least not the Arabica beans. When comparing prices to USA, it varies between products depending from where the materials were obtained (locally or imported). For example, a "tall latte" sells for $4.50 in China where it is $3.50 in the US (Dan, 2010). A "grande latte" costs $3.75 in US and $4.10 in China (Rabinovitch, 2009). Rabinovitch continues saying that these price difference are also subjected to Yuan being undervalued and US$ fluctuating frequently (2009). All these justify Starbuck's high pricing and show how such positioning supported their products to gain and maintain upscale image attached to its brand.