Starbucks Will Cut Back on Afternoon Decaf

This one ranks among the more unusual consequences of the slow economy: Those who drink decaffeinated coffee at Starbucks may have to wait longer for an afternoon fix. The company is going to stop brewing fresh pots of decaf every 30 minutes after noon because of low demand, Bloomberg reports. Too many unused pots were being tossed, so now those who order decaf will have to wait 4 minutes or so while a new, smaller pot is brewed on demand.

“For many of our stores, the demand for decaf is greatly reduced in the afternoon,” says a company statement. “With our current standard of continually brewing decaf after 12 pm regardless of demand, we have seen a high amount of waste." The cutback is part of a plan to save $400 million by September through labor and product cutbacks. Earnings are out tomorrow, and layoffs are expected. (More Starbucks stories.)