

What better place to get caught up on the morning newspaper, to meet friends and discuss current events? Schultz wanted his coffee shops to be that place, a sort of living room outside your own home, which has always been part of the charm of Italian bars. He named his first stores Il Giornale for this reason. After his initial trip to Milan, Schultz realized that in Italy coffee shops or bars have always been a place to stay, relax, discuss and meet. It was the beginning of Starbucks as we know it today, and as you can see the Italian influence on this brand have been strong from the beginning. A few years later the original founders sold the Starbucks company to Schultz, and he rebranded his shops as Starbucks.

Initially the three founders of the company rejected the idea and Schultz left to found his own chain of coffee houses, Il Giornale (“The Newspaper,” in Italian). The first Starbucks was a store for coffee grounds and coffee equipment. After a trip to Milan, Howard Schultz, the Director of Retail Operations and Marketing, advised the founders that they should also begin to sell coffee-based drinks and espresso in the shops. Think it’s weird Starbucks took so long to break into the Italian market? Well, a quick review of Starbucks’ history will show that it’s probably not. The coffeeshop is in Piazza Cordusio, and on the opening day people queued for three hours to have their latte at the first Starbucks in Italy. Italy resisted all these years without a Starbucks, but the first shop opened in Milan on September 7, 2018. Entrants - who can earn a maximum of two game plays per day and submit to challenges for even more chances - will earn either instant win prizes, or game pieces that can be collected and redeemed later.These days Starbucks coffee shops are a common sight on almost every corner, in almost every major American and European city in the world–except Italy. Game plays can be achieved by either making qualifying Starbucks purchases using a Starbucks Card or mobile app, or by visiting the Starbucks for Life website and registering your e-mail to sync up with purchases. As in the past, this year's contest, which is slated to give away over $2.7 million in prizes, will be open to Starbucks Rewards members who sign up for the competitive festivities via their account - now through January 3, 2022, members will be able to earn game plays.
#Starbucks for life game pieces for free
In addition to the "for life" grand prize, there are also chances to win gift cards, merch, and extra "stars" aka points that accumulate for free drink rewards.

In a blog post this week, the popular brand confirmed the return of its yearly Starbucks for Life holiday contest, which began in 2014 and has given away millions of dollars in free Caramel Macchiatos and Frappuccinos ever since (via Money Inc.). Luckily, the world's largest coffee chain is bringing back its most popular competition of the year, giving a handful of customers the chance to win a life-changing grand prize - free coffee forever! Whether you're a Pumpkin Spice Latte die-hard, Peppermint Mocha devotee, or secret menu navigator, every Starbucks customer can agree that the best kind of caffeinated beverage is a free one.
