Archie teams with union busting Starbucks for a drink promotion
Comic companies teaming with terrible companies is nothing new. But, we didn’t expect Archie Comics to stumble twice this year. In a press release sent out today, Archie promoted a post on the Starbucks website where the two companies have teamed up to promote the Black Cat Frappuccino.
With spooky season well underway, Archie’s Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch is helping promote the drink… and Archie gets a promotion at the end of Starbuck’s post promoting the Sabrina the Teenage Witch television series which can be streamed on Paramount+ (problematic on its own) and Pluto TV (which is also owned by Paramount).
From Starbuck’s post:
On Oct. 22, Starbucks welcomes spooky season as the new Black Cat Frappuccino® blended beverage and Venti Black Night Cookie join the menu for a limited time, available through Halloween in select U.S. coffeehouses.
To celebrate the occasion, Starbucks enlisted an expert in black cats, mischief and treating himself: Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, who’s coming out of retirement to help launch the beverage, as the opinionated feline knows a thing or two about an indulgent treat.
And Salem has plenty more to say. Stay tuned to Starbucks social channels for more from the famously opinionated feline. In the meantime, there are a couple of indulgent Halloween treats worthy of his approval.
Why is Starbuck’s terrible? There’s a long list that includes union busting, issues with pay equity, accusations of violating Fairtrade agreements and so much more. There’s regular calls to boycott the popular coffee company and they’re deeply anti-union and anti-worker. The company is terrible enough there’s a page, and sub-pages, documenting its issues.
This is the second time Archie has stepped in it this year. In June the company announced a project with Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal has been criticized for some time with his closeness to law enforcement and most recently was named an “honorary FBI agent” presented by FBI Director Kash Patel. The connection to Patel is what drove recent criticism but Shaq was already terrible and has also visited Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s “tent city” which Arpaio described as a “concentration camp” and who has been criticized for violations of human and constitutional rights.
