Uh, punkin is a cute way of spelling it. I’m pretty sure they know it’s spelled pumpkin, but having lived in the midwest for 22 years, punkin is an acceptable slang spelling, at least in my book.
If you say so. To me, it made the people working at Starbucks look like fools. In a convention center where people come from all over the world, I think that it should be spelled correctly. In any case, corporate headquarters probably wants it spelled correctly.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/punkin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punkin
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/punkin
“1. (colloquial) Pumpkin. Punkin is an alternative form and pronunciation used sometimes in the United States, especially as a term of endearment or diminutive. James Whitcomb Riley, poem “When the Frost is on the Punkin” [1]”
I doubt HQ minds, and I would suspect such behavior might even be encouraged. It’s my sense that Starbucks encourages stores to do things in a unique way to build a community brand. Sure, the names, promotions, packaging and actual product needs to be made and served in the same way, being creative within the confines of tastefulness and company rules is a great way to keep employees happy and involved and gives any given store a personality that customers bond with.
The two Starbucks I visit don’t make cute spellings that I’ve seen, but they are actively involved in having community events in the store, available if you buy or not. Sure, it helps business, but it also helps the community.
In any case, I think it looks stupid and I’m sure I’m not alone as many people that visit this particular Starbucks are not from the midwest and may not even be from this country.
I was in Chicago this week for 4GWorld and saw this sign at Starbucks at the convention center. I'm sure that Starbucks headquarters would be quite proud of their employees promoting their seasonal latte.