Singer Harry Styles described the cost of coffee in New York City as one of the "spookiest" things he encountered during the Halloween season. During one of his final concerts of a 30-show residency at Madison Square Garden, Styles told the crowd, "It is a cappuccino. It can't be $10, it can't be."
Styles further characterized the cost of caffeinated beverages in the city as "astronomical" and "out of control." He also took the opportunity to complain about the high cost of tipping.
Fans reacting to social media videos of the performance offered mixed reactions. Some found it amusing that a wealthy and successful personality would complain about coffee prices, with one fan asking, "Are you for real?" regarding a $10 cappuccino plus at least a 20% tip. Other fans used the opportunity to criticize the high prices of his concert tickets.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the price of a pound of ground roast coffee in US cities averaged $9.33 in September. This figure represents the highest ever for that month and is 91% higher than in 2020. The report attributes these cost shocks to climate-related production shortfalls in major producers and the imposition of US tariffs, which were subsequently removed.
Coffee companies stated they had to reduce profit margins during the cost shock to prevent prices from rising further and are currently in a period of recovering those margins.
