Starbucksstore.com: The Forced Upsell

Today I found a great deal at consumerist.com If you sign up for the new Google Checkout service you get $10 to use towards a Google checkout purchase anytime before Dec 31 2006. Click here to Sign up for Google Checkout and save $10. Unfortunately I cannot use the $10 savings at Gamefly.com which would rock my face off (sorry watched Accepted last night).

You can however use it at Starbucks. I usually avoid Starbucks because ti is expensive and I would rather support he local coffee house. However in this case armed with a $10 off coupon i thought I could score some coffee on the cheap. I found my way to the Starbucks Store and located a pound of Kona for $14.95, I was a little shocked by the purchase requirement they have. Starbucks Store requires a minimum purchase of 2 items of any variety! The reasoning behind this is explained as:

Why do I have to order a minimum of two items?

StarbucksStore.com is committed to providing competitive shipping rates. StarbucksStore.com currently has a 2 item minimum purchase. While we will continue to evaluate this policy, it is always our desire to deliver the best value for our customers. Currently, this policy allows us to keep the shipping and handling charges as low as possible given the products available on StarbucksStore.com.

Is it just me or is this ludicrous. I can understand minimum orders from a retailer who sells coffee by the beans. You must purchase at least 3 beans of coffee per order much like the electronics retailers who have minimum purchases for small cheap components. This forced upsell is ludicrous considering that ordering two units does not get free shipping or any other promotion. The people making decisions at Starbucks Store need to switch back to regular coffee before making decisions.