And they've kept those thoughts coming, by the thousands: Create a punch-card system with a free drink after so many purchases; give people a free cup of birthday joe or discounts for using their own mugs; let customers forgo long lines by ordering their usual with the swipe of a card when they walk in the door.

Skeptics have panned MyStarbucksIdea.com, unveiled at the company's heavily attended annual meeting in mid-March, as an online suggestion box that's already grown stale. But the heavy traffic it has drawn and the message Starbucks is sending - that it's listening, and listening carefully - have impressed corporate marketing experts.

''Most brands do not put out a welcome mat for feedback,'' said Pete Blackshaw, of the market research firm Nielsen Online.

Before the site went live, Starbucks officials were hoping a few hundred ideas would trickle in the first few days. About 300 suggestions were posted in the first hour after the shareholders meeting, which drew a crowd of 6,000. The meeting was closely watched by Wall Street analysts hungry for details on a turnaround plan for the company, which has seen its stock value tumble 40 percent. By the end of the week, more than 100,000 votes had been cast.

Starbucks is promoting MyStarbucksIdea on its main corporate home page and with counter cards in stores.

Part corporate blog, MyStarbucksIdea also has the feel of an online social network. Though users can't link up over e-mail or post profiles of themselves, the comments they post often read like friendly conversations - with people complimenting one another on their ideas or elaborating when comments about their posts make them feel misunderstood.