...with brief, occasional, italicized and sometimes gratuitous commentary...

• Daymon Worldwide announced the launch of Be Heard, which it described as "a loyalty and payments platform that offers retailer and supplier partners a competitive edge in connecting with their customers in real time, and avoids expensive credit and debit transaction fees."

The move, the company said, "is part of Daymon’s ongoing commitment to serving its supplier partners and retail customers, by adding new capabilities that complement the company’s core businesses of private brands and retail services.

"Daymon has partnered with loyalty technology and strategy experts Midax and IncentEdge to deliver the modular software solution that provides a convenient one-card and mobile option to add and redeem coupons, receive targeted offers, earn loyalty points and pay for purchases."

• The Denver Post reports that Kroger-owned King Soopers plans to open an urban store in the city's Riverfront Park neighborhood northwest of Coors Field and northeast of Union Station. While the size and style of the store have not yet been announced, the story says that "downtown residents and business boosters long have sought a full-service grocery store. Grocers have held off, awaiting sufficient population density provided by residential development in the fast-growing LoDo, Central Platte Valley and Ballpark neighborhoods."

The unit is expected to open in 2014 or 2015.

• Marketing Daily writes that 28 percent of Americans say that "they have already purchased or plan to purchase one of Starbucks’ new $1 reusable coffee tumblers, aimed at  reducing paper cup waste."

According to the piece, "Specifically, 2% said they had already bought one of the cups; 7% said they will 'definitely' buy one but haven’t done so yet; and 19% said they will “probably” buy one. Even 12% of non-Starbucks customers said they intend to purchase one of the cups.

"Also, regardless of whether they would purchase a cup, seven out of 10 respondents said they believe it’s a good idea, and four out of 10 consider it a 'very good' idea."

I hate it when my cynical side kicks in, but am I correct that this study says that 19 percent of Starbucks customers and 12 percent of non-Starbucks customers say they plan to buy the cups? Really? Because the road to positive poll numbers is paved with good intentions that are not necessarily delivered on...

• The Boston Globe reports that "shift supervisors at local Starbucks cafes plan to deliver a petition to the coffee chain’s local headquarters demanding a pay raise following a recent court decision barring supervisors in Massachusetts from sharing in baristas’ tips, said a group that says it represents many of the supervisors ... While strongly disagreeing with that decision, Starbucks said it agreed to abide by it.

"One potential result is that supervisors could make less money. Starbucks said it is taking steps to ensure that supervisors will continue to be 'fairly rewarded for their work'."

• The Seattle Times reports that a federal judge has ruled that " a group of investors led by actor Patrick Dempsey can buy Tully's Coffee out of bankruptcy ... The decision came after Dempsey's group, coffee giant Starbucks and other bidders sparred before U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Karen Overstreet for the 47-shop chain.

According to the story, "Bidders in court Friday had participated in a private auction for beleaguered Tully's last week, when the chain's management and creditors chose the Dempsey group's $9.15 million bid. Starbucks and a Filipino company called AgriNurture cried foul, saying their combined bids of $10.56 million should have been selected."

There was one story suggesting that Starbucks claimed that Dempsey, "McDreamy" of the "Gray's Anatomy" TV series, had "charmed" his way into winning the fight for Tully's. Which struck me as kind of like being a sore loser. Y'know, not every coffee shop in Seattle has to be Starbucks...