A broad series of changes at Starbucks Corp. , from instant coffee to new menu boards that leave off drink prices, show how the company is adjusting its upscale formula to the economic downturn.

Investors hope to learn Wednesday whether the moves are working, when Starbucks conducts its annual meeting in Seattle. Shares of Starbucks have fallen about 38% in the past year to close at $10.78 on the Nasdaq Stock Market Monday, or about the price of a pound of Starbucks coffee beans. Unlike past meetings, which have featured surprise performances by singers Tony Bennett and k.d. lang, this year's gathering is likely to be a more subdued affair.

Instead, executives are expected to outline a plan to weather the recession that includes an effort to make Starbucks products seem more affordable, and reassure investors that the company is on track to cut $500 million of costs by the fall. After years of broadening its customer base and making forays into entertainment, Starbucks has made its top priority retaining its existing patrons.

"The issue at hand ... is the cost of losing your core customer," Howard Schultz, the company's chief executive, said in an interview earlier this month. "It's very hard to get them back." Analysts say that Starbucks has seen the most pronounced drops in customers during afternoons and weekends, and that the company's Frappuccino drinks have been particularly hard hit.

In the past month, Starbucks has entered the instant-coffee market with a version called Via that the company bills as offering a cup of Starbucks coffee for less than $1. It also has introduced pairings of breakfast sandwiches and drinks priced at $3.95, or about $1 less than when bought individually.