I’ve been boycotting Starbucks ever since they started to throttle their loyalty stars program under the leadership of their new CEO. If Starbucks didn’t want to reward my loyalty then I wasn’t interested in giving them any. It was a standoff.
But the standoff had its benefits. I saved money by not going to Starbucks and I reduced my calcium intake, which benefits me in other ways. I got used to having either an iced coffee or doppio at home for my mid-morning break although I missed the extra calories that the milk in my regular latte would provide. It was like a small snack just filling enough that I could put off lunch for a little while.
I soon got used to the new routine and thought, if loyalty stars never come back I’ll be fine. In fact, I should start giving my loyalty somewhere else! Support local businesses!
But then a few weeks ago this showed up in my Starbucks notifications. It was for a drink that I would never order.
Not long after a second offer appeared. This one was more interesting in that I could order something that I liked, but I had to go twice and the reward was minimal for my effort.
Today I got this offer. I could order any latte and get 30 extra stars and the offer was at a convenient time for me. How did they know?
I was a conflicted at this point. I felt successful in changing my habits. I no longer needed that milk latte every day whether I was out or at home but there I was buying a Starbucks on a day when they were willing to give me 30 extra stars for ordering a cup of coffee. Well, I thought, if I was trying to deliver a message to the CEO that stars were important to me then I thought I’d let him know that I approved of the new direction they were taking by sending another message: Yes, I will have a cup of coffee for your stars. I will take it that you have received my message.
Hopefully, you get this one too.
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