How “free” works
Without any financial transaction taking place - Starbucks made me a customer today.
By freely previewing a product - in this case, a boysenberry & cream frappuccino - I became a Starbucks consumer. They didn’t ask me for a reciept to prove that I belonged at the table that I was utilizing. They didn’t ask for a deposit on a future order as a condition for their generosity.
Instead, by offering me their product free of charge, they confirmed the already obvious reality that my mere presence in their establishment is part of their business plan. Their bottom line is to get their product into more hands, and they are convinced - as their continued practice of freely displaying their product shows - that this is their business plan to recruit customers, ensure customer loyalty and increase product sales.
So far, it seems to be working pretty well. I even went back to another Starbucks tonight.
August 9th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
To ultimately recruit PAYING customers
August 10th, 2007 at 4:25 am
That’s exactly my point.
As I’ve stated all along - This is a business decision & practice by Starbucks to improve their bottom line of sales. It is not opposed to their profit, rather, it is part of why they are so profitable. They are willing to invest in customers like me, their services & free products in order to promote sales. They know that if I’m at Starbucks (vs. the local library) that I’m more likely to purchase something from them than if I’m not there.
And so they encourage my presence by extending their tables & chairs to me free of charge because they know basic economics principles. They know that there is “no free lunch” or in this case, free coffee. My presence at their table and the “free” samples are “paid for” or included in the price of their products.
Ultimately, I believe that this is what causes so much disdain & reaction to my practice. Not as though I was “pulling a fast one on Starbucks” or “sticking it to the man,” but because I make purchases based on desire not obligation (all within Starbucks business practices), causing others who make obligatory purchases recognize the short-sidedness of their own purchasing practices.
August 10th, 2007 at 6:44 am
You’re so wrong it’s not even funny.
August 11th, 2007 at 9:55 am
I think it is safe to say that the two of you aren’t going to agree on this one. In the past I have been more on the side of “politeness” - that being the idea that it is polite to make a purchase if you are utilizing the Starbucks facilities. I think this is born from the sentiment that if you are a guest in someones home that it is polite to show your appreciation for their generosity to contributing to the wellbeing of the household (washing dishes, taking them out to dinner as a thank you, etc.). The difference in this case is that Starbucks is a business taking advantage of their facilities is not analogous to being a guest in someones home. I think expressing your gratefulness for freely using Starbucks facilities by making a purchase is discretionary (and if done it is not “short sided”) and if a purchase is not made it is likewise not wrong.
I would add that attracting people to sit at their tables is a part of Starbucks business strategy. Having people sitting and using their wireless network actually helps to make them appear to be cool, useful, busy (choose your positive description) which helps them sell more of their products even if the people sitting in their chairs don’t actually purchase anything (sorry if you made this argument already - it just occurred to me).
In any case, I think sitting at Starbucks and using their wireless network without buying anything is akin to using the restrooms at a gas station or McDonalds without buying anything which I would argue is commonly accepted as a reasonable practice. Granted using Starbucks is probably a longer process but I think the analogy holds true.
August 11th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
I got kicked out of the Westwood Starbucks once (the big flagship one next to the movie theaters) because I brought over my Diddy Riese Cookies ice cream sandwich. Starbucks is a nice place to sit and eat (and people-watch), but I guess they didn’t see it that way, even if I was going to buy coffee.
Part of me was pissed off and thought “it’s their loss” — I was probably going to buy some coffee and now I wouldn’t. But another part of me thought that it’s their business and they can choose to ask me to leave if they want, whether I like it or not, and whether or not I think it’s plain ol’ bad business.
August 12th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
I wouldn’t even let you sit in my virtual Starbucks in SecondLife.