this has been on my mind for several years, so i'm just going to air it and see where everyone stands. i'm assuming (uh-oh!) that fellow coffee shopkeeps/baristas/etc. will side with me, and that's cool. if you don't, (not cool), but, i'd really like to understand the reasoning behind it!
the deal is: at my location, the first cup of coffee is $2.25. the second cup is $2.25. the third cup is, yep, $2.25. every once in a blue moon a customer will grumble somewhat, and i know that they are thinking that at some shops you pay full price for the first cup, and sometimes the second cup is either half-priced, or, sometimes free! (wow, i'm heading over to that shop as soon as i type this out!, right?!).
but, i'm here to tell you that when i did my christmas shopping last year, not one of the merchants i shopped with offered me a shirt, or jacket, or even a pair of socks reduced by 50% off. and free?!...yeah, right.
to me, the whole concept spells out something like this: trouble. i say that because, if you can legitimately charge full price for your cup of quality coffee, then how do you justify to yourself that your coffee is worth that full price if you are knocking off 50% for the next cup, or giving away that next cup? in my mind, a customer can't help but ask themselves if that first cup is truly worth the $2.25 (or whatever).
the only exception i might see is if your shop is (possibly) trying to move product that has had less than lackluster sales. or, if you are intentionally having a special, or a promotion, etc.
i think that those shops that do offer discounted drinks, or free refills, are doing a dis-service to the legit shops that are offering a quality product at a fair and justifiable price, no?
and don't get me wrong, i work events whereby customers are often passing by my window all day long and sometimes into the evening hours. its not uncommon for one to buy 4,5,6 drinks throughout the course of the day...i'm not opposed to "treating" a customer at my descretion...as a way of saying thank-you.
but, next time i go car shopping, i'm going to see if the dealer offers me a 50% off deal if i buy a 2nd beamer within the hour! maybe they'll just give me the next one free!
i'm really looking forward to your feedback!
(and, best of everything to everyone here in '11!)
sage
the coffee hound
laurel fork, va.
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