Suing Starbucks

Starbucks sent out printable coupons, for a free large iced drink, via email to employees and told them to spread them around. They did, and before you could say "grande iced latté", lineups were outside the stores for the freebies. Starbucks said uh, oh and decided not to honour the coupons. Then Peter Sullivan decided Starbucks needed to pay for their error: to the tune of $114 million dollars. I wonder what is the least expensive option for Starbucks: settling the lawsuit or just honouring all those coupons. Now, the marketing person must still be using a red LED calculator as his computer since most people, and certainly people marketing something as modern as Starbucks, should know that the quickest way to spread anything—be it a virus or a warning about an exploding biscuit can—is to put it in an email and ask people to forward it on. Just look in your email inbox.

If I see yet another email telling me to "Please pass this on or someone will die/be maimed/world peace will no longer be an option/angels will cry/your penis will shrink/you will miss the biggest stock market opportunity ever/no seriously, this one is true and Microsoft will really give ten cents to Insert Your Charity Here if you forward this on to 38 people in the next fifteen seconds or else your computer will explode" in my inbox, then I'd probably delete it. But if I see a coupon for a free drink from a Starbucks employee, I'd print it. If asked to forward it on, you'd see it in this blog. As inane as these frivolous lawsuits are, and as much as I have to wonder where Peter Sullivan got this number, Starbucks may very well end up losing less if they settle.

Thanks to I Found My Childhood on ebay for the calculator pic.